Purple prose is writing that is trying so hard to be beautiful that it accidentally gets in the way of the story. It usually shows up as too many adjectives, too many metaphors, too much symbolism, or sentences that draw attention to themselves instead of the scene. For example: The incandescent orb of molten gold languidly descended beneath the undulating horizon, painting the celestial canvas with ineffable hues. Translation: The sun set. Of course, those are opposite extremes. Good writing lives somewhere in the middle. Beautiful prose isn't the enemy. Some of my favorite authors write gorgeous sentences. The difference is that they know when to let a sentence sing. If every sentence is trying to be unforgettable, none of them are. One of the hardest lessons in writing is realizing that readers don't need to be impressed by every line. They need to be carried through the story. Save your best language for the moments that earn it. A good question to ask during editing is: "Is this sentence serving the story, or is it asking the reader to admire the writing?" Those aren't always the same thing.

I decided on the cover art for You Are Forgiven.

Here's an assignment: I wrote this post, and it has a major flaw. I know how to fix it, but though this could be a good group exercise. Tell me why this doesn't work: What Does a Writer Do? I have a buddy who always tells me he's a firefighter. He talks about it all the time. He loves the trucks, the adventure, the heroics, and the cool, brass pole they slide down. I asked him recently, "Hey, Joe...can you give me a tour of the fire station? I'd like to see what it's all about." He looked down at his feet sheepishly and said, "Ahhh...well...you see...I'm not with a fire station right now." "What do you mean?" I asked. "I talk about it a lot. But I've never really even been on a fire truck," he said, shrugging his shoulders and tilting his head to the side. "So, you lied to me?" I asked. "NO!" he said. "I didn't lie. I'm totally a fire fighter...on the inside." Listen. Dancers dance. Fire fighters fight fires. Boxers box. If you're not writing...are you really a writer? Go put in the work. Write until the pens run out of ink. Write until you need a new notebook to fill. Type until the letters on your keyboard fade and the Space bar gets all shiny. But also get organized. Create a vision. Create a plan. That's what this Guild is for. You go do the writing. Then come here if you need help with organizing, planning, structuring, and getting you project across the finish line.

Someone recently asked me if I was happy with how impactful my books have been. I wrote this: Honestly, I've had almost no readership. My books are available on Amazon and Lulu, one is already an audiobook on YouTube, and this weekend I'm uploading it to an audiobook platform and finishing the Kindle editions of all of them. Until now, I've mostly just enjoyed writing them. In a Little While is probably the most meaningful to me. I got the idea on a Sunday evening, and by the following Sunday morning I'd written the entire book and uploaded it to KDP. I've since gone back through it with a heavy edit, so it's much cleaner than that first version. As far as impact, though, I have a different mindset. I'm a huge believer that when the reader is ready, the book appears. That's how it's always worked in my own life. I didn't read Breakfast of Champions until it had been out for a couple of decades, but it changed my life. I read The Stand about twenty-five years after it was published, and that became another pivot point. So my ideal reader might not even be born yet. Do you know Horton Hears a Who? The whole story revolves around an elephant who hears an entire civilization living on a speck of dust. Nobody believes him, and they decide to destroy the speck. Horton convinces the mayor of Whoville to get everyone to make as much noise as possible. Every voice joins in except one little boy who's hiding in a closet because he doesn't think his voice matters. Eventually the mayor convinces him to add one tiny "Yip!" That single voice is enough for everyone else to hear Whoville, believe Horton, and save the entire civilization. I've always loved that story because I'd be happy being any of those characters. I'd be happy to be Horton. I'd be happy to be the mayor. I'd be happy to be one of the townsfolk. I'd even be happy to be the little boy whose single "Yip!" tipped the scales. If one day my books reach millions of readers, make mattresses full of money, and somehow help change the world, that would be wonderful.

I have some news, and I want you to hear it from me directly. The Wordsmiths' Guild is growing up. Over the next few months, I'm finishing the full Journeyman curriculum — eight lessons, each one built around a concrete, nameable craft skill, each one including a writing assignment that I read personally and send back with feedback. When it's done, the Guild moves to a formal tier structure: Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master levels, each with its own curriculum, its own price point, and its own completion rewards. That goes live September 1. Between now and then, I'm building this in public — and you're invited to be part of it as it takes shape. Every course I'm developing, every mentorship session I host, every piece of curriculum in progress is available to you right now, at no cost. Come learn. Come ask questions. Come watch the thing get built. Here's what I want to offer you specifically, as a founding member: Submit proof of publication before September 1 — anything you wrote, finished, and put in front of readers; a blog post, an article, a book, a piece submitted somewhere — and you earn Founding Apprentice status. That means lifetime free access to all Apprentice-level curriculum, for as long as the Guild exists. No monthly fee. No expiration. Grandfathered in, permanently. Your free membership isn't going anywhere. Nothing is being taken from you. I just want to give you the chance to step into something more before the door closes. For the full picture — tiers, pricing, what's included at each level, and the completion rewards — head to the Classroom and open "The Wordsmiths' Guild: How It Works." To claim Founding Apprentice status: reply to this post or send me a direct message with your proof of publication before September 1. I'll see you in the sessions. — Shawn