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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Purple Prose Contest


I feel the need to clarify the objective of the contest after receiving emails from some readers who were concerned that the finalists' sentences were overwritten and, well, bad.  

That's the whole point!  

Purple prose is just that--overwritten, and the winners wrote wonderfully awful sentences.  

For more on purple prose, you can check out the original post announcing the contest.  

If you haven't voted for your favorite sentence, you can do so through this form.  

Winners will be announced on Monday, June 1.


12 comments:

Pamela Hammonds said...

That's funny. As a finalist, I can't imagine having anyone think that I would write something so over-the-top and, for one minute, take myself serious. I can see how those unfamiliar with the concept would think you judges had completely lost it!

Mary Lindsey / Marissa Clarke said...

Well, the judges did completely lose it...laughing. The entries were a total blast. All of them were wonderful. I wish there were room to post them all.

Congrats on finaling, Pamela.

Danyelle L. said...

Drafting that prose was painful. Painfully painful--not unlike chomping down, or otherwise, biting down on an unexpected popcorn kernel, the kind that crouches inside a cluster of otherwise splendidly buttered perfection that steams, sometimes like lobster that's just had it's cover removed, or like the steam that puffs up from the New York sewers, not unlike cumulus clouds. Crouching Kernels, you've gotta keep a wary eye on them. ;-)

Suzette Saxton said...

LOL Danyelle! Are you one of our finalists?

Mary's right - this contest has been a blast!

writtenwyrdd said...

You might also like to check out the Edward Bulwar Lytton contest, annually held at San Jose State University in honor of his famous line of Purple Prose, "It was a dark and stormy night..."
http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/

Mary Lindsey / Marissa Clarke said...

Hey there, Writtenwyrd. I love that contest. I linked to it, in fact, in the original post outlining the contest.

So funny.

And, well said, Danyelle!

Danyelle L. said...

Yes. :) At first I was surprised. Then delighted. Then I started wondering why I was getting rejections from agents, but acceptances for my purple prose...

Elana Johnson said...

Oh, Danyelle. You made it into the contest. Um, sorry, dropped the ball there. ;-)

Danyelle L. said...

No problems, Elana. :D

A.L. Sonnichsen said...

I found it frighteningly easy to write purple prose. Frighteningly. I fear for my writing soul!

Stina said...

To write purple prose to the level that some of these writers managed to achieve, is a sure sign of talent.

And no I didn't enter. I'm nowhere near that talented.

ImagesWritten said...

I was thrilled to see that I had made THE LIST!
I thought it was going to a challenge but I was shocked at how quickly and confidently my fingers flew across the keys making no sense and nonsense.
Being one of the best of the worst is better than being one of the worst of the best any day!