Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Reading through the critiques, I see this trend where people are getting hacked for purple prose. I understand the concept, but it feels like anytime anyone gets just a little creative, they are being blasted.

I am totally guilty of overwriting in my first drafts, but I find it provides a nice "block" to carve a finished piece out of.

Sometimes over-the-top works in small doses.

There are strong spices we use in foods such as ginger and chili. Use too much and it kills everything else. Take it all out and the food is bland. Finding the balance is different for everyone.

Just a few thoughts...

Well, I think it's important to understand what "purple prose" means. It's generally considered to be prose that is overly flowery and draws attention to itself in a hey look at how good I am with words sort of way. That's the sticking factor - whether a certain phrase stands out due to the language it uses, and whether it adds or detracts from the whole. Because it tends to be overblown/wordy, it's best avoided when you only have a finite amount of space to get your point across. Like in a query.

There's a difference between having a style that is in and of itself ornate and flowery, and abusing it in order to illustrate that you know what the word "lackadaisical" means. It's not about creativity, it's about overusing language where it's not needed with the intent of "showing off," so to speak. Of course, as with all things writing, opinions will differ. Some have a different tolerance for over-the-top language than others. The most important question to ask is whether the "spicy" phrase (to borrow your metaphor) differs from the overall tone, or is being used to try and impress the audience with the author's wordsmithery.

I agree when you say it's all about balance. One of my biggest writing pet peeves is when authors try so hard to sound dramatic or "literary" that they wind up not making any damn sense. Some editor out there in Internets land said, "Stop trying to write and just tell me a story." I love the sentiment behind that quote; too bad I don't know who said it.

I think the key to eliminating purple prose is to avoid using complicated phrasing where simple phrasing would do. Even authors we normally think of as flowery are usually quite precise in how they describe things.