NOT YOUR USUAL SUSPECTS

A group blog featuring an international array of killer mystery, suspense, and romantic suspense writers. With premises and story lines different from your run-of-the-mill whodunits, we tend to write outside the box. We blog several times a week on all topics relating to romantic suspense and mystery, our writing, and our readers. We welcome all comments and often have guest bloggers. All our authors can be contacted separately, too, using their own social media links.

We find our genre delightfully, dangerously, and deliciously exciting - join us here, if you do too!

NOTE: the blog is currently dormant but please enjoy the posts we're keeping online.


Julie Moffet . Cathy Perkins . Jean Harrington . Daryl Anderson . Nico Rosso . Maureen A Miller . Sandy Parks . Lisa Q Mathews . Sharon Calvin . Lynne Connolly . Janis Patterson . Vanessa Keir . Tonya Kappes . Julie Rowe . Joni M Fisher . Leslie Langtry

Friday, April 13, 2012

Purple Prose: It's Really Bad!

Since it's Friday and I think we can all use a bit of a laugh at the end of a long week, I thought it might be fun to review the meaning and use of what is popularly known as "purple prose." For those of you who may not be familiar with the phrase, it is typically described as a passage written in a figurative language that is unusually and overly descriptive. The term is most often applied derogatorily and indicates that the author has surpassed her/himself in the overuse or convolution of metaphors. Let me give you some specific examples of purple prose taken from several not-to-be-identified novels.

“His throbbing weapon pierced her sugared treasure-trove.”

“From between his steely thighs rose a marble pillar.”

“She was drowning in a sea of chest hair.”

“He dived into her pool of love.”

“Desire rose in her like a call of nature.”

“His eyes were hacked from the walls of hell.”

“She flashed her optical orbs of disbelief.”

Done laughing yet? The obvious problem of purple prose is that most readers are rudely jolted from the story by such over-writing, not enchanted by the author’s incredibly imaginative use of a metaphor. Writers have to beware that they are not carried away by the moment (especially a passionate one) and allow themselves to gleefully toss their common sense out the window.

We, as writers, know that writing love scenes can be difficult. No one wants to be accused of woodenly explaining how Tab A fits into Slot B. On the other hand, using “his throbbing man-root” and the “quivering, wintry flesh of her rounded globes” is NOT the way to go either. How realistic is it to expect the reader to relate to a phrase like, “She eagerly eyed his purple helmeted soldier of love?" Jeez! How can anyone read that and keep a straight face?

Writers can avoid purple prose by simply applying a little common sense. You can be sensual and sexy without being absurd. If you re-read a passage and it makes you laugh (and you’re not writing comedy), then you’d be better off to change it. As silly as purple prose may seem, it can truly be fatal to your story. Avoid it like the plague! Ha!

12 comments:

Marcelle Dubé said...

Oh, my. Julie, your research in preparation for this blog was above and beyond the call of duty.

Rita said...

OMG!!! I had a laughing coughing fit. Drowning in a sea of chest hair? Really?? Steel and marble huh? I had a visual of a transformer. A call of nature?? Ewwww. Complete turn off. Sugared treasure-trove? Did you really find these in books?
Thanks for the laugh.

CathyP said...

Wiping spewed coffee off the computer screen - LOL

Not the reaction the ahem author intended!

Thanks for the laugh to start the day

Wynter said...

Ha! Optical orbs? Too funny. I think we've all seen these and cringed.

Elise Warner said...

Love your purple prose blog, Julie. How Tab A fits into Tab B is my favorite is my favorite. I needed the laughs today.

Anne Marie Becker said...

LOL - I'm so glad I wasn't drinking when I read your post, Julie. (But I think I have read a few of those books...)

Julie Moffett said...

So glad you all were able to enjoy a little laugh this Friday (and hopefully with minimal spewing)! ooxoxoxoxo

Julie

Maureen A. Miller said...

Fantastic post! Still laughing. :) But also still cringing at "a sea of chest hair". Ewwwwwww LOL!

Dee J. said...

Hey, I think I wrote one of those... I am SO kidding!!! (At least I certainly hope I'm kidding!!)

Pretty funny. Or sad. Maybe both...
:)

Shelley Munro said...

Thanks for the laugh. Gotta love that purple prose.

Tia said...

I'm so glad you prepared me for those with your introductory paragraph. Can't believe those were in actual published novels!

Sandy Parks said...

Gosh, Julie. Now I'm totally stumped on what to write. You took away my best metaphors. LOL

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