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This week: Metaphors enhance descriptions Edited by: Prosperous Snow celebrating  
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"The greatest thing by far," said Aristotle in the Poetics (330 BC), "is to have a command of metaphor. This alone cannot be imparted by another; it is the mark of genius, for to make good metaphors implies an eye for resemblance."
"If you remember only one thing I've said, remember that an idea is a feat of association, and the height of it is a good metaphor. If you have never made a good metaphor, then you don't know what it's all about."
(Robert Frost, interview in The Atlantic, 1962)
"All slang is metaphor, and all metaphor is poetry." (G.K. Chesterton, "A Defence of Slang," The Defendant, 1901)
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According to dictionary.com, a metaphor is “a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance”. A metaphor is a literal comparison of on object, item, or idea to another. A metaphor suggests how two items or objects are similar by directly comparing one object or item to another. A metaphor does not us like or as when it compares one thing to another.
For example, I recently used the following sentence as part of a blog entry in my offsite blog “raindrops falling on the cement of my driveway sounded like bacon frying in an iron skillet”. This is a simile rather then a metaphor. If I wrote that as a metaphor, I would have written it this way “the sound of raindrops falling on the cement of my driveway is that of bacon frying in an iron skillet”.
There are two things to remember when using metaphors. First, avoid merging two unrelated metaphors, which we called a mixed metaphor. Second, avoid using metaphors that are so well known and over used they have become cliché. When using metaphors in stories write them yourself and you can avoid mixed metaphors and clichés.
How do you write a metaphor that is fresh and still expresses the idea? I know it is possible because I have read some fresh and descriptive metaphors when reviewing other writers work on writing.com. Practice writing metaphors, use your imagination, and try a free write exercise to find comparisons to use in the metaphor. When you find something you like write, read it to someone, and rewrite (when necessary).
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Excerpt: Jack lay awake in his hammock listening to a scratching sound coming from the deck above. It sent a shiver down his spine...
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Excerpt: The dragon rumbled with displeasure
Missing pieces from her treasure
Excerpt: There was only one way out. But one would have to weave his way through the taproom filled to bursting with drunken mercenaries. Not the ideal scenario for any man stuck in the farthest corner from the exit, much less for a woman.
The city lay smoldering, shrouded by the stench of death while dazed survivors, choking on the foul air, foraged through the rubble looking for … something… anything at all…
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Excerpt: Howling winds blew into Lydria Belmaunto as she walked through a forest, her feet digging into the muddy earth . Strands of her long dirty green hair blew into her face as she looked around the area. Dirt and dried blood covered her skin, intermixing with the numerous cuts that covered her body. She clasped her tattered poncho as she kept moving, the downpour growing fiercer with every passing moment.
Excerpt: Sheela licked her whiskered nose, tilting her head at me—the look I usually got when she was winning an argument. She flicked her tail in amusement.
Excerpt: Harok found the seeing stone hard to hold. Its pale blue, uneven crystalline spears dug uncomfortably into his palm, while he used the other hand to brush away the drips of sweat beading on his tattooed forehead. Even deep in the forest the heat from the late summer sun pressed on his neck and shoulders and he longed for a wind to stir the leaves and cool his brow.
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Excerpt: Once, quite a long time ago, I traveled to the most brilliant city of lights and walked along the boardwalk, my hands in my pockets and the wind in my hair. The buildings there were constructed of stars and diamonds. The people around me glowed like dancing candles and every day was the Fourth of July....
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Excerpt: Most adventures begin in a place that serves alcohol, and this one is no exception. At the Tavern of the Wingless Pegasus, a burly man and the medieval equivalent of a nerd discussed a very serious topic over mugs of ale.
Excerpt: "Where is Nathaniel?" Jericho Keeling forced the question between quick, shallow breaths as she plopped behind a wooden crate. Boats of all sizes rested in a shallow bay, masts silhouetted in the moonlight.
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Excerpt: The greenfly were the first to vanish, and the first clues to their decimation lay in the abundance of the roses, sweet peas, and dahlias which were the usual first casualties of their relentless procreation each summer....
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BIG BAD WOLF Feeling Thankful  writes: Let's see- yep. Here's one.
Lanculum  writes: I'm planning to write a fantasy novel. Please give me some tips on how to write one
Get your ideas down on paper, you can write them as notes, character sketches, plot outlines, or short stories, but you have to write your ideas down.
Prosperous Snow celebrating
bertiebrite hoping for peace  writes: I have written several "fantasy" poems about dragons and heroes and such. I do not have them in my port right now, but if you would like to see them I could post one or two.
Lately I have been beseiged by a member who thinks that fantasy should have reality attached to it. I think that ruins the genre, after all we need dreams and make believe as much as newscasts and newspapers about tragedy and violence, don't you think?
Each author has his or her own definition of what fantasy is and what components are included in it. Write the type of fantasy you like and feel comfortable writing.
I like dragons, unicorns, elves, and hobbits myself.
Prosperous Snow celebrating
Is a metaphor easier to write then a simile? What is your opinion on this subject? How do you write a metaphor?
Prosperous Snow celebrating
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Fantasy: August 15, 2012 Issue [#5206]
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