Twyla Tharp said, “Metaphor is the lifeblood of all art.” That is, for our art to come alive it must relate to our readers in a comparative way that is important. The experience of reading is an empathetic one — the reader should feel a connection. That connection is made through metaphor. This is where much of our joy of reading comes from.
I believe that the best way to do this is to invite your reader in amongst the words of your novel, play, poem, song, etc. A writer does this not by saying, “Here, read this. It’s good.” Rather, it is by making your reader work a little to figure things out — by using metaphor. When you don’t give everything away, when you keep a little of the mystery, the reader has to puzzle out some of the meaning for themselves. This makes readers dive deeper. I’m not talking about puzzling out plot. Oft times, we mut be clear about plot, setting, characterization, etc.
What I’m talking about is the consideration of why does this writing matter? Why should I, as a reader, care?
You, the writer, must become unimportant
We know that each reader brings with him/her a unique lived experience. Each has a sense of what is important to him/her. So what if you wrote a book extolling the dangers of teenage drinking and your reader takes from it, instead, how important it is to know about group dynamics and one’s place in a gang. The thing is, once your piece is finished and it goes out into the world your intention/theme is unimportant. Readers will judge your work by their own criteria. This is what makes the written word matter, and the writer fade away. This is absolutely as it should be.
How would you feel if a gallery had notices by each painting saying something like: “Here nature overwhelms, and artist wants the viewer to cower.” No! I want to respond in my own way. Maybe I want to laugh? It doesn’t mean the art has failed. It may mean that it has succeeded in a different way than the creator intended. And that is fine.
How to bring the reader inside
You bring the reader into the world of the work by keeping Emily Dickinson’s line in mind: “Tell all the truth but tell it slant —” That is, do not sum up for the reader. And use open-ended metaphor(s). You knew we’d get back to metaphor, right?
Summations
Although these kinds of lines sometimes occur in novels, I think most often they appear in bad poetry. This is when the last few lines, or stanza, sum up the poem. Then we get lines such as, “We cannot win against nature,” or “Don’t hope for love,” or “There is always some tragedy in a marriage.” When I come across this kind of thing, I want to grab a black marker and violently attack the page! It is obvious that in such instances the writer is not trusting me, the reader, to get it. I’m being handed the meaning of it all on a platter—and I can easily go away and forget about it. I no longer have to think about the piece. Not good.
Open-ended metaphor
Effective metaphor — that does not sum up the findings — gives the reader a clear understanding of the object against which an image or action is set and then lets the reader step in and figure out the connections. Your whole book/poem/play/song can be one big metaphor, or the writer can use a single or series of metaphors. But the working out of metaphor by the reader is what makes him/her a participant in the work — this is one way the reader steps into the world of the page and becomes an empathetic player.
A quick example
Here is an Asian Figure (an aphorism/poem) metaphor that Stephen Dobyns talks about in his insightful book, Best Words, Best Order (Palgrave/MacMillan, 2003). This is translated by W. S. Merwin:
Life
Candle flame
The wind
Almost immediately the reader asks what do these three things have in common? Then we surprise ourselves by realizing — oh, yes. If life is a candle flame and the wind is coming, this poem is about death. Readers are trusted to work it out, to surprise themselves, and to actively enter the world of the piece. How much more quickly we’d walk away from this little poem if it was titled “Death.” When we keep a bit of mystery and trust our readers they become participants, are more richly rewarded, and are more likely to seek out other work by us.
