100 ways to improve your writing - Gary Provost 2019

Use orthodox punctuation
Six ways to avoid punctuation errors

Writing is not a visual art, so don’t use punctuation as decoration. Be creative in your writing, not in your punctuation.

After writing an exclamation, use only one exclamation point. No! is every bit as effective as No!!!

Avoid using unnecessary quotation marks. Some writers insist on placing quotation marks around slang words: My “old man” is going to give me some “big bucks.” If you wish to use slang or idioms, do so, but do so without quotation marks.

Avoid using unnecessary dashes and ellipses. Some writers use dashes (—) and ellipses (. . .) to cover faulty sentence constructions and vague thoughts. Don’t.

In the following e-mail, a writer uses dashes and ellipses the way drunks use whiskey.

Hey Robert,

Well . . . How are you? I’m okay—I guess . . . My mother came to visit last week—you can imagine how much fun that was . . . All she did the whole time she was here was criticize my clothes, my weight . . . everything. Anyhow, you get the picture . . . God!!! So—not much new to report.

Love,

Betsy