Oh! Read Sutree by Cormack McCarthy. Well, okay. The prologue. THAT is overwritten. Don't get me wrong, it is very clever, any individual image is lush and surprising and fun. Some writers write like they have something to prove, like every metaphor is them tying a cherry stem in a knot with their tongue. That's not necessarily a bad thing.
But, in Sutree, McCarthy builds a cherry stem Eiffel Tower with his tongue, and, as impressive as that is to see, it's also kind of gross. Off-putting. Also, he uses about 6-7 uncommon words per page and (in this book) eschews punctuation.
You know when contortionists fold themselves up into little boxes right in front of you, and you're amazed just to see it done? It's like that. The point of it isn't the story, it's watching how many times the author can fold himself.
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But, in Sutree, McCarthy builds a cherry stem Eiffel Tower with his tongue, and, as impressive as that is to see, it's also kind of gross. Off-putting. Also, he uses about 6-7 uncommon words per page and (in this book) eschews punctuation.
You know when contortionists fold themselves up into little boxes right in front of you, and you're amazed just to see it done? It's like that. The point of it isn't the story, it's watching how many times the author can fold himself.
To me, THAT's overwritten.