Overwrought Writing

Overwrought writing is just like someone explaining a joke. Imagine that you’ve thought of the funniest joke (you think), and you tell it to people, and … nothing. No reaction, and certainly not the roaring laughter you expected. You think that, maybe, if you explain the joke, your listeners will understand and laugh. (Or, if you’re like me, you might also assume that the audience is somehow wrong for not getting the joke because, c’mon, it was funny). Well, this is often how overwrought writing comes across to readers—like it’s trying way too hard.

What is Overwrought Writing?

Overwrought writing is anything that tries too hard to be seen. This goes for the writer of it, too. It’s very easy to lean into strengths and overextend the prose when we’re also trying to show off a little bit. Overwrought writing is anything that states or restates what readers have already picked up on, as well as something called purple prose.

So here is our wake-up call: there’s no need to explain the joke, or any other bit of cleverness in our writing. This applies to literary themes, writing imagery, and other nuances, just as much as jokes. All of this contributes to overwrought writing which gives the sense of trying too hard or hitting the reader over the head.

Take “Aunt Jennifer's Tigers,” the poem by Adrienne Rich—I've been puzzling over that one for more than a decade!

Adrienne Rich's poetry is renowned, an achievement that speaks to her talent. The poem in question, however, is quite obvious in its symbolism and imagery.

Uncle's wedding band weighs heavily on Aunt Jennifer's slim fingers. She spends her time embroidering tigers, which ironically symbolize freedom while she is trapped in a loveless marriage.

Rich hammers away at her point in an almost redundant manner, and I have been left wondering why this poem is seen as such a masterpiece.