Metaphor

Have I mentioned this before? I once read a book recommended to me for its amazing world-building. The world-building was pretty awesome EXCEPT for the metaphors. The book was written in 3rd person, but even in 3rd person, the metaphors should be appropriate to the characters and world. The author kept comparing things to situations the character would have known nothing about.

Annemarie O’Brien recently posted this on the awesome blog Quirk and Quill (possibly my favorite writing blog):

“Highlight # 7 – Nikki Grimes Metaphor Tip

Metaphor comes best from the images and words of your character, setting, or world. Be sure to use words and images related to the environment and the time-period of your own story.”

We should keep that in mind as we write, and believe me, it can be a challenge!