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 similes from Alexander Chee… Alexander Chee is an American fiction writer, poet, journalist and reviewer. He spent his childhood in South Korea, Kauai, Truk, Guam and Maine. He attended the Iowa Writers’ […]
The figurative language of Alexander Chee.. 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 similes and metaphors from Nell Stevens… I like writers with a sense of humour. Perhaps this explains my fandom of Nell Stevens (pictured
Nell Stevens and her figurative language… Read More »
Reading time: Just over 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 writer Rachel Cusk…. Rachel Cusk is not much interested in plot. Or characters. Her widely praised 2014 novel Outline
Rachel Cusk’s 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 American writer Emily Nussbaum…. I like writers who are funny. Add a dash of insightful, and I like them even more.
Emily Nussbaum and her figurative language…. 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 Belinda Luscombe…. I was browsing in my local discount bookstore, waiting to go for lunch with a friend, when
Belinda Luscombe and her figurative language… 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 from American writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner…. I had never heard of the writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner, then I started seeing her name everywhere. On
Taffy Brodesser-Akner and her figurative language… 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 similes from John von Sothen…. I will never buy a book because it has a pretty or interesting or compelling cover. But I
The figurative language of John von Sothen 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 images from American writer Mary Grimm…. I’d never before read any of the work of Mary Grimm, pictured above, a professor of English
The figurative language of Mary Grimm…. 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 from Craig Brown…. I’m not normally terribly interested in what the royal family might be up to. But when I heard (via
The figurative language of Craig Brown…. 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 from writer Ellen Barry…. Ellen Barry is a London-based international correspondent for The New York Times, covering immigration, security, demographics and culture
The figurative language of Ellen Barry… Read More »
