What Is Purple Prose (and 4 Expert Tips on Fixing It In Your Writing)

What Is Purple Prose (and 4 Expert Tips on Fixing It In Your Writing) What Is Purple Prose? And How to Avoid It Most of us have committed the sin of purple prose at one time or another - and many find it hard to shake, even as experienced writers. It can sometimes be hard to tell good description from bad, leaving lots of writers worried about accidentally sounding â€Å"too purple.†But worry no more! This guide will take you through all the ins and outs of that pesky, pernicious prose, from its precise definition to how to prevent it in your writing. How to make your prose less purple and more powerful What is purple prose?Purple prose is overly embellished language that serves little meaningful purpose in a piece. It’s characterized by strings of multisyllabic words, run-on sentences, and blocks of unyielding text. Universally discouraged by all manner of writing experts, purple prose slows the pace, muddles the content, and can lose the reader entirely.If you’ve never read purple prose before, it sounds something like this:The mahogany-haired adolescent girl glanced fleetingly at her rugged paramour, a crystalline sparkle in her eyes as she gazed happily upon his countenance. It was filled with an expression as enigmatic as shadows in the night. She pondered thoughtfully whether it would behoove her to request that she continue to follow him on his noble mission†¦Ã‚  Very difficult to get through, no?Purple prose doesn't always persist throughout the entirety of a piece - it can also pop up every so often in â€Å"purple patches.† But even a few "purple passages" can disrupt your reader. This is because:1. The writing draws attention to itself and away from the narrative  or thesis.2. It’s too convoluted to read smoothly and can disrupt the pacing of your story.So why, despite its many drawbacks, do some writers continue to use such unnecessarily ornate language? The answer, ironically, is simple: to try and appear more â€Å"literary.†Think of purple prose as a cardboard cutout of a celebrity. From a distance it looks convincing, even impressive - but as you draw closer, you realize there’s nothing behind it. Purple prose is like that: beautiful from afar, with very little substance to it.What's the most purple thing you've ever written? Just for fun, leave it in the comments below!