I got the funniest feedback from a test reader the other day.
“You described too much. It was a bit overwhelming.”
Me? I thought under-describing things was a problem area. I was shocked. And delighted. Haha, yes, delighted. Because I was worried so much about trying to fit the description cleverly into the prose, I fixated on it. I thought my biggest challenge upon a polishing phase of editing would be the impossible task of describing things more without upping the word count.
Phew!
This is why fresh perspectives help so much.
And it got me thinking about something I read once about purple prose.
First: a definition.
Purple prose is writing that is overly focused on the words being used. And not enough on the story. It is that overly ornate, long winded, wordy style people often associate with classical literature. It uses fancy words, and all the grammar tricks to keep the runon sentence running on and on and on.
Or, if I were to define it using Purple prose, “it is the immoderate use of eloquence, flowery and melodic in cadence, possessing of multiplex sentences, loquacious use of lexicon, and prolific in verbose superfluity.”
Gosh that sounds fun to say out loud. So poetic, so pretty, but … wait a minute, what did that mean?
If you ever catch yourself thinking that after reading a passage, you may have fallen victim to purple prose. RIP.
Think Dickens, who is famous for writing single sentences that fall into the 140+ word length on the regular. And for getting extra boastful in his use of uncommon words, oftentimes, thrown in, it felt like, just to be thrown in.
Why did people in that era write like this?
It was a common style of the time, for writers who were paid by the word. This was a time when people didn’t have as much to occupy themselves in their down time, which made for audiences who were totally cool with multiple read-throughs. Once to taste the words. Yummy. Once to get a sense of the story. And once more to explore it more in depth. Many classic books were released as installments in periodicals, and it was important that the authors maintained a fast pace of writing, and if they didn’t present a satisfying word length, it affected them financially.
You might be a bit wordy too, if that was the model you are writing for.
Hold up.
Maybe it is.
Or very nearly.
Welcome to the internet. Unlike in the classical era, there is an over abundance of media we writers are pitted against, but the solution, ironically, is often very similar. Many self published writers use a weekly release model. They have patreons and subscribers, and these individuals expect regular updates. This audience needs to be reminded constantly of our existence, so the more quickly we churn out content, the better chance we have of being seen. And not only that, but our readers will probably get grouchy if they are not happy with the amount of words dropped. If, for example, you usually write 3000 words per update, and then one week, you only drop 1500, people are going to complain. So many content creators today find themselves in a similar situation.
They are expected to drop content fast, and it needs to be a satisfying amount at a regular interval.
And it's not just self publishing that has been shaped by this. Fanfic writers got bit by this model too.
Yes, fanfic writers. The heroes who pour hours of their time into their craft, in exchange for nothing more than the hope of a kudos and a kind word. They keep fandoms alive and thriving for years after the release of content, they inspire creativity and push the boundaries of what can be considered literature everyday day. Bless you, fanfic writers. I have seen fanfics with more love and heart, with more fascinating story telling, and deeper themes than canon content so many times, it boggles my mind. And they, like so many, are expected to produce content at a fast pace.
Which makes for chapters getting wordy sometimes. It makes for plots that might meander off course regularly, or change direction completely, and it makes for … maybe … just a bit of a violet tint to our writing from time to time.
I dabbled a bit in fanfic writing. It is how I found my writing friends, including the wonderful authors here in badcrow bookery. Fanfic writing is how I found the courage and support I needed to strike out and do my own work. But with this background, I find myself reevaluating my work, with a new perspective, and giggling just a little.
Maybe I let myself dress my work up in purple clothes a bit. Maybe I was a bit insecure. Seeing this is part of the process. And seeing a resurgence of purple in prose has me wondering, is it really such a bad thing?
No.
Or yes.
Depending.
This brings me full circle to what my friend’s comment got me thinking about. Eloquence, descriptions, funny sentence structures? These can be okay in the right circumstances, so long as the words I am using all count. They have to have substance, progress the story, and mean something beyond me writing a love letter to my own imaginary world. So long as that is the case, then it's fine. But when I am just overwhelming the reader, that is when I need to step back, and reevaluate what I have written, which, hey, that is what editing is all about.
And on that note, time for careful editing is a luxury for many writers these days. So with that in mind, purple prose may be on the rise. Which is okay. It’s a sign of our times.
Happy writing, Stardust. Your writing is glorious, no matter what color it is. There is always room to improve, and there is always something to appreciate in all creative endeavors. Shine bright.
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