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 David Bezmozgis… Born in Latvia, David Bezmozgis is a writer and filmmaker based in Toronto. In the summer of 2010, he was included in The New […]
The figurative language of David Bezmozgis…. 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 Rachel Kushner…. Rachel Kushner is an American writer, currently living in Los Angeles. Her fourth and most recent novel (2024), Creation Lake, was long-listed for the National Book
The figurative language of Rachel Kushner… 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 David Szalay…. The writer David Szalay was born in Montreal to a Canadian mother and a Hungarian father. (His surname is pronounced SOL-loy.) Although his family
David Szalay’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 metaphors and similes from Coco Mellors… Coco Mellors is a British writer living in the U.S. and known for her work in novels, copywriting, journalism, and scriptwriting. Mellors earned a Master
The figurative language of Coco Mellors… 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 metaphors from Fern Brady…. Fern Brady is a Scottish comedian, podcaster and writer. She achieved fame as a stand-up comedian at venues like the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Brady was diagnosed as
The figurative language of Fern Brady… 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 metaphors from Sigrid Nunez… Sigrid Nunez is a talented American author who won the 2018 US National Book Award for Fiction for her seventh novel, The Friend, a book I devoured last year.
The figurative language of Sigrid Nunez… Read More »
Reading time: About one minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about the metaphors of Liz Moore…. Liz Moore is an American author and an Associate Professor of English at Temple University, where she serves as the Creative Writing Director. After a brief time
The figurative language of Liz Moore 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 Michael Crummey… I’m not a fan of the way celebrated Newfoundland writer Michael Crummey plots his novels. Still, I really like the way he writes. I
Michael Crummey’s 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 similes from Claire Lombardo…. Claire Lombardo (pictured above), is a fiction writer, teacher, and 2017 graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her first novel, The Most Fun We
Claire Lombardo’s 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 metaphors from James McBride…. I’ve been a dedicated reader since I was six years old. But if you backed me up against a wall and forced me to
James McBride’s figurative language… Read More »
