BY TERRI WAGNER
Metaphors and similes are exactly alike.
Any idea why the above sentence is wrong? If you spotted the word “alike,” you are right. Metaphors and similes do the same thing in English, but similes use “as” or “like” to make the comparisons. However, metaphors have an implied “as” or “like.”
Why use metaphors at all? I mean is describing a person using a word not usually associated with humans of any value at all? Well, you be the judge. If I write, “John is a tank of a man.” What do you immediately see? I see a tall, solidly built man, maybe throw in a crooked nose. Actually Mike Holmes of HGTV fame comes to my mind.
See the value? In one sentence you got across a comparison that not only fits, but gives your reader an immediate connection. Something they can grasp. When you write fantasy or sci-fi, metaphors become your best friend. In those genres, you are building new worlds, and readers can get lost if you do not use words they can relate to in describing your made up worlds.
Now if you think you know about metaphors, take this quiz and see how well you do.
http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/topic/metaphor
Terri Wagner lives, writes, and edits from her home in Alabama. Her most recent project, Shades and Shadows: a Paranormal Anthology, was released in October, 2013. Her next project, Conjectrix by Candace J. Thomas, will be released in April 2014.
