Ever since the day when Adam and Eve sewed leaves together for clothing, people have wanted to look good. We may be flat broke, but we still want people to admire us as if we were kings and queens. As writers, we must impress our readers or they won’t stay with us for long.
The term “purple prose” comes from ancient times when people sewed expensive purple strips on their cheap garments, thinking that would make them look like royalty. Instead, their effort called attention to how poor they were.
The Roman poet Horace alluded to this condition when he critiqued another author with these words: “Your opening shows great promise, but has flashy purple patches.”
A hundred years ago, readers were impressed with fancy words. Not anymore. Now, the best writing is so clear, concise, and captivating that readers don’t notice the words.
