Similes and Metaphors

This is the first blog for 2014. Our goal is to provide information for new fiction writers and to give fans of fiction something interesting to read.

Today’s entry clarifies the confusion between similes and metaphors. There’s a personal note at the end of this post that is strictly my opinion about using similes. I hope you enjoy the blog.

A simile (sim-a-le) and a metaphor (met-a-for-er) are figures of speech that work in similar ways. They both compare something to another item or person. The comparisons can involve items or things that have very different qualities.

Creative writers use a simile or metaphor to put vivid descriptions into their verse and poetry. They are used almost exclusively in fiction rather than nonfiction.

The best way to explain these similar but different parts of speech is to provide some examples.

“The color of her cheeks looks like roses,” a simile. “She has rosy, red cheeks,” a metaphor.

“She’s as fierce as a tiger,” a simile. “She’s a tiger when she’s angry,” a metaphor.

“She eats like a bird,” a simile. “She has a bird’s tiny appetite,” a metaphor. To be accurate, we should point out that most birds eat proportionally much more than we do.

A simile uses the words like and as to describe the comparison. A metaphor describes a word or phrase aimed directly to an object or action. “It’s raining cats and dogs” makes the comparison in metaphor terms without any qualifications. “It’s raining as hard as cats and dogs” is a simile with some qualifications instead of the definite comparison a metaphor provides.

Two examples of a simile comparing two items as similar but not the same are “My love is like a red, red rose” and “He was as cold as ice.”

The fool-proof way to know when a simile is used is to find the qualifiers like or as. Otherwise the comparison came from a metaphor.

Actually, the important thing to remember is that similes have become self-serving, verbose descriptions that you should avoid completely. Don’t use similes at all—not ever.

My personal opinion is that the simile may come back into fashion someday. Now, however, that figure of speech is completely overused. The metaphor accomplishes the same end as the simile except in a direct way. Metaphors give more meaning to a concept. It helps an author use his or her words to paint a vivid word picture.

Thank you for reading this blog. In about a week we’ll have more information of interest to new writers and anyone who reads fiction.

***Look for my web site at www.joelatino.com