The Metaphor Creation Engine

Book Reviews

May 10

Intro

I’ve always been drawn to writers who know how to twist a sentence until it bleeds meaning. Authors like Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, and Ray Bradbury don’t just write stories—they build worlds where even the metaphors feel alive. Their comparisons are strange, sharp, sometimes beautiful, sometimes brutal, but always perfectly fitted to the mood of the story. They make it seem effortless, like the metaphor was just waiting to be uncovered.

But when you sit down to write your own? Suddenly, it’s not so effortless.

I am going to break down how to write metaphors that work—that feel gritty, vivid, and right for the tone of your story. Not decorative fluff, but the kind of metaphors that dig in and stick.

STEP 1: Anchor Yourself in the Truth

🔍 What are you really trying to say? Strip it to its emotional or physical core.

Before reaching for poetic language, get brutally honest.

Ask:

What’s happening internally? Emotionally, mentally?
What’s happening externally? What does the world look/feel like?

Examples:

"I'm anxious" becomes → "I'm constantly scanning for danger."
"She felt hollow" becomes → "She couldn’t hold anything inside her."

💡 Metaphors are never just about decoration—they are expressions of how a person feels reality shifting or intensifying.

STEP 2: Uncover the Sensory Texture

🧠 What does it feel like, physically, sensorially, emotionally?

Make a list:

Physical sensations (tight chest, cold hands, shaky knees)
Visuals (dark corners, red flashes, sharp shadows)
Sounds (buzzing, silence, screaming brakes)
Emotions (rage, longing, dread, release)

Example (Anxiety):

Feels like: tight, fast, wired, alert
Looks like: blinking red lights, tight coils, shadows moving
Sounds like: radio static, keys jangling, muffled alarms

This is your palette.

STEP 3: Search for Parallels in the Real World

🌍 Where else in the world does this exact combination of feeling and motion exist?

You're now a metaphor detective. Hunt for scenes, objects, systems, or phenomena that behave the same way as what you're describing.

Ask:

Is this like something in nature? (a wildfire, a drought, fog)
Is it like a machine or system? (a ticking time bomb, a jammed gear)
Is it like a moment in life? (waiting for a verdict, being chased, a failed launch)
Is it something we all know intuitively? (a locked door, a falling glass, a dying battery)

This creates a bridge between your abstract idea and a concrete image.

Example (Anxiety)
→ “Like a smoke alarm going off inside a sealed box.”
→ “Like trying to sleep with a wolf pacing outside your tent.”
→ “Like holding your breath and forgetting why.”

STEP 4: Make the Leap — and Make It Strange

✍️ Now make the comparison, but add a twist. Metaphors should surprise.

This is where you write it out. But don’t go for clichés (“like a rollercoaster” — too obvious).

Instead, push yourself toward originality through specificity.

Structure variations:

“It was like X in a Y.”
“Her [emotion] was a [thing behaving badly].”
“It moved through him like X does through Y.”
“She wore her grief like a second spine.”

Use verbs that give life to the image. The more action you give it, the more visceral it becomes.

Not: “He was angry like a fire.”
Try: “His anger crackled like wires stripped of insulation, snapping in the wind.”

STEP 5: Test the Fit — Sharpen or Replace

🔧 Does it feel true? Does it add to the moment? Does it hit hard?

Ask:

Is it too abstract? (If the image doesn't create a mental picture, it's not ready.)
Is it too expected? (If it’s been used a million times, it’s forgettable.)
Is it too off-base? (If it doesn’t map onto the original emotion or action, drop it.)

Then revise: