Reading time: Less than 1 minute
This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss a blog post by Seth Godin…
I don’t check Seth Godin’s blog every day. But when I do read it, I inevitably find something interesting and useful to my life as a writer.
His July 16/15 post, headlined “In search of metaphor,” captured perfectly the value of metaphors — those words or phrases applied to objects or actions and which are not literally applicable. Example: “Each blade of grass was a tiny bayonet pointed firmly at our bare feet.”
Here is what Godin (pictured above) said about metaphors:
An amateur memorizes. A professional looks for metaphors.
It’s not a talent, it’s a practice. When you see a story, an example, a wonderment, take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.
Lessons are often found where we look for them.
I work hard to be conscious of metaphors, noting them in a file whenever I read particularly effective ones. I also blog about them every Thursday. I’ve found this extra attention has made me more likely to use metaphors myself.