Successful writing means having a great story and telling it beautifully. Word choice lies at the center of beautiful story-telling. Put another way, it's hard to tell a creative story in boring words. - James V. Smith, Jr. The Writer's Little Helper.
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Let's talk about imagery. Poets may think they have the corner on the market, but all good writing employs good imagery. I was reading Through the Tollbooth, and today's post was all about similes and metaphors. Kelly Bingham does a great job talking about the differences between the two. Check it out here.
Imagery is all part of showing not telling. It is about word choice, and about creating powerful images rather than describing. Simile and metaphors are part of that--and using them effectively is worth practicing. I love it when I'm reading a book and the author comes up with comparison that surprises and delights me--the kind that makes me go, "yeah! That's it. I can totally picture that."
In the book The Writers Little Helper, there is a creative writer's bracketing tool that helps writers reach for the unexpected, the creative words and imagery. The author talks about revision being the place to search for ways to be more concrete, more specific, more inventive in your word choice. I want to really work at this in my writing. I'm thinking a journal would be a good place to jot down images that strike me. I need to myself to reach, not just grab for the first word that comes to mind. And that is the absolutely great thing about writing. I don't have to be inventive in the first draft; I just have to be able to work at it to the point where I come up with the creative, inventive stuff. Be persistent. I can do that.
Do you find yourself using simile and metaphor in your work? How do you go about creating unique, satisfying images in your writing?
Imagery is all part of showing not telling. It is about word choice, and about creating powerful images rather than describing. Simile and metaphors are part of that--and using them effectively is worth practicing. I love it when I'm reading a book and the author comes up with comparison that surprises and delights me--the kind that makes me go, "yeah! That's it. I can totally picture that."
In the book The Writers Little Helper, there is a creative writer's bracketing tool that helps writers reach for the unexpected, the creative words and imagery. The author talks about revision being the place to search for ways to be more concrete, more specific, more inventive in your word choice. I want to really work at this in my writing. I'm thinking a journal would be a good place to jot down images that strike me. I need to myself to reach, not just grab for the first word that comes to mind. And that is the absolutely great thing about writing. I don't have to be inventive in the first draft; I just have to be able to work at it to the point where I come up with the creative, inventive stuff. Be persistent. I can do that.
Do you find yourself using simile and metaphor in your work? How do you go about creating unique, satisfying images in your writing?
5 comments:
Hi Sarah;
Today must be my lucky day! The blog has been kind of slow lately, so I haven't checked it in a while. Lo and behold, I decide to visit today and there you are.
I use similie more often than metaphor. In our fields, we have masses of bergamot, a light lavender flower with a crown-like head. But because of the way the rays rim the center, I see an errupting fountain.
Feathered hand-grenades. That's how the late Corey Ford (The Road to Tinkham Town) described a quail covey rise. Ten to twenty birds all flushing at the same time, or at least close enough together to seem so, and going in all directions. Organized chaos.
We've talked about imagery before and I never tire of the subject. Word choices make such a difference in everything from colors to shapes. Daffodil is as good as yellow and scarlet fills in nicely for red. Finding that one word makes a piece sing.
Glad you're back. And thank you for keeping the blog going.
Hey Larry,
The picture of Bergamot was awesome. Is it the same thing as BeeBalm (Monarda)? It looks VERY similar. I'll send you a picture of the Raspberry BeeBalm growing in my backyard. I have a light lavender one too.
It is good to be back. I've been writing more and that means I have more to write about on the blog.
I love the "feathered hand-grenades." It creates not only the picture but also the sound. Now that is getting an image to work for you!
Sarah;
Bee Balm is in the same family. I don't have any, but I do get evening primrose, which is a whole other plant.
I need a refresher on simile v. metaphor. I'll do that when I don't feel so lazy. You know, maybe next year. Lately my mind has been running along the lines of "If a tree falls on the campus, how many support staff and low level administrators will have to be laid off to replace it and landscape the whole damned place?"
Neither metaphor nor simile, probably more like reality.
Oh, I hear you on that one! They just cut the library media assistants to half-time.
Not a whole lot more cutting possible before there is no library program.
Seriously though, click on the link in the post to get a good refresher of simile and metaphor.
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