  Horror/Scary
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As if the night were a living thing, and moody, it rose out of its sodden lethargy and worked up a peevish wind, hissing at the windows, clawing at the housewalls with prosthetic hands that it fashioned from tree limbs, and by the shaking of its great black coat, rattled barrages of rain against the glass. |
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Metaphors
The term metaphor means in Greek "to carry something across" or "transfer," which suggests many of the more elaborate definitions below:
 A comparison between two things, based on resemblance or similarity, without using "like" or "as".
The act of giving a thing a name that belongs to something else.
The transferring of things and words from their proper signification to an improper.
Similitude for the sake of beauty, necessity, polish, or emphasis.
A device for seeing something in terms of something else.
Understanding and experiencing one thing in terms of another.
A simile contracted to its smallest dimensions.
Related Terms
An extended or telescoping metaphor: The teacher descended upon the exams, sank his talons into their pages, ripped the answers to shreds, and then, perching in his chair, began to digest.
Implied metaphor: John swelled and ruffled his plumage (versus John was a peacock).
Mixed Metaphor: The movie struck a spark that massaged the audience's conscience.
Dead Metaphor: Tying up loose ends, a submarine sandwich, a branch of government, and most clichés.
Simile: Her face was pale as the moon.
Why Use Metaphors?
They enliven ordinary language.
People get so accustomed to using the same words and phrases over and over, and always in the same ways, that they no longer know what they mean. Creative writers have the power to make the ordinary strange and the strange ordinary, making life interesting again.
Metaphors are generous to readers and listeners; they encourage interpretation.
When readers or listeners encounter a phrase or word that cannot be interpreted literally, they have to think--or rather, they are given the pleasure of interpretation. If you write "I am frustrated" or "The air was cold" you give your readers nothing to do--they say "so what?" On the other hand, if you say, "yada, yada" your readers can think about and choose from many possible meanings.
Metaphors are more efficient and economical than ordinary language; they give maximum meaning with a minimum of words.
By writing "my dorm is a prison," you suggest to your readers that you feel as though you were placed in solitary, you are fed lousy food, you are deprived of all of life's great pleasures, your room is poorly lit and cramped--and a hundred other things, that, if you tried to say them all, would probably take several pages.
Metaphors create new meanings; they allow you to write about feelings, thoughts, things, experiences, etc. for which there are no easy words; they are necessary.
There are many gaps in language. When a child looks at the sky and sees a star but does not know the word "star," she is forced to say, "Mommy, look at the lamp in the sky!" Similarly, when computer software developers created boxes on the screen as a user interface, they needed a new language; the result was windows. In your poems, you will often be trying to write about subjects, feelings, etc. so complex that you have no choice but to use metaphors.
They are a sign of genius.
Or so says Aristotle in Poetics: "The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor." It is "a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity in dissimilars."
Creative Ways To Use Metaphors
Most books give rather boring examples of metaphors such as my father is a bear or the librarian was a beast. However, in fiction and poetry you can do much more than say X is Y, like an algebraic formula. Definitely play with extended metaphors and experiment with some of the following, using metaphors...
 As Verbs: The news that ignited his face snuffed out her smile.
 As Adjectives and Adverbs: Her carnivorous pencil carved up Susan's devotion
 As Prepositional Phrases: The doctor inspected the rash with a vulture's eye.
 As Appositives or Modifiers: On the sidewalk was yesterday's paper, an ink-stained sponge
Why Go Through the Trouble of Understanding Metaphors Anyway?
When used correctly, metaphors are effective fiction writing tools. They are one way to vary language and liven up prose. Also, like shorthand, they can convey a picture or a meaning instantly, with few words.
Of course, like most literary devices, metaphors bomb when used incorrectly, confusing the reader or drawing attention to the writer's lack of skill.
WARNING! WARNING!
