The best analogies can elevate even the lowliest writing, drawing brilliant connections between things you never considered before. The best metaphors take it even further, bestowing even simple words and feeling with a deeper layer of meaning. When done exceptionally well, analogies and metaphors can even grant you a fresh view of the world. The best of the best are truly poetic.

How do good writers do it?

Practice. Like any other aspect of writing craft, you can improve your analogy and metaphor game through skill and drill. One of the best places to practice writing analogies and metaphors is out in the wild — by observing people in airports and school hallways, by going to a dog park or a wrestling match, by standing backstage at a concert or walking a mountain path. If you’ve read or heard author Maggie Stiefvater’s Artist & Thief speech, you know there’s a lot of inspiration to be found by simply watching and engaging with what’s around you. These sorts of practice sessions can be a low-pressure way to stretch your skills without worrying about whether it works in your manuscript.

I tried this recently, on my way home from a trip. I was sitting in the airport, people-watching, as you do. This old guy two aisles over was sitting up, head back, mouth wide open, snoring loudly. So I pulled out a notebook and started to write:

• He snored, head tipped back, mouth open like a gaping fish.

That seemed too obvious. So I tried again:

• He snored, head tipped back, mouth open like a fish gasping for air.

Still obvious — especially the mouth. Everyone uses the fish analogy. I needed something more original. So I tried again:

• He leaned back in his seat, mouth open like he’d been trying to catch a piece of popcorn flung from across the room but fell asleep before the game began.

I kept going on those for a bit, amusing myself. It’s not brilliant writing, of course, but it was fun to practice. And I liked trying to push past the obvious to find a more unique analogy.

Then, a few minutes later, a maintenance man passed by with the most unusual walk. Each step was toe first, way up on the balls of his feet. So I went through the same exercise:

• He walks like a man trying not to wake the baby.
• He walks like there are clouds under his feet.
• He walks like springs are hidden in his heels, bouncing forward, tottering to keep his balance.
• He walks like he’s sneaking up on someone.

Again, practice. Some worked, some didn’t. None of it may ever make it’s way into something I’m writing. But going through the exercise made me take a fresh look at the analogies and metaphors in my work-in-progress and as I added new chapters. So it was time well spent (and something I’ll keep doing).

In case you want to give it a go yourself, here are the rules I set for myself when practicing my analogies and metaphors in the wild:

• Get the obvious out of the way first.
• Challenge yourself to write the weirdest, most improbable combinations. (Remember: No one is going to read this but you.)
• Try different genres and themes — horror, comedy, romance, thriller.
• Try different voices — funny, sad, melodramatic, angry.
• Above all, have fun!

© 2018 Rachel Martin. All Rights Reserved.