Another common sort of writing phrase a veteran will have seen time and again and know the meaning of instantly, but for some, the phrase makes no sense at all. So firstly, let us define the phrase: Oh Google!

pur·ple prose

noun

noun: purple prose

prose that is too elaborate or ornate.

Okay so now we know what Google defines "purple prose" as, but for some (and it was this way for me) the phrase is still not that clear. What is "elaborate" when it comes to writing? Aren't we, as writers supposed to paint pictures for our readers? Do we not need to make our prose a little elaborate to achieve that goal? The answer to both is yes, but there is a line between creating a picture and purple prose. And, as you may have now realized I like examples so let us get to it so you can really see what I am talking about it.

The following is an example of purple prose. Repeat: this following passage is purple prose.

Rain hung in the misty evening air. The sun setting the world on fire as it cast vivid, flame red hues, burning golds, soft pinks and deep purples. Crickets chirped, their soft voices creating an orchestra in the evening air. Meryl strode around the gardens, a dark spot of purple against the bright, vivid, glowing green of the plants.

There was not one aspect of her that was not beautiful. Waist length waves of hair fell down Meryl's back, the strands were just like ink, dark black, smooth and shiny as they shimmered and moved as she did. Her eyes were like starlight, bright and dancing as she laughed, the sound like the bright toll of a church bell. Her skin was like oiled wood, dark, clear. She toyed with her dark hair, eyeing Travis with her dark starlight eyes.

"Well," she asked and just like her laugh her voice was a bell. Her full, plump lips quirked up into a smile, revealing two rows of perfect, gleaming, creamy, milk-white teeth. "Are you going to kiss me or not?"

Meryl laughed again, the clear, perfect picture nearly stopping Trey's heart. She tossed her  hair and it created a shadow across the dusky sky. A spot of ebony black against blood red and bright gold.

Okay that's enough, my eyes hurt looking at this. Now tell, me, could you clearly picture Meryl? Yes. Could you picture where she was? Yeah you probably could, but tell me the problem-how long did it take to get to the actual point of this scene? The answer: far too long. While  yes, maybe some of the descriptions here were lovely (insert bias here) and maybe even poetic at times, there was an overdose of it that made it lose the effect it could have had. The focus of this scene should have been the two lover interests spending time together, but 99.9% of the chapter was spent on stuff that your reader really did not need to know.

Now, does that mean you can't use pretty words and expressive ones to describe something or someone? No! Of course not! But you need to be careful when using them so that you do not go overboard and ultimately hurt your writing in the process.

That is the heart of the problem at purple prose, bogging down the writing with things that your reader truly has no need of. Now we are going to see the same scene, but this time, the writing will not be purple.

"It's going to rain soon!"  Warned Travis as Meryl hurried ahead of him, her dark skin glowing in the setting sun.

"Oh stop being a worrywart!" she teased, tossing her long, glossy black hair over her shoulder. "It'll hold off long enough!"

She hurried along the path, stopping to admire the brightly colored flowers and fauana that lined the grey-stone path. "Travis," she called in her clear voice. "Hurry along please, I would rather walk with my companion than alone, wouldn't you?"

He swallowed hard, chest tightening as the setting sun cast a glowing gold halo around Meryl. The firey light, combined with her bright, star-like eyes and strong stance, she appeared earthly, ethereal and so lovely it made his chest hurt.

Okay I am done. Lovely scenes are not my thing! So tell me, could you see the scene?  Yup! But was that the main focus of the passage? Nope! There was more focus on characters and less on describing each and every detail about them. That is the sort of balance you want to try and strike when writing, enough to give people an idea of what they are "looking" at and not so much that the point of the scene is lost.

If you have anymore questions on purple prose, or suggestions for later entries, let me know in the comments my lovely Padwans! Until then-

Write on! :D