Speaking in Metaphors

It shouldn't be a surprise that I speak in metaphors. Maybe it's just the frequency with which I do it.  Here's a challenge for Dawn... try to explain something without using a metaphor.  Probably impossible.

Here are just a few of the metaphors I've been using for writing:

• Editing and gardening:  Sometimes people think that editing is just getting rid of the bad stuff, the deadwood, so to speak.  (See? There I go again.)  Editing and revising is also about paying attention to what's strong and has impact and doing more of that.  Think about your garden or landscaping around your home.  You might have some flowers or plants that have spread because you planted them eight years ago and then haven't really done anything with them.  Now, they're so thick that they're choking on themselves.  So, you prune them back.  You might even subdivide them and find other places in the yard to plant them.  Editing isn't all about removing the ugly weeds.
• Websites and welcome centers:  Think of the home page of your website like a welcome center.  You walk in, and the friendly, helpful docent lets you know what to expect at the site and the things you want to make sure to see.  She might even point out tickets to some of the bigger attractions.  Your website home page functions much the same way.  Welcome your visitor in and give him some direction about where to go next.  And guide him along the way.
• Connecting to readers and garden hoses:  (I must have a thing for landscaping.)  As a writer, your goal is to connect to the reader.  Otherwise, why write?  You want that connection to be strong, much like a nice, wide garden hose.  Imagine you the writer holding one end, and the reader holding other.  You want that stream of meaning to come gushing through, not get caught up in kinks and twists and knots, or by an opening that's much too small to even let a trickle through.

And for those non-writing situations:

• Relationship issues and house renovations:  Working on relationship issues and wiring while still being in the relationship is much like doing major renovations on a 100-year-old house while still living in said old house.  Imagine that your old house has one kitchen and one bathroom, and they're both in such bad repair that you need to gut them both.  Yet you decide to live in the house (and you still need to eat, wash, and do, er, other things) at the same time that your kitchen and bathroom are being torn apart. Any contractor will tell you that it's less stressful, quicker, easier, and more successful just to live somewhere else while those renovations are going on.
• Fear and sleeping dragons:  We all have our stressful times when it feels as if we're just going to be crushed by life.  The dragon is awake! And then there are times when the fears subside, maybe because we have regular ol' life to deal with or because we're stronger on a particular day or whatever.  At that point, the dragon is sleeping nicely in his cave.  We know the dragon will wake up again, and even when he's awake, if we're lucky, we know he'll go back to sleep.  And, eventually, if we're REALLY lucky, he'll go find a different cave altogether.

What metaphors do you use?

Comments

[Doug Hudiburg]

That was a hugely impactful post for me. I love using metaphors, but it's still kind of a weak muscle for me. You, on the other hand, seem to do it naturally.

Is this a learned talent, or have you always tended to use metaphors. My guess is you've worked on it for a wile.