Hi, SE Readers. Joan here today. We’ve all heard of similes and metaphors. Most of us have probably used them in our writing at some point. Using a simile or metaphor is an easy way to describe a character’s personality or what they are feeling.

Both similes and metaphors are used to make comparisons, but there is a difference. A smile uses the words “like” or “as” to compare things. Let’s look at some examples:

He watched her like a hawk.

Life is like a box of chocolates. (Forrest Gump)

She was as cold as ice.

Metaphors, on the other hand, state a direct comparison.

He is an impenetrable wall.

All the world is a stage. (William Shakespeare)

All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind. (Khalil Gibran)

Both similes and metaphors can be useful tools. They can spark a reader’s imagination and…