If I'd only known...

[Incanus]

My sister described my first (never published) book as one long poem.

I thought it was a work of genius when I finished it, but these days I can't read three sentences without vomiting blood.

I had a steadily sinking feeling while working on my failed novel. I don't think I could bear to look at it now.

That said, short stories are a great place for experimentation. One of my favorite older writers is Clark Ashton Smith. Talk about poetic prose! He's far too rich for the average reader, it seems. I consider it genius.

 

[pmmg]

He looks like one of the pulp writers. Kind of on the edge of purple, but not quite going over.

 

[Incanus]

He looks like one of the pulp writers. Kind of on the edge of purple, but not quite going over.

Yes, pulp outlets were his only option at the time. In my view he was insanely over-qualified.

I often wonder if I understand the term 'purple prose'. To me it sort of means when someone is trying really hard to be clever or colorful but ends up sounding rather goofy. In my view CAS never comes close to this. I don't think the term simply means 'colorful' because purple prose has a negative connotation.

 

[Jackarandajam]

To me it sort of means when someone is trying really hard to be clever or colorful but ends up sounding rather goofy.

According to Paul West, "It takes a certain amount of sass to speak up for prose that's rich, succulent and full of novelty. Purple is immoral, undemocratic and insincere; at best artsy, at worst the exterminating angel of depravity."

Wikipedia agrees with you

 

[Demesnedenoir]

I do like this advice from Hemingway, and pretty much learned to practice it without hearing the advice:

The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day when you are writing a novel you will never be stuck. That is the most valuable thing I can tell you so try to remember it.

 

[Incanus]

According to Paul West, "It takes a certain amount of sass to speak up for prose that's rich, succulent and full of novelty. Purple is immoral, undemocratic and insincere; at best artsy, at worst the exterminating angel of depravity."

Wikipedia agrees with you

It's entirely possible that I have a certain amount of 'sass'.