jack courtney
Thanks for the excellent post on metaphors Shutta. I wonder if you can offer us insights into the close cousin of metaphors: similes? My reason for asking is I have come across what I perceive to some of the worst examples of similes in my fiction reading. Some are so bad they throw me right out of the story! It is like the author felt compelled to insert a simile and couldn’t come up with a good one. Thanks! Jack
Shutta Crum
Hi, Jack Courtney! Thanks for your comment. I’ve been giving your question a good noodling for the last couple of days. I haven’t said much about similes as they are pretty easy to understand–we use them all the time. But, you’re right, a really inappropriate one can throw the reader out of the story by showcasing an author’s funny bone, ego, erudition, sloppiness, etc. I think what happens is that the writer thinks, cool–what a great comparison I’ve come up with! And he/she doesn’t stop to think about whether it will flow naturally within its context. In those cases it really serves more to say, “Hey, look at me! (The author.) See what a cool/wicked/funny/sad/etc. simile I’ve come up with.” That said, really inappropriate/crazy similes can be quite wonderful in humor. Like anything else we write we need to revise with an eye to flow and fit.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite similes–at least one that I can’t get out of my head!! It’s from a humorous children’s’ book by M. T. Anderson. (The Game of Sunken Places.) “About time you struck out on your own, instead of sticking to your friend like a tapeworm in a dowager’s belly!”
Thank you for leaving your thoughtful comment. Best, always, Shutta
Anne Hawkinson
Enjoyed – thanks!
Shutta Crum
Thank you!
richard jeppesen
As I learn the craft of writing, I find too many rules. To jam a story between the rules ruins edgy writing. By the time an author is edited, the work is homogenized. I want an editor to let me run with my thoughts, my style. For example: I like the look of: son of a bitch. Rather than the more proper and complicated: son-of-a-bitch. It is like I am saying four separate words rather than the reader just seeing a quickly recognizable phrase often used. In my opinion, software editing programs are killing creative writing.
Shutta K Crum
Richard–thanks for your comment. I don’t use software editing programs, except spellcheck. And occasionally I need help with knowing the difference between “farther” and “further” or “effect” and “affect.” Life’s too short to try to memorize all those kinds of things! First drafts are for getting all that edgy stuff out and onto the page. Yay! But with final revisions, one has to think about the audience. I NEVER think about my audience while I am writing the first 4-5-6 drafts. But once I start on the final drafts, I have to think about whether I am making sense to my reader–whatever their ages. Stylistically, we all have our own quirks, and I like your “son of a bitch,” rather than the more accepted one. But there is one thing to note, if you are published by a major publishing house that house will have its own style guide. That’s why in some books you’ll see the first paragraphs of chapters un-indented and all the rest indented. Or the first 10 letters of the chapter will be bolded. So…that said, I wouldn’t let minor changes block me from getting my books out into the world. But, as always, the writer holds the reins and can guide their creations out into the world–or not. Best always. Keep writing! S.
Steven Preston
Hi.. I am a full time resident in Marion County (villages) I will be 75 soon and my friends and family have frequently suggested to write about my life due to my unusual upbringing and successful life in spite of much insecurity, a very bi polar mother and we moved over 32 times before I graduated high school. are there any writer’s classes in the Villages? Thanks for any assistance…. Steve Preston 845-642-4543
Shutta Crum
Dear Steven Preston;
Florida Writer’s Asoc. has a list by area/city of writers groups on its website. Go here: https://floridawriters.blog/membership/writers-groups/ or click above under “Memberships & Benefits” and then scroll down to “Writers Groups.” You may be able to find a local group that you can join. This is what I did, as a snowbird, when I first came here. I was able to find a couple of good groups in my area. I hope you can, as well. Best always, S.
Lynda Courtright
Shutta,
Thanks for your insightful post. As a writer learning the craft that is something I will keep in mind for the story. Interestingly, I just finished reading a novel that I loved all the way to the end, except then the the author indulged herself by adding explanation of the meaning we can all get out of the story. As I read her last few pages, I was sad that the ending didn’t just nail her landing, like a gymnast coming off the bars. I couldn’t put a finger on why I was disappointed, but I think it was like you said in your post. The author didn’t trust me to decide what meaning I would take away from her powerful story.
Shutta Crum
Lynda–I love that simile “. . . nail her landing, like a gymnast coming off the bars.” A good visual comparison! I may use that someday, if I may. Yes…I really don’t want authors telling me the meaning of the story. The fun for a reader is discovering that for one’s self.