Mastering metaphor in your writing
Weekly writing prompt #168
Last week, I taught my first-ever writing workshop, and we had FUN. If you missed my figurative writing class, fret not, as I will be teaching it again soon. For now, I’ll share a sneak peek in this week’s newsletter.
In the land of metaphor, two helpful questions to ask yourself are “how original is this comparison?” and “how insightful or meaningful is it?” The strongest metaphors hit on a recognizable truth alongside an element of surprise. Of course, not every comparison needs to be a revelation. There's a place for idioms, clichés, and mixed metaphors too, especially when your intention is clear and it lands with your audience. For example, you might want to use a mixed metaphor for humor, say in a punchline (It’s easy, it’s not rocket surgery!). Think of this matrix more as a framework for evaluating metaphors in the wild, steering you toward deliberate language.
Coming up with fresh observations is the hard part. It requires an always simmering, meta-awareness of your observations and leaning into your gaze. Original insight sprouts best when you take a timeout with yourself to ask, “what is this like?” This being anything and everything you encounter. What is a reed diffuser like? Maybe like a relay race against gravity. How about being forced to hang out with people you don’t like? Perhaps like wearing an itchy, too-small sweater. Challenge yourself by trying this exercise with both tangible things and abstract experiences.
When analyzing an object, list out as many attributes as you can (this is often easier with physical things). Take a lemon, for instance. Consider its color, texture, scent, flavor profile, size, ripeness, species, etc. In what context do you find lemons? Desserts, lemonade. What about their cultural connotation or symbolic significance? Junky cars, hardship. Each attribute lays the foundation for a potential metaphorical connection, like sending out electrical charges into the atmosphere of your imagination, making it more likely for lightning to strike.
Now go write,
Jamie
📝 This week’s writing prompt
Choose something mundane or abstract from your daily life—an alarm clock, waiting in line, procrastination. List its attributes or experiences, then ask: "What is this like?" Craft a fresh, insightful metaphor that blends recognizable truth with an element of surprise.To submit your writing, reply to this email, comment on this post, or send to nowgowrite@substack.com by Saturday evening.
Last week’s submissions: ramen
If you submitted last week, check out the rest 👀
"Metaphor brings out the thisness of a that, or the thatness of a this.” — Kenneth Burke