The 11th International Smiley-Free Day

The International Smiley-Free Day is a success!

The 11th International Smiley-Free Day was observed today, and we are proud to note that our little brainchild is gathering momentum. More and more people choose to put the extra effort into their writings every Thursday, managing to convey moods using words alone, not resorting to the use of emoticons (generally known as “smileys”).

The International Smiley-Free Day was instigated on January 1st, 2009, by the Arthur Dent Appreciation Society, with the express purpose to honour good writing. These days everyone seems to be depending on excessive use of smileys to depict meanings and moods in their writing.

Using irony and sarcasm in written texts has never been easy, and this is how it should be. Well-written irony is the mark of the true master. But how hard is it to be sincere when you write? Do you really need to add smileys to let your readers know that you are in a good mood? Perhaps you should consider a rewrite. To put it bluntly, if you can’t communicate properly without smileys, perhaps the decent thing to do is to refrain from trying to communicate at all.

Boost your writing skills by observing the International Smiley-Free Day every Thursday. Tell your friends about it. Remember, even though Arthur Dent could never get the hang of Thursdays, at least he managed to be wry, sarcastic and witty without ever using one smiley. So can you!