Is functional prose really all that bad?

I don’t think so at all, I enjoy it. The problem with functional prose is that if it isn’t really on point then it becomes not so functional which did happen a lot in Sanderson’s earlier works. There were just some awkward passages to be sure. But he’s gotten a lot better with Stormlight and skyward for sure. I’ll also say that Brandon has the perfect amount of description for my tastes. I see what’s going on like a movie in my head even though he didn’t beat me over the head with 50 descriptions of someone’s dress. I also think there’s something to be said about the immersion that functional prose allows over more pretty-stylistic prose. When I read someone like Rothfuss, I’m constantly saying “Wow, that’s so pretty” or “what does this elaborate metaphor actually mean” and every time I do that, I’m taken out of the story. At the same time, I also really adore the flowery stuff too.

/r/Fantasy Thread