Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Writers group challenge

Hey. Tom here.

At the writers group meeting on May 16, we talked about metaphors and similes. And we tried this exercise I found online. Give it a try. It's tougher than it looks, but it gets your mind working. Some of the phrases are pretty weird -- I figure that's intentional, to keep you from falling back on cliches.

Here's the exercise:

http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/a/257650.htm

Remember, don't think too much. Just write down whatever comes into your head. The idea isn't coming up with brilliant metaphors, so much as getting in the frame of mind where they occur naturally.

Anyway, this is the challenge. Take the test and post one or more of the metaphors or similes you come up with. Here are a couple of mine:

The fog plumed through gunshot holes in the car windows like tentative ghosts.

The security guard walks the lobby as if angry at the floor tiles.

5 comments:

  1. A child in... bed... is like... a butterfly in its cocoon.

    The security guard walks the lobby as if... he's guarding the Hope diamond.

    Up is like down when...you're going off your medication.

    The oars on the boat rowed as if pulling taffy.

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  2. The dice rolled out of the cup toward Veronica like the severed heads of two who had displeased the Queen.

    Two out, bases loaded, one run down -- it is like muscles stretched taut over bone.

    If I should wake before I die, I hope I catch the look on the doctor's face.

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  3. The oars on the boat rowed as if directing a symphony.

    She held her life in her own hands as if were an egg balanced at the end of a toothpick.

    Love is to open sky like loathing is to being buried alive.

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  4. She held her life in her own hands as if it were a soggy, crumpled-up tissue. She didn't even want to get close enough to throw it away.

    ReplyDelete