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 a series of similes from Irish writer Naoise Dolan…. A 28-year-old Dubliner, Naoise Dolan (pictured above), studied English literature at Trinity College Dublin and Oxford University. Her first novel, Exciting Times, tells […]
The figurative language of Naoise Dolan… 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 images from Deb Olin Unferth…. I had never heard of Deb Olin Unferth — an an American short story writer, novelist, and memoirist — until I read a delightful
The figurative language of Deb Olin Unferth Read More »
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 writing? If so, read Your
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 Franklin Didn’t Want You to
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 a fine stylist. Still, his
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 (pictured above) tells the evocative,
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. I think the initial appeal
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 late watching most television. My
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. But I’d never managed to
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 organize my earring collection. But
The figurative language of Helen Ellis…. Read More »
