You may have noticed.
You may even be planning an intervention.
When I look back through my blog, emails, correspondence and even my thoughts, I take note that I am obsessed with the “dot, dot, dot”.
They are so cute, round and multiple. They are a perfect circle design element repeated three times. They are so dramatic in their effect. They are thought inducing, subtracting and multiplying. They are compact and can be taken almost anywhere. Oh, how I love the …. (the fourth one there is the actual period at the end of that sentence which I probably should have replaced with an exclamation point…((see how great that pause is there?)))
Which brings me to admit that this isn’t the first time I have been in love with punctuation…(stop me, now)…
My first crush was with the exclamation point!
I am perky by nature so the exclamation point and I really hit it off. Oh, how I could just bring any sentence more umph, visibility, and sass by just adding one of those!
It was easy! It was effortless! It was a trap…
…because too much of a good thing depletes its value. I was over-exclaiming!
Suddenly all those really important points were lost with all the other really important points.
I just had to start saying “no” to the exclamation point. I couldn’t go cold turkey. I couldn’t avoid my first love completely. I have had to go on punctuation limitation.
I have self-imposed a one exclamation point rule. Only one per event. Only one saved for the most important point thoughtfully and lovingly placed.
Oh, I have flirted with the ALL CAPS and the bold. I have even been known to use the –, or in extreme cases the italics. But for now, it will be the dot, dot, dot until…
I get help.
PS: A special thanks to JCK, Meg, Madge, Burgh Baby, Rachael and Amy who may have suffered through that post twice. It originally appeared 12-7-07.
Madge is funny.
Perky people need lots of punctuation. I know it can be overused, and I try myself to limited it. But I can’t. (I’m using great restraint here, but now I’m in parentheses which is another problem.)
You can try to reduce the punctuation, and the “…”, but we’ll love you even if you don’t. At least I will… if for no other reason to than to make me feel better about myself!!!!!
(SO just kidding!)
I’m a huge exclamation pointing, ellipse using, quoting and parenthetical freak. The English teacher who butchers grammar.
I love the ellipses, too…(and parentheses). You’re not alone!
See how I did that? I used …, (), and ! Okay, never mind.
I have that problem, too …. I also have the problem of the sentence fragment. Major sentence fragment problems. Major.
WOO HOO!!! I’m SO glad I’m not the only one…sometimes I feel SO alone…but not anymore!!! LOL : )
Are you trying to tell ME something? I think so….
I know, I know I have a real addition to the little guys…
I must stop. I must.But…
I’m laughing…
Must be why I love your writing so much…I’m addicted to the dots too.
And, I really like the exclamation point as well. I mean I really like it!
Okay, a cheesey comment, but it made me laugh.
Funny post.
I’ve had complaints about my frequent use of…not on my blog, but in emails and such.
But that’s because they aren’t bloggers! Us bloggers, we know the value of three periods cuddled together!
!
elipses are GOOD for you…as are “quotes” and (parentheticals).