  Romance/Love
This week: Do You Write Purple Prose? Edited by: esprit  
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"Anybody can have ideas--the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph." -- Mark Twain
Do You Write Purple Prose?
Q: What does the phrase 'purple prose' mean?
Purple Prose. The term sounds colorful and imaginative, and to some readers and writers--it is.
It's language in a short story or novel that is too sweet & sappy. It "waxes poetic" may be another way to say it. The speech is overblown, overdone. It overuses adjectives to describe an event, setting, or person. There is an abundant use of superlatives. Purple prose means flowery, ornate, descriptive language that is so extravagant it distracts the reader. For most readers it's too tiresome to wade through something that they must reread a few times to figure out what it's really saying. It leans toward boring.
People in the business call it "fluff writing." It's extravagant writing that doesn't do much for the storyline at all. It's there to embellish the piece and give it an air of sophistication when it's really just cheesy and clichéd. There tends to be many adjectives and descriptive details, and it's particularly rampant in romances. Romance gets its reputation for shoddy writing directly from purple prose; in spite of Romance being the most popular selling genre.
Example: I became lost in her cobalt blue orbs.
There are readers who prefer flowery language, and specialty ezines request purple prose in particular, so don't despair if you like to read and write wordy descriptions. Poets may have the most trouble avoiding it--they're used to embellishing. In fact, it's the most used excuse.  There are readers and writers of all styles so as long as you know what your audience likes--write it. If you don't enjoy your own writing why in the world would you do it?
On the other hand,
A more recent author famous for purple prose is Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803-73), who begins his novel Paul Clifford (1830) with the sentence:
It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents-except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.
Often shortened to just "It was a dark and stormy night", this opening has given rise to the annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_prose
Mr. Bulwer-Lytton became famous alright, but would he be proud of being an example of bad writing? I don't think so.
Just remain aware that most publishers don't like it and won't touch it. Learn to write tight and concise stories from the beginning of your journey if you want to be published mainstream. Your choice.
Here are two examples of publishers of Romance who specifically forbid purple prose. (so you'll know I'm not just picking on purple prose)
http://www.loose-id.com/
"no purple prose."
http://liquidsilverbooks.com/guidelines.htm
" no purple prose will be accepted."
I wrote a column a while back about overwriting to get the imagination going. Freewriting the story to get it down while it's in your head is fun and it works well for many writers. But I went on to say that this was definitely not a final draft--it's the outline, the plan. There is much work to do to get to a finished story. The problem is that sometimes the writer likes the outline so much that they leave it as it is. They reason that if they rewrite, the style will be ruined. This results in quite a bit of clutter and purple prose. The real story is revealed through the rewriting--it really is.
Most reviewers will spot purple prose and suggest toning it down. Don't blame them. They are your audience and concise writing is more enjoyable for them to read.
If you're trying to write purple prose purposely and intend to keep writing it, it would help reviewers if you added a loud and proud author's note at the top of the item admitting it. If it's not on purpose--tone it down, please. When it's done well, it's not quite the same thing as clutter, (but it's mighty close) so don't confuse wordy, redundant, inconsistent clutter for purple prose. Do your best to resist claiming that reviewers are trying to change your style. They're only doing what you asked of them--they're reading and commenting on your work.
Thanks for reading,
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Comments on "Invalid Entry"
By: Raine
Comment: According the statistics provided by Romance Writers of America (RWA), 53% of all fiction sold is romance. That's a hefty chunk...
It sure is, Raine--people love the genre.
By: Vivian 
Comment: Esprit, I'm in the process of writing a romantic suspense. Wonder if Harlequin would ...
Why not give it a try, Vivian? They are certainly the leader in knowing how to market. You know how important it is to get the book in front of the public. Consistent quality writing earns the author respect and fans and with a few respectable clips, gives her a head start when submitting to the bigger houses. So I say--why not?
By: Acme
Comment: A big asset is probably the 'Happy Ever After' ending
I find this the hardest thing of all, and not because I'm a dour pessimistic sort (quite the opposite, really). I almost get embarrassed by having it all work out perfectly. I don't trust myself to be original enough, and the last thing any writer wants is to feel as if their writing is tired. I've been trying to write romantic stories for years, because I enjoy reading them, but it's obviously a genre that does not come naturally to me. I still do try, though, even if it's only for the challenge. Another thought-provoking newsletter, esprit
I know what you mean, Acme. Real life isn't always perfect, so a happy ending isn't always believable. But a 'satisfying' ending is okay too. It sounds like you'd rather be writing Love than Romance. Remember the difference? "Invalid Entry"
A Love story does not follow a set formula and doesn't have to have a Happily Ever After. There have been many love stories that could have been romances if they'd ended differently. Romeo and Juliet is one example.
I think "Love', without the set formula, would give you the freedom to be as original and fresh as you want to be. Change the mind-set of it must have a happy ending, and concentrate on a good story. The challenge is the real challenge though, and it builds skills like nothing else will.
By: Morgan Adam Internet Problems!
Comment: Thank you for this! Sometimes, as I do tend to write a lot of romance, I feel I'm not writing anything of substance at all (I know, it's silly - but it happens!). And you gave me good reasons not to feel like that. I do enjoy writing in the genre! - Morgan
Morgan, perhaps you're feeling like Acme, (above) and the restrictive formula is holding you back. Write a good story, full of substance and conflict. Give it a love theme instead of Romance. A Love theme doesn't have to be a romantic love between two adults, you know. It can be a man and his dog, a man or woman and their love of the sea, space, job, their children, charities, orphans, writing--whatever your 'What if?' question brings to your mind. How much would they give up for their love? Be strong on the conflict.
Thanks for throwing in your two cents, guys. It always gives me ideas, and I need all those I can get. Feedback works, thanks!
Editors:
fyn 
Your guest host this week is esprit
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Romance/Love: February 24, 2010 Issue [#3564]
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