Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.
Interpretation
Exclamation points can undermine the sincerity of a statement, much like laughing at your own joke can feel forced.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's quote suggests that excessive use of exclamation points is akin to self-indulgent laughter at one's own humor, indicating a lack of authenticity. By implying that we should avoid overwriting our emotions with punctuation, he encourages a more genuine and understated communication style that allows our words to stand on their own merit.
In practice
In a writing workshop, to emphasize the importance of subtlety in writing.
Don't be so anxious about it,' she laughed. 'I'm not used to being loved. I wouldn't know what to do; I never got the trick of it.' She looked down at him, shy and fatigued. 'So here we are. I told you years ago that I had the makings of Cinderella.' He took her hand; she drew it back instinctively and then replaced it in his. 'Beg your pardon. Not even used to being touched. But I'm not afraid of you, if you stay quiet and don't move suddenly.
The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.
It was about then [1920] that I wrote a line which certain people will not let me forget: "She was a faded but still lovely woman of twenty-seven."
The words seemed to bite physically into Gatsby.
But you can love more than just one person, can't you?
A sudden gust of rain blew over them and then another - as if small liquid clouds were bouncing along the land. Lightning entered the sea far off and the air blew full of crackling thunder. The table cloths blew around the pillars. They blew and blew and blew. The flags twisted around the red chairs like live things, the banners were ragged, the corners of the table tore off through the burbling billowing ends of the cloths.
He'd heard that writers spent all day in their dressing gowns drinking champagne. This is, of course, absolutely true.
β¦a lady of what is commonly called an uncertain temper --a phrase which being interpreted signifies a temper tolerably certain to make everybody more or less uncomfortable.
The English country-gentleman galloping after a fox β the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable.
I have no idea what my best material is. Different people like different things. I'll say this: The political stuff gets the press, but the relationship jokes sell all the seats.
This looks like a job for inadvisably applied magic if ever I saw one.
The object of a comedy is not to correct morals or ridicule the vices of society; no, a comedy should depict the discrepancies between life and purpose, should be the fruit of bitter indignation aroused by the degradation of human dignity, should be sarcasm, and not an epigram, convulsive laughter and not an amused grin, should be written with bile and not diluted salt, in a word, it should embrace life in its highest significance.
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