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: Less than 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors from writer Samantha Harvey…. There is a pop star named Samantha Harvey but the person I’m talking about today is very fine […]
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Reading time: Less than 2 minutes 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 Alice Miller… Alice Miller is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the International Institute of Modern Letters. She
The figurative language of Alice Miller Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors from Stefan Hertmans…. Someone — I don’t remember who — told me about the novel The Convert, by Stefan Hertmans. They must
The figurative language of Stefan Hertmans 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 Elena Ferrante… I have not yet read any of the famous Neopolitan Novels by the pseudonymous Italian novelist Elena Ferrante. Instead, following
The figurative language of Elena Ferrante…. 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 Megha Majumdar… When Megha Majumdar (pictured above) wrote her debut novel, she was working as an editor at Catapult
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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 from writer Alix Ohlin… Three years ago, I picked up a novel by Canadian writer Alix Ohlin, from a shelf in a
Alix Ohlin’s figurative language…. 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 and metaphors from Olaf Olafsson…. I often enjoy the clear, crisp, unadorned style of Scandinavian writers. I was struck by that feeling again
The figurative language of Olaf Olafsson…. 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 several similes from American journalist Farhad Manjoo… Don’t panic or anything, but machines are learning how to write. New artificial intelligence software, called GPT-3, has been created
The figurative language of Farhad Manjoo…. 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 author Ling Ma… Chinese American novelist Ling Ma (pictured above) won a 2018 Kirkus Prize for her first novel Severence. Her work
The figurative language of Ling Ma… 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 and metaphors from William Maxwell… I had never heard of William Maxwell until a client introduced him to me. Although long dead (Maxwell’s dates are 1908-2000)
The figurative language of William Maxwell…. Read More »
