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 one minute I’m too exhausted from the launch of my new book to be able to write a figurative language post as I do most Thursdays. Instead, I ask you to consider whether you might be a world-class procrastinator. Would you prefer scrubbing your toilet to […]
Are you a world-class procrastinator? 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 Wesley Morris…. I am willing to go against Aretha Franklin’s wishes… In a Nov. 15/18 New York Times piece headlined: Aretha
The figurative language of Wesley Morris…. 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 Robert Harris… I’ve read a number of Robert Harris books and I see him as a journeyman thriller writer rather than
More figurative language from Robert Harris… 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 Kim Thuy…. In her book that is a cross between a novel, a memoir and poetry, writer Kim Thuy
The figurative language of Kim Thuy…. 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 some fine work by music writer and cultural critic Alex Ross…. I was a 16-year-old when I went to my first opera, dragged by a friend.
The figurative language of Alex Ross… 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 some personification from New Yorker writer Emily Nussbaum… I haven’t yet seen the much-lauded TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. (I am notoriously
The figurative language of Emily Nussbaum… 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 two similes and a metaphor from novelist Barbara Gowdy… I had heard the name of Canadian novelist and short story writer Barbara Gowdy for many years.
The figurative language of Barbara Gowdy 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 very funny images from Helen Ellis…. I read the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and it inspired me to clean and
The figurative language of Helen Ellis…. 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 Jason Horowitz… I first visited Rome in 2015 and — like many tourists — fell in love with the
The figurative language of Jason Horowitz… 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 Siddhartha Mukherjee… I have a particular admiration for people who write about science in interesting and evocative ways. For me, Siddhartha
The figurative language of Siddhartha Mukherjee… Read More »
