Metaphors and similes are both analogies. Used well, they enrich our writing. 

1. “Making money from a hobby blog is almost impossible”
2. “Making money from a hobby blog is as likely as Delhi drivers giving up honking.”

Which one is better? Why?

You’ll probably say the second one, right? I guess you’ll say because it is fresh / more interesting / funny / evokes an image / more relatable  etc.

Metaphors and Similes will do that for your writing.

The above is an example of a simile. A good simile or metaphor (we’ll explain the difference) can do a lot of work to make your writing more punchy and relatable, or even beautiful.

Metaphor comes from the Greek word metaphora which means  ‘carrying over transference’. It applies when the properties of one object are transferred to another –  like the example above draws a parallel between properties of Delhi drivers honking and hobby blogs earning.

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A simile is very similar to a metaphor. 

In a simile the writer/speaker compares two dissimilar things that have similar properties or characteristics. Since both Similes and metaphors are using the concept of transference, they can be confusing. 

The difference is semantic, really. The easy way to tell them apart is that a simile will use words  ‘like’ or ‘as’. Thus, the best examples of similes include ‘as’ or ‘like’ such as “as confusing as Tharoor’s English” or “cool as a cucumber”.  

A metaphor, on the other hand could read “His use of Tharoor English left the audience flummoxed.”

Either way, they can bring vivid detail to writing. A line like “The bride looked like a pricey chandelier. Her three coats of pink makeup reminded Ajay of an Asian Paints ad. She already looked uncomfortable. Trying to cheer her up, he said “Mera wala pink.” 

Analogies like these work well not just at the level of sentences, but these concepts can help entire books come through. Nissim Taleb called his bool black swan, because he was using the black swan as an analogy for a highly improbable event. 

Devdutt Pattnaik uses the Rangoli and Road-signs as a metaphor in his assertion about chaos vs pattern in India in this beautiful TEDx talk.

Technically an analogy is using two things as a parallel. One helps the reader understand the other better.  In the above example, paint is used as an analogy for make-up. 

However, if you use a line like, say “She hated the cheap public transport buses with their cheap men. She hated the smell of armpits and eveteasers.” It is nice wordplay and description which goes beyond physical, but this isn’t metaphor or simile : this is not an analogy, just a good description.

The problem with Metaphors and Similes is that they are often cliches from other worlds, and we use them blindly. 

Lines like “Covering your bases” or “step up to the plate” are all baseball metaphors which have come to us from America. They probably work great there, but in India we should have our own metaphors – probably based in Cricket and Bollywood. 

A metaphor like: “one look at her and he was clean bowled” is relatable in the Indian context, if somewhat predictable. But the reader knows what is being referred to.

The other risk we run as writers is to overuse tired analogies. “sleeping like a baby” or “busy as a bee” have no freshness or newness to them. They are tired and predictable. Instead of making your writing fun to read they have the opposite effect.

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The trick is to be able to come up with original, interesting metaphors which work well in our mileu.

I was reading this article in the New Yorker about how writers can write distraction free. The two options presented were buying  a separate writing device, or installing a “focus” app on your laptop. There the writer Julian Lucas says “But focus mode on an everything device is a meditation room in a casino.”

What a lovely metaphor. The writer then goes on to explain…  “What good is it to separate writing from editing, formatting, and cluttered interfaces if you can’t separate it from the Internet?”

Indian writing is full of beautiful metaphors and similes. Some examples of Indian Metaphors and Similes are when Kabir says:

“Bhala hua meri Matki Phooti re, main Paniya Bharan se chooti re.”

“I am happy my earthen pot broke, I am free from fetching water now”.

Kabir uses the earthen pot as a metaphor for life, and refers to death as the breaking of the pot.

But even without getting all deep and philosophical, we can use a metaphor.

I was chatting with my friend Ameen Haque, the founder of “Storywallahs” recently. I observed that most storytellers seem to stick with just one type pf storytelling, but Storywallahs seem to do every type of storytelling : from corporate to storytelling for parents and kids – successfully. He replied 

“Storytelling is like atta. Once you have it, you can use it to make naan or roti or lachha paratha.” 

What a wonderful metaphor.  

This is the kind of thing that chat GPT cannot do – not yet, anyway –  because you have to think of  a parallel from your human experience, and see how it can fit.

So is there a process? A sure-fire way to come up with a great Metaphor? Sure. 

1. Have some life experience
2. Go for walks
3. Keep the idea / piece turning over in your mind, and hope that something turns up. 

Hmm, doesn’t sound like much of a process. 

Actually, we don’t know if there is any formula for finding the perfect metaphor – I think it is a lateral process, where you have to allow your subconscious to work for you, and let possible ideas seep into your mind. Hopefully that perfect analogy will find it’s way into your mind.

 {If you are looking for someone to guide you on your writing journey, we have a list of Top Writing Coaches and Writing Mentors that can get you started.}

To end this piece on a light note, here is a little poem by Brian Bilston.

How to Avoid Mixing Your Metaphors
It’s not rocket surgery.
First, get all your ducks on the same page.
After all, you can’t make an omelette
without breaking stride.
Be sure to watch what you write
with a fine-tuned comb.
Check and re-check until the cows turn blue.
It’s as easy as falling off a piece of cake.
Don’t worry about opening up
a whole hill of beans:
you can always burn that bridge when you come to it,
if you follow where I’m coming from.
Concentrate! Keep your door closed
and your enemies closer.
Finally, don’t take the moral high horse:
if the metaphor fits, walk a mile in it.
Brian Bilston