Working with Similes, Metaphors and Symbolism in Writing

Similes, metaphors and symbolism in writing are one of the elements that flip writing over the line from ordinary writing to writing worthy of the literary label, meaning that it’s the kind of writing ‘valued for quality of form’ and ‘having a marked style intended to create a particular emotional effect.’

Similes, metaphors and symbolism give depth to the writing by imbuing it with a deeper layer of meaning. These literary conventions ignite the readers’ imagination, making them engage with the writing in an active way which increases their reading pleasure.

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Symbolism in writing

Symbolism is the use of symbolic images to represent ideas or qualities. An author who uses symbolism is using the indirect suggestion of symbols to express mystical ideas, emotions, and states of mind.

Light quality and weather are often used as a symbol for a character’s emotional state. A scene set in a storm has a very different emotional effect than one set on a sunny day. A character who is ruminating on how miserable their life is might stare out a window into a rainy day, and if it’s sunny outside, then the sunshine could be used to make them feel even more miserable; they could see the bright, cheerful weather as mocking their misery.

Dim light makes things difficult to see, and we know from horror movies that darkness is scary. A ray of sunshine falling into a dim room is a powerful visual image of hope cutting through misery, as is a sunburst through clouds. The sky clearing of clouds can foreshadow a change in a character’s life. Such symbolism can be used to underline a point or emotion—but be careful of overkill if you use it that way—or it can be used to add something that isn’t spoken of in the narrative.

In the following excerpt from my novel Stalking Shadows, I use a physical path to represent the psychological/spiritual path on which the protagonist travels. I have a full moon touching the path so that it shimmers, giving it a magical quality, and I use the word silver in the simile ‘like a silver ribbon’ to reinforce this sense of the special quality of this path. Comparing the path to a ribbon in the simile gives a sense that this path is something that has been wound out before the protagonist, ready for her to walk on and follow to the end.

‘Touched by the full moon, the path shimmered before them like a silver ribbon, and the mountain peak of shadowed crags and glistening snow rose like a beacon in the black sky over Minion Hills. Its ghostly presence reminded Ariel of her quest to seek and destroy the Master Demon that resided there.’

Describing the peak as shadowed crags and glistening snow is a symbol for the ups (glistening snow) and downs (shadowed crags) my protagonist has already been going through at this point; it’s a reflection of how the self-doubt and fear she often feels contrasts with the hope and power she feels at other times. The simile ‘like a beacon in the black sky’ refers to the snowy peak and gives a sense of hope and direction. The last sentence is the protagonist relating to the symbolism to draw it out further.

Of course a reader does not necessarily realise all this consciously as they read, the symbolism just gives them a rich visual image imbued with meaning.

I remember doing an appraisal on a book set in a town that had a huge Ferris wheel in it. At the point at which the central character’s life had become a boring routine from which she couldn’t escape, I suggested she look out the window at the Ferris wheel and describe it as going endlessly around and around. She would not have to relate it to herself, just the fact that she uses the words ‘going endlessly around and around’ would tell us that that was how she felt about herself.

Whole books can be symbolism. For instance at the end of The Life of Pi the reader wonders whether any of the events on the boat actually happened. We realise that the animals could simply be symbols for actual people whose behaviour reminded the narrator of particular animals.

My Diamond Peak Series is full of symbolism. The mountain peak itself is a symbol for the state of enlightenment. The demons are symbols of our negative emotions, and the whole story is a metaphor for walking the spiritual path.

Similes

Similes are the easy ones to recognise and understand. In the example above, saying that the path is ‘like a silver ribbon’ and the peak is ‘like a beacon’ are similes. Similes say that something is ‘like’ something else.

Metaphors

A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable or a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else.

A metaphor is different to a simile because a simile says that something is like something else, whereas a metaphor directly compares two things by saying that one thing is the other.

“My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss”. Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.

The lips are not really two blushing pilgrims, but describing them this way gives a sense of the chasteness of the moment. If you write that a character ‘filled the room with sunshine’ that’s a metaphor, as is saying their ‘voice dripped honey’ or that they had ‘eyes of velvet’. The simile version would be saying that their eyes were ‘like’ velvet or their voice sounded sweet and smooth ‘like’ honey. But whether metaphor or simile, both add interest to your writing by painting a visual picture that ignites the reader’s imagination.

Extended metaphors

Magical Realism is a genre that extends metaphors into whole scenes. A character may enter a scene written as if it occurred in the main narrative, but the occurrence is actually an extended metaphor for a purely psychological narrative.

I do this in my book You Can’t Shatter Me. Whole scenes are metaphors. For example, in one scene the male protagonist experiences letters attacking him—a symbol for his frustration at school. In another he uses a battering ram to break up the concrete encasing his feet—a symbol for him consciously breaking habits and beliefs that are holding him back.

I don’t recommend using extended metaphors unless you’re writing magical realism because readers can find extended metaphors confusing in a book that is otherwise some other genre.

Danger

Don’t overdo it.

In the first draft of my first book, I overdid my similes and metaphors. They slowed down the action by requiring the reader to undertake a great deal of chewing in order to be able to swallow the story. I took out two of every three, so that the ones I left really shone out. I had some beautiful ones that I simply had to get rid of, but since I was writing a series I got to use them in later books.

Too many metaphors or similes are like wading your way through an overly rich dessert; it can give you indigestion, and you may not finish it. Space between the rich bits makes for a much better reading experience. For us to be able to fully appreciate paintings on the wall, we need space between them. It’s the same with metaphors and similes. If you naturally write with a lot of them in your first draft, that’s fine, just don’t add them in thinking that it will make your writing better. You can subtract excessive metaphors and similes at the second draft stage, or you can add some in if your first draft is lacking in this area.

Don’t mix your metaphors.

A mixed metaphor is a succession of incongruous or ludicrous comparisons, not recommended in general writing because they confuse the reader by sending mixed messages.

That’s awfully thin gruel for the right wing to hang their hats on.

The ball has been down this court before and I can see already the light at the end of the tunnel.

I knew enough to realize that the alligators were in the swamp and that it was time to circle the wagons.

If you avoid more than one metaphor in a sentence you’ll avoid this. Alternatively make sure that your metaphors in any one sentence refer to the same image. For example:

That’s awfully thin gruel for the right wing to feed their campaign.

The ball has been down this court before but with a good wallop it’ll be soaring over the fence in no time.

How to get them in there

Now that you know that these literary devices exist, they may naturally creep into your first draft. I feel that if you fully immerse yourself in the world as I’ve suggested in earlier posts, then you give yourself the best possible chance of metaphors, similes and symbolism appearing without your conscious participation, but if that doesn’t happen, then there is plenty of time in later drafts to look to see how you can enrich your writing by adding in some of these literary devices.

Do similes, metaphors and symbolism come naturally to you? Do you recognise them in the writing of others?

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This is part of a series of blog posts on how to write a novel. It won’t just cover the technical details, but also the emotional journey we take and the personal challenges we meet on the road from potential author to author. Join the journey now, and don’t miss a post, click here to sign up to get my Novel Revision Checklist and links to the articles sent to your inbox.

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