by D.A. Seko

Created on: October 25, 2007

METAPHORS & SIMILIES

A metaphor in writing is defined as a direct comparison between two or more seemingly unrelated subjects.

EXAMPLES:

Bob is a TOWER OF STRENGTH.
You're the CREAM in my coffee.

A simile, on the other hand, brings out the 'likeness' between two things. Similes are clearly indicated by using the words LIKE or AS.

EXAMPLES

He is LIKE a mad dog.
She was shaking LIKE a leaf.

As brave AS a lion.
I drifted lonely AS a cloud.

Let's say you sit down to write, you know your subject you're just not sure where to start. To free your mind trying creating similes about the topic you want to write about.

Here's how to get started.
Write down the subject (object, person, place, etc)
Next to each word or phrase write is like
Then fill in the sentence with the first thing that pops into your mind.

For instance:

(Similes) My subject is BOB
Bob's hair is like A HORSES TAIL
Bob works like A RUNAWAY TRAIN
Bob's voice is like A ROARING LION

Now that we know a little about Bob we can begin writing about him. Just by using the 3 similes above I can gather a lot about what kind of person Bob is, so I might start off with something like:

Bob stormed into the office like a runaway freight train, roaring like a lion as he stomped past my desk.

Get the idea? By just playfully creating similes about the subject you want to write about you will learn surprising things about that person, place, object, etc.. Once you create a couple of similes your mind will take over and before you know it you've written a whole paragraph about Bob.
Remember make it fun! Be creative, let yourself go! Think out of the box. Think like a child. It doesn't matter at this point if what you write even makes sense. The idea is just to get words down on paper. Once you begin the actual physical process of writing (or typing) the ideas and words will come. All editing and corrections should be done LATER. In fact, a good idea is to use a pen when performing all pre-writing, that way you're not tempted to erase.

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