Page 50 - Publishers_Weekly

WRITING ADVICE
®

Ask is characterized by the excessive puts it this way: “A sentence should
use of adjectives, adverbs, and
contain no unnecessary words,
the metaphors.” a paragraph no unnecessary
This style has been a problem
sentences for the same reason
for writers for more than 2,000 a drawing should have no unnec-
years. In about 19 BCE, the Roman essary lines and a machine no
poet Horace wrote a letter discuss- unnecessary parts. This requires
ing the art of writing. It was called not that the writer make all sen-
A veteran editor answers Ars Poetica and contained more tences short or avoid all detail
than 30 writing suggestions and treat subjects only in outline,
your writing questions
including a warning to stay away but that every word tell.”
from “flashy purple patches.” If you concentrate on making
BY BETTY KELLY SARGENT
The problem with purple prose every word tell, you’ll never again
Dear Editor: is it gets in the way of what you be accused of writing purple prose.
was recently accused of are trying to say. It interrupts the
Iwriting purple prose. What is flow of your story and shouts,
it, and what can I do about it? “Look at me; see all the fancy
—Beth words I can use.” Obviously, this
is not good. Betty Kelly Sargent is the
ccording to Wikipedia, “pur- What you need to do is learn to founder and CEO of BookWorks.
Aple prose is prose text that spot it, analyze it, and rephrase it.
is so extravagant, ornate, or flow- Try to simplify, clarify, and keep If you have a question for the
ery as to break the flow and draw your story moving. William Strunk, editor, please email Betty Sargent
excessive attention to itself.... It coauthor of The Elements of Style, at booklifeeditor@booklife.com.

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