You’ve heard of purple prose but did you realize there are other colors of prose you need to avoid? A primer on all three could prevent you from excessive rewrites.
Purple Prose
Purple prose is flowery or overly ornate language. You’ll find a lot of this in some fantasy novels, old-school romance books, and satire writing that specifically makes fun of overly descriptive writing.
The common characteristics of this writing style are:
- overreliance on adjectives and adverbs
- long, run-on sentences
- complex words
- excessive use of figurative language
- extremely dense text
- disjointed syntax
It sacrifices clarity and cohesion only for the sake of embellishment. However, purple prose isn’t just about using complex language. Your prose can still be purple if you pointlessly complicate a sentence with excessive words even if they are simple.
Most readers don’t like purple prose. It’s difficult to understand, is distracting, and adds nothing to the text. If you write in this way, you might drown your audience.
When To Use
Purple prose isn’t always bad. Some writers use it as a stylistic choice and often in ways that readers can still appreciate.
Even Ernest Hemingway, known for his simple prose, has been known to be wordy. Here’s an example from A Farewell to Arms:
“That night at the hotel, in our room with the long empty hall outside and our shoes outside the door, a thick carpet on the floor of the room, outside the windows the rain falling and in the room light and pleasant and cheerful, then the light out and it exciting with smooth sheets and the bed comfortable, feeling that we had come home, feeling no longer alone, waking in the night to find the other one there, and not gone away; all other things were unreal.”
That’s just one sentence that is part of a much lengthier and equally wordy passage. Still, it adds a distinctive voice to his writing, as well as adding to his imagery and emotion.
Don’t use purple prose just because you want to flaunt your vocabulary or, in some way, be seen as a good writer. Do it intentionally and to enhance your storytelling.
And don’t write all purple. That’s going to overwhelm your audience.
Blue Prose
Blue prose is all about the steamy stuff. It is overly vulgar or sexual. This is perhaps the most realistic in all three colors as you’ll find plenty of people “cursing a blue streak.”
The signs that you’re reading blue prose are:
- sexually explicit content
- a lot of swearing
- gratuitous and graphic details
- use of provocative or taboo language
You’ll find this kind of writing in some fanfiction, erotic literature, or the spicier romance novels. It can range from mildly suggestive to extremely explicit and is often used to cause a reaction from the audience.
When To Use
Blue prose is an excellent way to develop a character and intensify emotion. For example, having a character yell out a quick string of expletives in a high-stress situation is both possible and relatable.
However, you can’t use it for simple shock value. You risk putting off your readers and pulling them out of your work.
Sometimes it’s also better to tone down the filth. Too much of it also draws their attention to the language rather than the story. A little bit can go a long way. Just think of how people use the word “fuck” in a lot of creative ways.
Beige Prose
Beige prose is no-frills, straight-to-the-point writing. It’s clean, simple, and actively avoids the use of fancy words or figurative descriptions.
Common characteristics include:
- Minimal use of adjectives and adverbs
- Short, direct sentences
- Focuses on actions and facts rather than descriptions or emotions
- Avoids metaphors, similes, and other figurative language
- Prioritizes clarity and efficiency over style
This is the kind of economical writing you’ll find in the works of Ernest Hemingway, George Orwell, and John Steinbeck. It’s also what journalistic writing is all about.
But writing that is too simple is boring. The brevity of your sentences also makes it difficult to create rhythm as your prose becomes disjointed.
When to Use
There are many situations in writing where you want to introduce a lot of details without info dumping. Or maybe you want to highlight certain elements by being purposefully simple.
Beige prose is great for setting up action scenes. Short and minimal descriptions create a rapid pace that draws your readers into the action.
You can also use it when introducing your setting or characters. These are elements that need to be built up through the course of your story. Introduce a few significant details and let your readers fill in the rest.
Which Color?
We’ve established that all three colors have their place in writing. The difficulty is knowing when and how to use them.
What you need to keep in mind is that an excess of any color will hinder your writing. Not every part of your prose needs to be descriptive, shocking, or simple. A good writer knows how to mix the three to create a piece that isn’t static but also not confusing.
What color of prose do you find yourself frequently using? Share your experience below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- Equivocation: Why Some People Are Purposefully Ambiguous
- How to Avoid Purple Prose and Create More Powerful Descriptions in Your Writing
- How To Self-Edit Your Nonfiction Book in 7 Steps
- 5 Tips for Improving Your Descriptive Writing
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
