tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post384947079969661003..comments2023-09-05T12:51:25.656-05:00Comments on edittorrent: Brainstorming MetaphorsEdittorrenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14295505709568570553noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-29666791792142911812010-11-08T10:00:26.505-06:002010-11-08T10:00:26.505-06:00Brainstorming a metaphor from within a character&#...Brainstorming a metaphor from within a character's POV also leads to fresh metaphrs, with the added benefit that then the metaphor can help to reinforce the character's POV.<br /><br />In other words, if the character is a hairdresser, he's going to think of everything (or at least many things) in terms of hair and style and head structure and ... whatever else is involved (I'm kinda' hairstyle impaired, and don't give it much thought, but a hairdresser would obsess about it the way we obsess about grammar and pov, etc.). <br /><br />So, instead of thinking a neck is swanlike, a hairdresser is going to think of a neck as suitable for a certain style or perhaps being able to carry off all styles. <br /><br />Otherwise, I do think there's a risk of author intrusion. If you've got an illiterate pov character, and she's comparing things to literary counterparts, it's going to feel odd. Or a bricklayer who's using a metaphor involving women's fashion. Or a vegetarian using a metaphor involving veal.gjnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-19086616417467649132010-11-08T07:47:00.289-06:002010-11-08T07:47:00.289-06:00I must admit that out of your selection, the swan ...I must admit that out of your selection, the swan gave me the most attractive connotation. Perhaps it is also in the delivery of the metaphor that makes it unique. Swan-like sounds clumsy while moved with the gentlness of a swan fits the mood more. Hanging moss made me think gangly. Great points!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-57701879245221057682010-11-07T15:53:12.688-06:002010-11-07T15:53:12.688-06:00Wow, this is a great post, thank you! I don't ...Wow, this is a great post, thank you! I don't tend to use metaphors and similes much in my own writing, but I do really admire when an author comes up with one that is fresh and works well. (My favorite, from Douglas Adams, probably somewhat paraphrased: "The ships hung in the sky in exactly the way that bricks don't.") Maybe this inspiration will help me add more interesting metaphors to my own work.Clare K. R. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11841162467916897873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-24332093605647601312010-11-07T11:14:57.722-06:002010-11-07T11:14:57.722-06:00I'm a total metaphor and simile girl and I do ...I'm a total metaphor and simile girl and I do think this way in "real life" not just when I'm writing. So I don't know... if the character is observant, things about things in a slightly offbeat way, and it's done sparingly/realistically... I could buy it and not consider it author intrusion. If it's poetic all the time, I think maybe one could argue its intrusive, but where does that line blur with voice and style?<br /><br />JTJulie Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02880895598847092028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-77195158419487981932010-11-07T10:57:05.509-06:002010-11-07T10:57:05.509-06:00You can also use metaphors to compare the known to...You can also use metaphors to compare the known to the unknown. This is particularly useful in speculative fiction where you can drop in the oddest worldbuilding by tieing it to obvious things. The engine roared like [unknown animal], deafening and deadly. When you find [animal] tracks, you'll already know what to expect.green_knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16499896006012152260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-85093709808437691802010-11-07T09:31:34.699-06:002010-11-07T09:31:34.699-06:00I was just reading a contest entry where the chara...I was just reading a contest entry where the character often thought in good metaphors, and I liked it! I did wonder if in deep POV, this might seem too much like author-intrusion, that these were the author's metaphors, not the character's. It didn't much bother me, but I'm wondering when that might pose a problem<br />AliciaEdittorrenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14295505709568570553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-88578659138131836242010-11-07T09:03:13.312-06:002010-11-07T09:03:13.312-06:00I'm terrible at metaphors. I can't even c...I'm terrible at metaphors. I can't even come up with the bad ones.<br /><br />"the long throat of a bass and the musician's hands moving up and down its length"<br /><br />Heh, I read "bass" as the fish rather than the stringed instrument, and then I thought of that odd Muppet character that uses fish as musical instruments. I guessing these aren't images you'd want to invoke in an intimate scene, but I got a really good chuckle in before I realized my error.Adriannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-78882487847411044742010-11-06T14:21:51.294-05:002010-11-06T14:21:51.294-05:00I really rlike the association techniques you use ...I really rlike the association techniques you use here. In the past, I've done research into images the characters would be familiar with, which can yield great results—but sometimes (often), if you have to research it, your readers will too.Jordanhttp://JordanMcCollum.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-22100397190794897262010-11-06T14:06:29.076-05:002010-11-06T14:06:29.076-05:00Great post, Theresa. Metaphor and simile are my fa...Great post, Theresa. Metaphor and simile are my favorite ways to play with language (confession: I write poetry), and this method is something I use often.<br /><br />I'd like to add that, aside from looking beyond clichés when it comes to metaphor, it's also important to break from cliché when choosing the target of figurative language.<br /><br />Some things are frequent targets of metaphor: skies, celestial bodies, weather, certain parts of human anatomy, etc. But a lot of the universe goes neglected, and focusing your poet's eye on unexpected things--not just objects but sounds, smells, movement, mood, and on and on--can also bring freshness to figurative language.Leahhttp://words.leahraeder.com/noreply@blogger.com