tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post1070861020130646709..comments2024-03-17T07:55:51.361+00:00Comments on Help! I Need a Publisher!: AS POINTLESS AS A POINTLESS THING: CARE WITH SIMILESNicola Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-21176438439261448272011-10-25T18:14:37.850+01:002011-10-25T18:14:37.850+01:00As I recall, Ms. Scroggins--at least the Ms. Scrog...As I recall, Ms. Scroggins--at least the Ms. Scroggins I had--said similes where a mark of a good writer ONLY when used well. I got no extra points for comparing handguns to soccer balls.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-69369355476773686202010-10-26T11:49:35.472+01:002010-10-26T11:49:35.472+01:00Here's a sentence from Damon Galgut's The ...Here's a sentence from Damon Galgut's The Quarry: 'He walked across to the house with the policeman's eyes like a drill-bit in his back.'<br />Take out 'like a drill-bit' and watch the sentence's power ebb.TOM VOWLERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436338454781485164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-41186547501267270952010-10-25T22:31:00.031+01:002010-10-25T22:31:00.031+01:00Dan, thank you! You're quite right.Dan, thank you! You're quite right.Tasmanian Devilnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-41623229129527552072010-10-25T21:18:34.336+01:002010-10-25T21:18:34.336+01:00oh, ok, i thought you were writing about smiles, m...oh, ok, i thought you were writing about smiles, my writing has loads and loads of smiles in it, havent the foggiest what a simile is....mike 'hazeltree' thompsonhttp://www.englishrosegarden.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-59597262640032718182010-10-25T12:00:17.569+01:002010-10-25T12:00:17.569+01:00TD, yes, that'll give me an excuse to go and s...TD, yes, that'll give me an excuse to go and spend some time with my Murakami collection :) One I particularly remember is a description of someone walking through undergrowth- "his feet made the sound of rain falling on glass". Not a single adjective or adverb but a beautiful, evocative imageDan Hollowayhttp://eightcuts.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-32868955248320187822010-10-22T22:33:50.205+01:002010-10-22T22:33:50.205+01:00Dan, I own Kafka on the shore and Wild sheep chase...Dan, I own Kafka on the shore and Wild sheep chase by Murakami. Would you point out an example of what you're talking about please? It sounds fascinating.Tasmanian Devilnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-56490534927001285692010-10-22T17:11:01.328+01:002010-10-22T17:11:01.328+01:00Rob - I very much value Miss Scroggins' approv...Rob - I very much value Miss Scroggins' approval. I can't offer her publication I'm afraid but I'm very happy to give her an apple. (Or was it supposed to be teachers giving kids apples??)<br /><br />AnneR - absolutely agree, must be appropriate to genre/time/etc.<br /><br />TasmanianDevil - you're probably right.<br /><br />Emma - thanks. Clever post.Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-5585782807388310312010-10-22T16:44:22.331+01:002010-10-22T16:44:22.331+01:00Bumped into Miss Scroggins the other day on the Co...Bumped into Miss Scroggins the other day on the Costa Blanca (my part of the world) - she asked me to tell you she is an avid reader of your blog and gives you 9 out of 10. Also can you find her a publisher for "Scroggins guide to Amor en España"Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13468140560756430446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-12307108948574614492010-10-22T07:52:00.604+01:002010-10-22T07:52:00.604+01:00Nicola, your post made me think of this post by th...Nicola, your post made me think of this post by the very talented NZ writer Sarah Laing, which touches on schools teaching rules about writing (including use of simile/metaphor) to children: http://sarahelaing.wordpress.com/2010/10/21/sinking-hearts/Emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05448975755164634999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-21564547308882160332010-10-22T00:27:47.941+01:002010-10-22T00:27:47.941+01:00All mosquitos have ADHD don't they?All mosquitos have ADHD don't they?Tasmanian Devilnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-5010102516454961632010-10-21T22:26:29.613+01:002010-10-21T22:26:29.613+01:00And further what Keren said, they should be approp...And further what Keren said, they should be appropriate for the period or setting of the story. (Realised this afternoon that what I really wanted to compare something to was trying to cut warm marshmallows with a knife, but my book is pre-marshmallow, so no can do.)AnneRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02886295208140507100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-63493847855721907562010-10-21T22:25:04.090+01:002010-10-21T22:25:04.090+01:00A wonderfully helpful post as always, Nicola. Than...A wonderfully helpful post as always, Nicola. Thank you. I never had a Miss Scroggins, so similes and metaphors have been off my writing menu. Now I know how to apply them - properly!J.T. Websterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18042422842347246547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-63358669664701195612010-10-21T21:53:00.068+01:002010-10-21T21:53:00.068+01:00Great post - would also just add that when you ha...Great post - would also just add that when you have a first person narrator it is best if the similes they use are relevant to their life and interests. In some ways that's limiting, but it helps build a strong sense of character, and can offer some interesting new areas for simile-hunting.Keren Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13121027210783177857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-84772362577825915072010-10-21T18:52:26.005+01:002010-10-21T18:52:26.005+01:00Your couple of brilliant simile examples rather ex...Your couple of brilliant simile examples rather explain the uninspired versions you mention at the outset.