I know I risk sounding like an English teacher when I use the words “figurative language.” The phrase may sound frightening but figurative language will make your writing more interesting evocative and memorable. And who doesn’t want that –even in non-fiction? Here are some examples of figurative language:
• allusion
• hyperbole
• metaphor
• oxymoron
• personification
• paradox
• simile
I read widely and follow many forms of media, keeping my eyes and ears attuned to figurative language so I can share a piece of it with you each week.
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors and similes from Elizabeth Gilbert…. I know that Elizabeth Gilbert — author of Eat, Pray, Love — isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. […]
The figurative language of Elizabeth Gilbert… Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes and metaphors by Rebecca Mead…. A writer for the New Yorker, Rebecca Mead joined the magazine as a staffer in 1997 and
Rebecca Mead’s figurative language…. Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors from JoAnna Klein…. JoAnna Klein is a freelance science journalist based in Brooklyn. She grew up in North Carolina and earned a
The figurative language of JoAnna Klein Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes and metaphors from Mark Haddon…. When I read the remarkable 2003 book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time —
The figurative language of Mark Haddon Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes and metaphors from Kristen Arnett… When I heard that the main character in a first novel by Kristen Arnett (pictured above) was
The figurative language of Kristen Arnett Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes from Megan Hunter… Megan Hunter is an English novelist and poet who achieved some acclaim with her 2017 debut novel The End We Start From which
The figurative language of Megan Hunter Read More »
Reading time: About 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes and metaphors from Mick Herron… Mick Herron is a British mystery and thriller novelist. He is the author of the Slough House series, early novels of that have been adapted into the
The figurative language of Mick Herron… Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes from Abi Daré. Abi Daré is a Nigerian author who now lives in Essex, England. She has a degree in law from the University of Wolverhampton, a Master’s
The figurative language of Abi Daré… Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes from Carole Radziwill…. I can’t recall what caused me to pick up and read a book by Carole Radziwill. She’s not in my usual demographic! In
The figurative language of Carole Radziwill… Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes from Elizabeth McCracken… Contemporary American writer Elizabeth McCracken has one of the best — most skillful — ears around for figurative language.
Elizabeth McCracken: more figurative language…. Read More »
