The Wednesday Word Wise Roundup

• I’ll admit that in the almost five years I’ve worked in public relations I’ve used exclamation points more than I had in my previous 42 years on earth. Seriously! Maybe it’s because I work in PR and we PR practitioners are a shiny, happy people, but maybe it’s also because I entered PR around the same time electronic communications became ubiquitous. This pro-exclamation-point article in the Aug. 30 slate.com by New York writer Jacob Rubin notes that “the exclamation [point] is no mere crutch for the lazy writer but an essential tonic against the grayness of electronic communication.” I agree and, without even thinking about it, I started using it (and emoticons sometimes) to convey tone, wonderment, excitement, and other emotions that might not otherwise come across. I also started using the word “awesome” but that’s another post for another time.

• I might completely embarrass myself by admitting this, but I’m a huge fan of Real Simple magazine (though it amazes me how complicated that magazine makes it to lead a simple life). (Darling, I love you but give me Park Avenue!) And while this isn’t about writing exactly, there is a terrific article in last month’s issue (and online here) about what it calls “bad speaking habits” (e.g., using speech tics like er and um, letting your pitch rise at the end of sentences) and how to correct them. It’s important to read, however, because, like, we all have them, and they creep into our writing, too. I know there are completely inarticulate writers and incredibly smooth-talking illiterates, but more often speaking well and writing well go hand in hand.