Caution! Use Metaphors with Care
The trick with using metaphors is to watch out for cliches and avoid mixing them. Expressions like "the calm before the storm," "Mother Nature," or "he's a rat," have been used so often that they're now cliches. Although it's difficult to avoid cliches altogether, make an effort to either use more original metaphors, or simply choose straightforward description.
If you're ever in doubt as to whether or not you've pulled a metaphor off, it's better to nix it altogether. Used improperly, you'll wind up looking foolish and distract your reader. Remember, your overarching goal is to communicate to your reader, not impress him or her.
Until next time,
billwilcox
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TALES OF TERROR
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PALE AND CADAVEROUS FEEDBACK
E. Ramey offers a sacrifice:
Dear Bill Wilcox:
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your Horror Writer Newsletter. I couldn't agree more that
the REAL stuff is the scariest. I have a good time with just about anything you write.
Please don't take this as flattery, but I hope sure hope you hope that you're writing a
novel, or planning on it, because I want to be the first one to buy your book when it's
published. I'm always on the lookout for the next big Stephen King or Dean Koontz, and though I cannot compare you to those two living legends simply because you have your own unique voice and style, but I can say that you are one of the few, without question, who stand out from the millions. You have what Simon Cowell calls "The Wow Factor." Wow!
Kudos,
Edward Ramey
J.T. screams:
W.D., you once again reminded me of why I write horror. A creation of a moment of fear that cannot be laughed away, or even explained, but might be lurking for you in your hallway at night. It truly is the real aspects of horror that make it so frightening. Great newsletter!
writeone shudders:
Another good one. Ever see the dead movies? They don't scare me, except that there are dead people running around trying to eat other people's brains ... well, okay, they do scare me. But what really scared me was 28 Days. Not because of the level of gore, but because I see a virus like that really happening. Not to mention the fact that it is a very real metaphor for the disease of our humanity. We are, indeed, horrid creatures doling out unmentionable horrors on one another. It doesn't take long while reading the paper to retrieve story ideas from everyday life. Thanks for the great newsletter.
Imagine21 prays:
I agree with you. Horror fiction not dealing with the supernatural is the best. The only way I can write about the supernatural is to look at my love for God. God is real in my eyes. He is fact. I can't write about werewolves and vampires either.
twyls contemplates horror:
Bill,
The monsters you chose to highlight in this issue shocked me. I've heard all the stories before, but I actually gasped and jumped a little reading them again. I hated the one that ended with a toddler in the garbage. I think that all of us have done something we wouldn't even tell those we love most -something monstrous. If we haven't done it, we've certainly thought it.
Thanks for the newsletter,
Amanda, twyls's twin
zwisis inks herself:
I think our minds are very similar, Bill, because this is exactly how I feel about Horror. Ghosts and haunted houses are nothing compared to Ted Bundy or Jack the Ripper. In "The Shining" the lead character is far more horrific than any of the ghosts in the hotel. Excellent newsletter as always.
likenion reflects:
hello,
superb newsletter. i always supported the idea that tweaking with the mind of the reader is far more productive than using blood and gore in industrial quantities. i envision hollywood movies for that matter.
but seeing the inner monster in each of us and using this twisted wickedness to write is beyond me. truly amazing idea. it gives me a lot of ideas.
thx for the great job!
Zane_Black bolsters herself:
I read your article, "Horror stories are Real." and I agree, while I write about Vampires and werewolves, the true monsters, the true evil is humanity. I can stand against any demon from hell and know how to deal with it/them or whatever they are. But the one thing that scares me the most is humanity, the depravity and the extent that humans can go to is unbounded. I know what lies within myself and I know what I am capable of, because I am a mother, and will do whatever is nessassary to protect my children. And in protecting them from those monsters? I, myself will become a monster of emmense proportion. I've written a few poems about the depravity of humanity and the depravity within myself. In closing, thank you for your Newsletter.
~Z~
schipperke stakes a victim:
Very true newsletter, Bill. Vampires have been overexposed lately and not so very scary anymore. Real people are much more hideous in their actions.
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Horror/Scary: May 02, 2007 Issue [#1683]
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