Hello!

I will start off this segment by discussing metaphors and similes. If you don't know what those are, I will gladly explain these to you. By dictionary definition, those words mean the following:

Metaphor: A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

Simile: A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind.

If that doesn't make sense to you, don't worry - it doesn't make sense to me, either. To give you a better idea of what these two words mean and the difference between these two words, I will show you examples.

Metaphors: 

“So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.” (John Green)

"I stay still for what feels like an hour, trying to forget the shame that encroached my body." (Double-Edged)

Similes:

"The silhouettes of wide trees stream past me like an endless collage of art colored too darkly." (Cupid's Match)

"He waited, inside the mesh of his hatred, his heart thumping like a machine out of control, the leather grip of the foil already sweaty in his hand." (Catherine Fisher)

What part of those quotes was metaphorical? What part was a simile?

In John Green's quote, the metaphor is when he states that the author is drizzle while the girl is hurricane. Of course, this is not meant to be taken literally. It is to give you an idea of the differences in their personalities. By using the gentle term and the savage version of 'rain', he was able to describe the differences between the two people. The girl is loose, reckless, free; the guy is perhaps shy, reserved, and modest. In the next quote, the metaphor is "shame that encroached my body." Shame is not a physical thing. It does not visually take over a person's body. However, by the use of that word, the reader can picture shame actually overcoming someone's body bit by bit.

Therefore, metaphors can be used to help drive a point home. Metaphors help make your description of a person, place, or object more colorful. It also helps the readers visualize the narrative in their head. 

"...trees stream past me like an endless collage of art colored too darkly." Most of the time, similes will include words such as 'like' or 'as if' to connect two ideas together. Similes are similar to a metaphor, except that instead of directly using one word in place of another, it is only referring to the word(s). To make it a metaphor, I could have said, "An endless collage of trees stream past me." In Catherine Fisher's novel, the simile is "...heart thumping like a machine out of control." 

So what is the difference?

Metaphors use words 'literally', whereas similes use words figuritavely.

If there weren't metaphors and similes, writing could be very boring. Many people rely on these tactics in order to create a more descriptive narrative. If used well, metaphors and similes can be extremely memorable and artfully poetic. Most of the time, people use similes rather naturally, whereas other times, people have a harder time using metaphors. You might find that you have used similes and metaphors in your stories without even realizing it. You definitely should! They add depth and color. They add a 'movie screen' to the reader's mind. You can direct what the reader is thinking. If you simply said, "her eyes were blue", the readers wouldn't think much of it. But if you said, "Her eyes were calm like the blue sky on a clear day" or "She looked at me with those twin blue orbs, incomparable and indefinable", then you can command how the reader thinks of those eyes. If you want the reader to think or see your story in a certain way, tell them. Metaphors and similes are only one of many ways that you, the writer, can decide how you want your readers to perceive your story the way you intended for it to be seen.

Remember how wide your audience is. People will have a different point of view on your story depending on their past experiences. There are times when you should leave your writing open to personal interpretation, and times when it's good to tell them what to think, especially if it's really significant. Know when and where to use these, and your writing can grow to be very effective!

Until next time! You're all fabulous!