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 from Elizabeth McCracken… Contemporary American writer Elizabeth McCracken has one of the best — most skillful — ears around for figurative language. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, […]
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. Nevertheless, I know many people
Emma Donoghue and her 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 Cathleen Schine…. I learned about Cathleen Schine’s 2019 novel in an interview — not with her, but with author Gish Jen — published in the New
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 title. But such people exist,
The figurative language of Tarquin Hall… 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 a series of images from Carys Davies…. Carys Davies is a British novelist and short story writer. She studied modern languages at Oxford, and worked as a freelance journalist in New York
The figurative language of Carys Davies 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 Amy Waldman… I was such an enormous fan of Amy Waldman’s first novel, I resolved to read her next book as soon as I could. I received A
More figurative language from Amy Waldman 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 by Sally Rooney…. Sally Rooney was born in the west of Ireland in 1991. I started reading her novel Normal People while standing in a bookstore in Melbourne, Australia,
The figurative language of Sally Rooney 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 metaphors and similes from Tom Mueller… I’ve long considered myself a foodie, and when I heard there was a splendid book exposing deceit and duplicity in the olive
The figurative language of Tom Mueller… 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 Louis Bayard…. When I read Louis Bayard’s historical novel Courting Mr. Lincoln, I wasn’t sure the book impressed me. I had read positive reviews
The figurative language of Louis Bayard… 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 Anthony Lane… I don’t drink much, even at dinner parties. But in the summer I do love a weak gin and tonic, particularly if
Anthony Lane’s figurative language… Read More »
