You probably think an unexplained phenomenon is a sinister event but it can be benign, welcome and surprising, that is, serendipitous. Most writers silently bless Horace Walpole and his Prince of Serendip for giving us a word for happy accidents. A few examples from my own career will elicit similar memories in other writers.

Several years ago I had a fellowship with the Mary Bunting Institute at Radcliffe, to research and write a play about Alice James. I was ready to begin my fist draft on American Thanksgiving Day when everything stopped for gratitude and turkey. I worked in my silent office until I felt an urgent need to consult Lewis Carroll’s books about Alice, a need easily satisfied on any day but that. I was far away from my home library; the public libraries were closed; the bookstores were closed; no one was home, including my landlady. I entered my digs early, despairing of finding what I needed. When lo! There on the kitchen table was a boxed set: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Serendipity!

Why? When asked later, my landlady had no memory of putting it there.

The second incident also took place in Cambridge, MA. After finishing my fellowship, I went back to the Schlesinger Library (arguably the best repository of women’s studies in North America). I planned to begin research on a book about women’s diaries (subsequently published by Key Porter Books as Reading Between the Lines) by looking for essential reading material and wondering where to begin. When lo! There on a table in the main reading room was a huge bibliography of women’s diaries, left out by a careless student. Serendipity for sure.

Perhaps this phenomenon is guided by a force field in the writer’s mind, but how is it that one is receptive at that particular time in that particular place for a particular reason?

Serendipity, an unexplained phenomenon

A few months ago I read that writers should be allowed only 2643 exclamation marks in their writing career. Or whatever. That can't be! How can that be? That's when I began to pay attention to how often I use an ex mark and for what purpose and that's when I began to realize that I was addicted. Well, it can't be that bad. I mean, everyone uses them. But it's very hard to break the habit. I keep a daily journal, which is the reason I don't commune with my blog every day, (How often can one bear these revelations?)

You can see how easy it is. I just add that little sign and it raises, or so I hope, my writing to a higher level of adrenalin, emotion, intensity and significance. I wish! (Oh, dear!)

I looked it up. Yes, we all know what an exclamation mark is, everyone knows. But perhaps I've been taking it for granted, as well as my use of it. Well, Look at this (from Wikipedia):

"The exclamation mark, exclamation point, bang, or dembanger is a punctuation mark usually used after an nterjection or exclamation to indicate strong feeling or high volume (shouting), and often marks the end of sentence. Example: “Watch out!”… This punctuation mark is called, in the newspaper world, "a screamer, a gasper [or] a startler"."

Well!

I guess I've been using it as a screamer, occasionally as a gasper, and not enough as a startler. I mean, whom am I trying to startle? Because I (over-)use the 'bang' in my diary as a signpost to myself that I am upset, overwrought, astonished (as opposed to surprised), or - admit it - lazy. And so, for the past several months I have been suffering withdrawal symptoms as I tried to wean myself from my dependency. It's not easy. Note: a couple of weeks ago I would have added the dembanger (is that a word? It's not in my dictionary) after easy. At least I've learned a new word.

I have also learned new ways to emphasize what I write in my diary. It's very messy. I underline words, some times several times. I draw boxes around them, or balloons. I write arrows in the margins to draw my attention to tasks I must perform. Because most often in my case an ex mark follows an imperative, a self-directed order to DO SOMETHING . Oh yes, caps, too.

STOP IT.