For as long as writers have used dashes, readers have derided them: Jane Austen’s original manuscripts, stuffed with dashes, were politely corrected by her publishers into the neat rows of semicolons we see in her work now. Ever since it made its way into English in the 1600s, the dash has been both loved and loathed. Now, it’s supposedly an AI tell, which leaves copywriters in a curious position.

In creating the uncanny likeness of Agatha Christie and positioning their course as a chance to learn from the deceased Queen of Crime, BBC Maestro has created a near-universally reviled automaton that degrades the education platform’s entire offering.

Last year, I had the pleasure of shaping almost 30,000 words into a neat, compelling 10,000-word award submission. The organisation behind it just walked away with gold at both state and national levels. If you’re planning an award submission and are unsure where to start, here’s what’s worked for me.

Too many gets shouty. Too few feels cold. But used well, exclamation marks change how we read, how we feel and even how fast our brains process text. Here’s a (too) short history of their history, power and peculiar reputation. (!!)