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 and metaphors from Olaf Olafsson…. I often enjoy the clear, crisp, unadorned style of Scandinavian writers. I was struck by that feeling again […]
The figurative language of Olaf Olafsson…. 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 several similes from American journalist Farhad Manjoo… Don’t panic or anything, but machines are learning how to write. New artificial intelligence software, called GPT-3, has been created
The figurative language of Farhad Manjoo…. 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 author Ling Ma… Chinese American novelist Ling Ma (pictured above) won a 2018 Kirkus Prize for her first novel Severence. Her work
The figurative language of Ling Ma… 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 William Maxwell… I had never heard of William Maxwell until a client introduced him to me. Although long dead (Maxwell’s dates are 1908-2000)
The figurative language of William Maxwell…. 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 Anna Wiener… There are few genres of books I enjoy more than a good memoir. So, when I heard positive reviews
The figurative language of Anna Wiener… 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 similes from the American writer Curtis Sittenfeld…. I heard about novelist Curtis Sittenfeld thanks to the release of her 2020 book, an alternate political novel about the life
The figurative language of Curtis Sittenfeld 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 Kristin Kimball… When I heard about a memoir telling the story of a Manhattan-based writer who left her job
The figurative language of Kristin Kimball 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 actor Frank Langella…. I’ve long admired the acting of Frank Langella, (pictured above), and never more so than for
The figurative language of Frank Langella 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 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
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 —
The figurative language of Deb Olin Unferth Read More »
