Metaphor: an implied comparison between two different things; a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily means one thing is applied to another in order to suggest a likeness between the two.
Aren’t metaphors delicious? I think of them as word pictures.
"Men's words are bullets, that their enemies take up and make use of against them."
(George Savile, Maxims)
"The rain came down in long knitting needles."
(Enid Bagnold, National Velvet)
"Language is a road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going."(Rita Mae Brown)
"Having a friend made all the difference. Jessie was a cup of hot chocolate on a wintry day. She was a patch of blue in a cloudy sky." (Linda Garner, Way to Go Grace) ...thought I’d sneak that in.
I was asked in an interview what metaphor I would use for writing. I decided that writing is planting a seed and watching it grow. I’m not always sure what kind of seed I am planting. That’s part of the adventure. How big will the plant be? Will it have leaves? Flowers? Fruit?
What kind of metaphor would you use to describe writing? Share your thoughts.
If I don’t answer, leave a note, I may be tending my word garden.
Linda Garner
