writing-questions-answered:Anonymous said:what is “purple prose” and why is it bad?Purple...

writing-questions-answered:

Anonymous said:

what is “purple prose” and why is it bad?

Purple prose is writing that is ornate to the point of being annoying. There are many reasons why it’s bad:

it’s excessive - readers feel that their time is wasted by descriptions that are too wordy and unnecessary.
it’s over dramatic - purple prose tends to come off as a bit melodramatic, and often that melodrama is out of context with the rest of the story.
it’s confusing - all too often, the author’s descriptive point gets lost in the unnecessary wording.
it’s boring - generally, readers aren’t interested in reading a paragraph long description of the color of wood the MC’s dressing table is made out of. If it’s not important to the story, no one cares.
it hampers flow - a purple passage takes the focus away from the forward motion of the story.
it can be “smoke and mirrors” - very often, purple prose is a cover-up for bad plotting, bad characterization, or poor writing in general.

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