Do Similes and Metaphors Scare You?

Don’t let similes and metaphors frighten you.

“I don’t quite know how to describe what I’m feeling,” you might say during your writing as you grope for a way to describe in words this emotion that is beyond words.

There is a solution to this dilemma that writers often resort to—but one too many are sure they can’t handle. It is the use of metaphors, similes, images, and symbols. These will bring your text to a level beyond words.

1. A simile is a comparison that uses like or as.

When you sa...