Friday, March 03, 2006 Purple Prose or Personal Preference? Recently, I read an online article about the use of Purple Prose in romance. The author of the article included opinions from other writers on what they thought constitutes Purple Prose, complete with samples. I wholeheartedly agreed with some of the examples given, but some of them I liked and have used variations of in my writing. Although a few turns of phrase are universally accepted as being of the violet variety, some are questionable and it comes down to the writer's--and ultimately the reader's--personal preference. As I finished the article, I realized the combined list of examples didn't leave many "acceptable" words or phrases for a writer to use. We can only employ the words cock, pussy, and the like so many times before they lose their effectiveness or turn into porn. I've read books where those words were copiously overused and I started rolling my eyes before I was halfway through the story. I'm reminded of the adolescent who just discovered dirty talk and every other word is a vulgar variant. Done for shock value, it quickly becomes tedious at best, redundant at worst. In my opinion, redundancy should be a writer's greatest fear, not the color of her prose. Shifting shades of lilac and lavender, orchid and plum would serve better than the dull repetition of certain words. The English language is rich with an abundance of descriptive words from its own Anglo-Saxon roots as well as the many, many languages from which it has borrowed. A writer shouldn't feel limited to use only a few choice words because it's the latest fad in writing romance. Explore the language and give them all a try. Even a cliché can sound fresh from a clever writer's pen or keyboard. I've seen erotic romance writers sneer at the mere mention of any and all euphemisms and disparage those writers who do use them. Just a reminder that cock and pussy are euphemisms, too! Lani Aames http://www.laniaames.com  
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