How to use Metaphors and Similes

People often tremble when faced with words like Metaphors and Similes; it reminds them of English Grammar lessons at school – underlining phrases or defining the difference. Back then, it didn’t seem important to everyday life. But now you’ve decided to be a writer, your understanding and use of them is vital.

So, what is the difference?

A simile says something is LIKE something (simile – similar to).

A metaphor says something IS/WAS something.

·         My heart drummed LIKE the bass in a heavy metal band is a simile.

·         My heart WAS a thumping drum is a metaphor.

Which is better?

Neither one is more correct than the other. As always, it depends on what you want to achieve.

In the examples above, the first is saying to the reader: Join me in observing myself as if from the outside of my body. The second says: Join me inside my body, feel my heart with me. Your use will depend on the context within the scene.

Why use them?

Both will help you with SHOWING NOT TELLING.

Examples:

•         His voice sounded gruff. Telling.

•         He talked with the gravelly growl of a bulldozer in low gear. Showing with a metaphor.

•         He came and went silently. Telling.

•        Like a croc in a river he arrived and departed unannounced by auditory clues. Showing with a simile.

Clichés

Over-used metaphors and similes become clichés and everyday expression. Think of: brave as a lion, weak as a kitten, heart-stopping fear, no-brainer. These should be avoided in writing prose. Be original, don’t borrow other writers’ hackneyed phrases. Create your own metaphors and similes, it’s much more exciting!

Try it here:

Describe these with metaphors or similes (but not clichés), using your own words…

•          Bravery___________________

•          Weakness_________________

•          Fear_______________________

However, it’s OK to use clichés in dialogue because it represents normal speech; it’s what people say in real life . . .

            ‘It’s cats and dogs out there!’

            ‘This bloody boy-racer was on my tail all the way.’

            ‘My souffle was as flat as a pancake.’

Examples

Here are some examples I’ve borrowed from established authors over the years when reading their books. I hope they’ll forgive me for not naming them.

•          . . .  as exotic as watching rain slide down a window (said sarcastically). M

•          She had swept through the door on a wave of Estee Lauder’s White Linen. M

•          I had enough horsepower under my car bonnet to stage my own rodeo. M

•          She crossed the room slower than a stoned three-toed sloth. M

•          He screwed his face up like a man eating a piccalilli sandwich. S

•          I’ve never been in a room with that much hair spray. M

•          If taste were IQ, there would only have been a handful of them escaping Special Needs education. M

•          I was as flash as a peahen at a peacock convention. M

•          On a bleak December morning, it was about as much fun as sunbathing in Siberia. M

•          If my nose thawed out too quickly, there was always the possibility of it shearing off from the rest of my face. M

•          When summer arrives in Montreal it flounces in like a rumba dancer: all ruffles and bright cotton, with flashing thighs and sweat-slicked skin. S

•          . . . his gaze bouncing from object to object, person to person, like a bee making sorties in and out of a peony blossom. S

•          The bright yellow flowers looked like escapees from a Beatrix Potter illustration. S

•          My heart raced and the blood below my breastbone felt fizzy, like carbonated soda shaken in a bottle. S

•          . . . hunching over his clipboard like an old man with a stamp collection. S

•          . . . revellers clogged the streets, choking off traffic like plaque in an artery. S

•          She’s growing up. Receding, dwindling like a child glimpsed in a hall of mirrors. S

•          Her face was the colour of icing sugar, sculpted into sharp little wrinkles like the frosting on a cake. M and S

Try it yourself to get your brain in gear, or sweep out the cobwebs.

‘She was happy’ could be a pretty boring phrase for a writer to use about a character.

When the word happy is replaced by something that means happy the sentence becomes more interesting for the reader, eg, ‘She was like a bird’s song on the wing.’

You can say He/she was like . . . (simile) or He/she was . . . (metaphor).

Have a go . . .

Change ‘She was sad’ using similes:

1. _______________________________________

2. _______________________________________

Change ‘He was ugly’ using metaphors:

1. _______________________________________

2. _______________________________________

Play with the words – it’s part of what makes writing such great fun! You'll have a whale of a time!