Similes and metaphors are
remarkably similar,
despite their differences.

They both deal with comparisons. However, similes and metaphors are different in that similes will use "like" and "as," whereas metaphors will not. Metaphors and similes are easy to come up with, especially when you listen to some music or read a good book.

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Taylor Swift makes sure her songs are chock full of metaphors, including "...he's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do," from "Teardrops on My Guitar," or "Our song is the slamming screen door, sneakin' out late, tapping on your window..." from "Our Song". Her incorporation of all the intricacies that make adolescence so difficult, yet delicate, makes her lyrics hit home all that much harder, because these writing metaphors are shaped into her songs so well.

Ben Folds does an amazing job using similes in his songs, including in "Fred Jones, Part 2," where he mentions that "life barrels on like a runaway train". That line has always stuck with me, and when I contemplate great similes, my mind automatically thinks of this one. It makes me think about the importance of not taking life for granted, because it is always "barreling on" without knowing where exactly it is going, when it will get there, or how long it will stay. Everything in life is able to be changed, and this simile captures that thought and emotion so poignantly.

Similes and metaphors are easy to write. You can even turn similes into metaphors and vice versa with a few changes in wording, or a deletion or addition here and there. This is all part of the creative process of writing that you are aiming to do. Take these examples of similes and metaphors that seem similar, but take on different meanings depending on whether you read it as a simile or a metaphor:

She was on cloud nine while at the concert.
The concert seemed like cloud nine to her.

You see how the first sentence is a metaphor, because it is describing how she felt. Being on cloud nine means that she was extremely happy to be at that concert. The second sentence is a simile, because it uses the word "like," and is comparing the concert to cloud nine. You see how these sentences convey the same basic meaning, but you have to extend the thought process a bit in order to make the most of what the similes and metaphors mean.

He was as hungry as a hippo.
He was a hippo.

These two sentences are a bit more different from each other than the first two listed above. The first sentence here means that the man is extremely hungry, maybe as much as a hippo. This is the simile, because the word "as" is used (and not just once, but twice), and his hunger is being compared to that of a hippo, because hippos are obviously large animals who must eat quite a bit, just like this man is apt to do because of how hungry he is. The second sentence is not describing how hungry the man is, but it implies that the man is so large that he looks like a hippo.

Similes and metaphors need to be carefully added into your writing so as not to convey the wrong meaning. The last thing you want is to give a word or phrase a negative connotation because you used it inappropriately. When you are writing metaphors or similes, be sure to read back through them and ensure that they make the most sense possible. This will help prevent your readers from misreading any of your writing.

Even though I have cautioned you in your use of similes and metaphors, they are wondrous, intelligent uses of writing that I highly recommend adding to your writing repertoire. Take the examples above, listen to your favorite songs for more examples, and read books to find more and more ideas to help you imagine more similes and metaphors of your own. Sometimes you will find that someone did not include metaphors and similes in their writing, but you see how they could have done so to make their writing stronger and more intriguing. When you find these instances, write them down along with some reasoning for why you would have changed it and what you would have changed it to, and find ways to incorporate these new similes and metaphors into your own writing. Use other writers as your guides and let them help you to see new ways to look at your own writing, by looking at what they know how to do just right and what could have been improved upon to make their writing even better.

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