Have you ever read a comparison in a book and ask yourself how did the author come up with that? Colorful language and comparisons can bring a mediocre phrase to an amazing one. In almost any book you find yourself reading, you can flip to a random page and find a simile or a metaphor used in an author’s prose. Listening to people speak you’re bound to hear one. So, what is a simile and a metaphor, and what’s the difference?
Both similes and metaphors are a type of figurative language that compare one thing to something usually unrelated. They add depth to what is said or written. In using them, an author can add creativity to his or her writing to keep their readers entertained. The main difference between the two is one is a direct comparison and the other is an indirect comparison
The Simile
I often find similes the easier of the two to use. Similes indirectly compare two things. They use the words “like” or “as” to compare two separate things. For example, her eyes shone brightly like the sun. Here’s the same example but using “as” instead. Her eyes shone as bright as the sun. The general structure of a simile is one thing, like or as, another thing.
Now that we know what a simile is, how do we use them well in our creative writing? To write well, it’s best if we try to avoid common similes. Common similes are used so often they are considered cliches. Cliches are bad in writing because they are predictable and have been done over and over again in writing. Think of common phrases such as “She’s as tough as nails,” or, “He’s as sharp as a knife.” A common one we all hear in the hot summer weather is, it’s hot as hell.
Readers enjoy specific over general when reading similes. Instead of saying “hot as hell” try to think of other hot things. The more creative the better and nothing is stopping you from comparing sight to taste or a smell to touch. For example, “The sun scorched down on us like the heat from a Carolina Reaper pepper.” This gives a very distinct image by taking one of the world’s hottest peppers and comparing it to the heat of the sun. Maybe it’s not the hottest day you’ve ever felt, but by replacing Carolina Reaper with habanero a different yet similar image is formed. With a little practice and thought anyone can write decent to great similes.
Lastly, you want your comparisons to make sense. You can’t compare the blue of the sky to the brown of a bear’s fur. This will stop your reader dead in their tracks trying to understand your comparison. More time confused and thinking leaves less time for them to enjoy the book they are reading. One day while reading a book I came across a semi cliche simile saying her skin looked like the color of freshly pressed olive oil. To me, this is a bad simile not only because of the cliche, but because a simple google search will show you the color of freshly pressed olive oil and it’s not what you might imagine.
The Metaphor
A metaphor can be used more broadly and in literature can be used as symbols. Take The Great Gatsby for example. The green light at the dock symbolizes the American dream. Metaphorically, the green light is the American dream that Gatsby longs for. Literally, the green light is just a green light at the dock where Gatsby thinks Daisy lives.
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Simpler metaphors are just like similes except they do not use like or as in the sentence, making it a direct comparison. Instead of one thing being like another thing, one thing is another thing. Let’s take another common simile and change it to a metaphor.
“When I touched her hair, it felt as smooth as silk.” This is a simile because of the word as. This is an indirect comparison; her hair is like silk. Now let’s make it a direct comparison turning it into a metaphor. “Her hair is silk beneath my fingertips.” Notice the difference? Instead of being like silk her hair is silk. Similes are easier to read because of the indirect comparisons. Those rare folk who take everything literally might have a more difficult time with some metaphors. Unless you are in a crazy fantasy world, no one’s hair is actually silk.
IN conclusion
Similar to similes (see what I did there) the same rules apply to writing good metaphors. Try to avoid clichés, specific is better, and make your comparisons make sense. The more creative ones stick out in readers’ minds more than simple ones. If you are going for an expansive metaphor in your writing, keep it consistent. Don’t change the meaning of your ever deep and expanding metaphor. Imagine how readers would feel if in Fitzgerald’s work suddenly he changed the metaphor and the green light symbolized death halfway through instead of the American dream. Writing good similes and metaphors can make a good book a great one while bad comparisons can make a good book a confusing one. Practice makes perfect so get writing.
That’s all I can think of on similes and metaphors. Eventually, I’ll come back and add some things. I hope to do a post in the future on my favorite similes and metaphors in books. Did I leave anything important out? Do you use similes and metaphors in your writing or everyday language? What’s your favorite simile you’ve read? Leave a comment down below. We always love to hear from you!
As always, happy reading and writing!