<br /><br />Often the most memorable language in a book by a good writer is a well-chosen simile. A writer like Anne Tyler packs in a lot of them. Aspiring writers want to achieve the same effect but often with less potent raw material.<br /><br />Having completed the City University novel Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07565774246519564335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-84391873129471281312010-10-21T16:29:50.811+01:002010-10-21T16:29:50.811+01:00Phoenix - I disagree (sorry!). Although, as I said...Phoenix - I disagree (sorry!). Although, as I said, not a spectacular simile, "Ho moved slowly, like a lion" works perfectly and in synergy with the flow of meaning. The reader learns first that the person moved slowly, and immediately afterwards a detail is added to give the picture of how slowly. I think the adjective "stalking" is superfluous and there's a subtle lack Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-13100158116480030442010-10-21T15:57:37.979+01:002010-10-21T15:57:37.979+01:00Lovely post; thank you. I adored 'Incendiary&#...Lovely post; thank you. I adored 'Incendiary'. I have his second book on my TBR pile and keep putting off reading it because I don't want it to be over.Queeniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06988379866736219329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-38241684829445260772010-10-21T13:09:01.411+01:002010-10-21T13:09:01.411+01:00I think the best similes take the place of the mun...I think the best similes take the place of the mundane things they are illuminating. For me <i>He moved slowly, like a lion</i> works much better as <i>He moved in like a stalking lion.</i> <br /><br />Don't give the reader's brain the mundane thing first to fuss over; go right for the image you want to instill.Phoenix Sullivanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03290349031002504007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-71100714203490203662010-10-21T13:00:16.617+01:002010-10-21T13:00:16.617+01:00I think I pulled a sickie thed ay similies were ta...I think I pulled a sickie thed ay similies were taught. I suck at similies, and am kinda glad i suck now.<br />Thanks for the helpful info.Joanna St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06180782095853911283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-63437107021523757212010-10-21T12:03:34.275+01:002010-10-21T12:03:34.275+01:00I actually feel quite sorry I never had a Miss Scr...I actually feel quite sorry I never had a Miss Scroggins. English at school was scatty at best. I seem to remember the teacher wheeling in the television and letting us watch that for most of the lesson. We wouldn't have known what to do with a similie. Eat it, more than likely. But I think that means I haven't fallen foul of over-using them!Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11309191526500602452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-47077138031645977722010-10-21T10:58:13.915+01:002010-10-21T10:58:13.915+01:00Marvellous post. And an additional lesson - ust be...Marvellous post. And an additional lesson - ust because a metaphor/simile works once doesn't mean it will again - in fact it makes it less likely to, because they need to be fresh. After all, the deer transfixed by the arrow from Book 4 of the Aeneid, when Aeneas first meets Dido, is one of the most famous and brilliant in literature - it serves, basically, to prefigure the whole of the rest Dan Hollowayhttp://eightcuts.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-6914879247951062792010-10-21T10:40:46.820+01:002010-10-21T10:40:46.820+01:00Great post with one rule missing, I think, unless ...Great post with one rule missing, I think, unless it belongs in another post. The similes I learnt by rote with Ms Scroogins are now called clichés and, as we all know, clichés are BAD. As deaf as a doorpost, as old as Methusala, as hungry as a fox, ....Miriam Drorihttp://andewallscametumblindown.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-67434916414395046942010-10-21T09:57:54.325+01:002010-10-21T09:57:54.325+01:00I am delighted Ms Scroogins is having such a wonde...I am delighted Ms Scroogins is having such a wonderful time with Juan in Spain!<br /><br />Thaks for the priceless advice and wonderful examples.<br /><br />Good luck with the leaky headaches.Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07524878248746427258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-41091216823836071792010-10-21T09:43:15.582+01:002010-10-21T09:43:15.582+01:00Great post. It was a breath of fresh air wafting o...Great post. It was a breath of fresh air wafting over the halitosis of my addled brain.<br /><br />PS Hope your leaky house is sorted asap. We need you HERE.Sally Zigmondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07520579251842006765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-48764595139418763392010-10-21T09:05:44.576+01:002010-10-21T09:05:44.576+01:00I shall cut down on my diarrhoea-like production o...I shall cut down on my diarrhoea-like production of similes immediately.Fran Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07935088780461825341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-8802230253151042522010-10-21T08:46:56.210+01:002010-10-21T08:46:56.210+01:00I will not use pointless similes.
I will try not t...I will not use pointless similes.<br />I will try not to use pointless similes.<br />Oh dear I probably do a lot of other things wrong too. I used to get told off a lot at school for doing the wrong thing when I wrote. "But it sounds wrong if you say it like that!" I would say. Then I would be told "But that is the right way to say. Now, do it again."catdownunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06959328192182156574noreply@blogger.com