Issue 124 – June 2023
Sharpies as a simile and more expressive writing
“Writing that lacks [figurative] language will be relatively dry, flat, and dull…a good metaphor [or simile] doesn’t merely enhance style; it also sharpens meaning.” – The Canadian Writer’s Handbook
If you want to explain something, make a point or spark an “aha” moment, reach for “figurative language.” It’s a type of expressive writing that doesn’t just enhance style, it sharpens meaning, says The Canadian Writer’s Handbook.
One type of figurative language is the simile. Similes compare two things, using “like” or “as.” Rihanna sang “Shine bright like a diamond.” A Robert Burns poem says his love was “like a red, red rose.” In the movie Forrest Gump, the title character said his mama told him, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.” All similes.
Here are some other examples of effective similes:
“’[Writing on a blackboard without the proper tools would] be like Picasso using Sharpies on a piece of waxed paper instead of using an actual canvas and oil paints,’ says Dave Bayer, a mathematics professor at Barnard College in New York City.” – CNN
“We built that army to run on contractor support. Without it, it can’t function,” retired general David Barno told investigators. “When the contractors pulled out, it was like we pulled all the sticks out of the Jenga pile and expected it to stay up.” – Michael Rainey in Yahoo!Finance
“Hunt high and low in today’s newspaper for a sense of smell and most days you’ll come up as empty as a bloodhound who’s lost the scent. Even the food pages, which one would expect to be as aromatic as a bakery before dawn, are generally odorless.” – Chip Scanlan, on the use of smell in writing
“The provinces have largely stalled on [COVID-19] boosters, and are often like a kid who is content to get a C+ on their homework – you could try to get to an A-, but on the other hand, it’s hard.” – Bruce Arthur in the Toronto Star
“Superplumes [rising jets of hot, partially molten rock] of the type on which Yellowstone sits are rather like martini glasses – thin on the way up, but spreading out as they near the surface to create vast bowls of unstable magma.” – Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything
“Convincing Italians to eat jellyfish is like enticing them to try pineapple on pizza – not a simple task.” – Agostino Petroni in Hakai Magazine
“Brand voice is how our writing…sounds in a reader’s head…Smarter companies think of tone of voice guidelines as bumpers on a bowling lane: They gently guide your communication in the right direction and help content creators avoid a gutter ball.” – Ann Handley
“[T]he book is as thick with details as chowder is with clams.” – Diana Gabaldon in The Washington Post
If you’re looking for ideas, pay attention when someone is explaining or describing something. Relate things to how they sound, look, taste, smell or feel. How would you explain the inner workings of something to a child, a friend, an alien?
But beware of clichés. If you instantly think of a connection like “proud as a peacock” or “happy as a clam,” it’s overused.
What sharp similes have you spotted? Do share. I’m always collecting examples.
Related reading:
3 ways to craft clever metaphors and similes from Ann Wylie
80+ simile examples that hit like a ton of bricks (look, another simile!)
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Tips for diversity and inclusion in links you might have missed, May edition
Much to say about AI and ChatGPT, in links you might have missed, April edition
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