"Metaphored to death"

Metaphor is cool. Touted as the most used figure of speech, metaphor is, at its base, a comparison made by referring to one thing as another. 

Shakespeare used it when he said in As You Like It, "All the world's a stage." Hemmingway used it The Old Man and The Sea: the ocean is a metaphor for life, for man's place in nature. Mark Twain used the Mississippi River as a foundation for metaphor in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. And Orson Scott Card, author of Ender's Game, said, “Metaphors have a way of holding the most truth in the least space.” 

Metaphors are everywhere. You don't have to be a writer to use them. Often, what we see, hear, and experience can be turned into a metaphor. I tend to think in metaphor when going about my day, which can be quite irritating to my kids (metaphors pop into conversations frequently, and though they smile and nod often, I can also see their faces scrunching up now and then while resisting the urge to roll their eyes). Yes, writers love metaphor. And here's why:

Metaphors can be oh-so effective. Like no other trick out there, metaphor can take your words and magically melt meaning into the reader’s mind. Like a chef dipping a wooden spoon into liquid dark chocolate, we writers stir and swirl words around the page, intent on making a dessert for the mind and heart. If our words are sweet enough, the memory is also strong and sweet. And that’s what we want. Strength. Impact. Memory. 

But writers beware: Metaphors can take over. We get crazy with the wordplay, and paragraphs become a twisted mystery of phrases tangling the idea. There’s nothing wrong with cool word pictures that lead readers to meaning. But let’s be real. Too much is too much.

Go ahead and use metaphor in one sensory-painted experience. Not three (in one paragraph -- oy!). Or five (on one page -- gah!). And not with an extended metaphor that just won't quit (while the reader is panting, alright already!). Let one metaphor do its work. When we use metaphor in one strong moment, the reader feels -- and remembers.

I'm preaching to myself, too. Let's not metaphor the reader to death. Make metaphors timely, sweet, and meaningful. 

Stirring the chocolate,
Erin