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 similes and metaphors from Mark Haddon…. When I read the remarkable 2003 book The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time — …
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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 …
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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 »
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 from Emma Donoghue…. As a long-term fan of Emma Donoghue, I was disappointed that her latest novel, Akin, didn’t meet my expectations. …
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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 Cathleen Schine…. I learned about Cathleen Schine’s 2019 novel in an interview — not with her, but with author Gish Jen …
The figurative language of Cathleen Schine… 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 and similes from Tarquin Hall…. I’ll be honest. I never thought I’d read a novel with the words “love commandos” in the …
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Reading time: About 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 Amy Waldman… I was such an enormous fan of Amy Waldman’s first novel, I resolved to read her next book as soon …
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Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes by Sally Rooney…. Sally Rooney (pictured above), was born in the west of Ireland in 1991. I started reading her novel Normal People …
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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 Tom Mueller… I’ve long considered myself a bit of a foodie and when I heard there was a great …
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 Louis Bayard…. When I read Louis Bayard’s historical novel Courting Mr. Lincoln, I wasn’t sure I was impressed. I …
