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: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about metaphors from poet Maggie Smith…. I had never heard of a poem going “viral” until I heard about the poem Good Bones by Columbus, Ohio poet Maggie […]
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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 metaphors and similes from the Prince Harry memoir, Spare… I hadn’t planned on reading the memoir of Prince Harry — son of King Charles and Diana, 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 metaphors by Curtis Sittenfeld… A graduate of Stanford University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Curtis Sittenfeld is the bestselling author of seven novels. Several
The figurative language of Curtis Sittenfeld… 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 a series of similes from Kent Haruf… Masterful American author Kent Haruf, who died in 2014, worked in a variety of places before he started writing. These
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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 Yasuko Thanh…. Yasuko Thanh is a writer and guitarist, born in Canada to a German mother and a Vietnamese father. At 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 Rebecca Kuang… The plot of the book is delicious. Two young authors — one a rising literary star, the other in the
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Reading time: About one minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes from Yoko Ogawa…. Yoko Ogawa is a Japanese writer who has published more than 20 works of fiction and nonfiction, and has won every major Japanese
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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 similes and metaphors from Mary Choi…. I have three sisters so I’m always up for novels exploring the often-crazy dynamics of family relationships. The delightful novel Yolk,
The figurative language of Mary Choi… 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 Stephen McCauley… American novelist Stephen McCauley (pictured above), started his working life by teaching yoga, working at a hotel,
The figurative language of Stephen McCauley… 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 Lisa Brennan-Jobs…. When I read the rave reviews of Lisa Brennan-Jobs’ memoir, about her life with her father Steve Jobs, I
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