Creating Metaphors With Emma Sloley

Recently, I read The Island of Last Things by Emma Stoley and found it filled with interesting character arcs and unique plotlines. I was also struck by Stoley’s figurative language, especially her metaphors and similes.

That’s something I would like to improve in my own writing craft: the use of figures of speech.

Metaphors and similes are similar figures of speech, and I really like how she used them in her story. So, I started recording them for further inspiration in my own writing.

I contacted Stoley on social media and asked her about the figurative language in her novel. She graciously replied:

“Language is definitely hugely important to me as both a writer and a reader,” she said, “and I do try to use description and metaphor and interiority in deliberate ways. I think the main test for me is if the insights feel true rather than just sound lyrical.”

What are metaphors and similes?

Simile: Comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as” (e.g., “He ran as fast as a cheetah”).
Metaphor: Directly comparing two unlike things by stating that one thing is another (e.g., “The world is a stage”).

Why use metaphors?

They make abstract ideas more understandable.
They compare unlike things to create a stronger image.
They help the reader engage their senses as they read.
They help reveal the character’s perspective and psychology.

But remember, use metaphors and similes sparingly. They’re like spice in a soup: too much ruins the dish.

List of some metaphors from The Island of Last Things

As I read The Island of Last Things, I made annotations. I started jotting down Stoley’s metaphors and similes and compiled a collection from the early part of her novel. I’m still rereading the book to find more. In the future, as I read novels, I’m going to pay more attention to figures of speech so I can work them into my own writing craft.

Here’s a few:

“Hyperalert to her surroundings, like a deer hearing the undergrowth crackle.”
“More like the quiet pleasure that comes from feeling the sun on your head after a day spent toiling in the darkness of the cells.”
“Every new person was a small blast of helium into my balloon of hope.”
“Feliz was plucked out of the last few acres of the Amazon as the bulldozers waited, like customers impatiently hovering while a buffet is prepared.”
“If anything, he looks to be on a mission to wear away the floor of his enclosure until he drops right through the earth and out of this life.”
“Funny how the mind has a way of freezing a significant day in place, its discrete details trapped forever under glass, like those insect displays people used to hang on their walls.”
“I gestured toward the mainland, shimmering across the water like a bad dream.”
“The administrators, who carry out the will of the Pinktons, like priests are supposed to be vessels through which God can pass.”
“All the clothes and external status symbols shed like snakeskin.”
“Finally, the guests emerged, born-agains with damp hair and shy smiles, to be returned upstairs.”
“I think … it’s like the Ringling Circus on acid.”
“The entire space grew a shade lighter, like when you stay up all night and watch dawn bleed over the horizon.”
“Some had voices like bells, some like squeaking doors, some like catcallers whistling at women on the street.”
“Droplets of water sparkled like diamonds on leaves.”
“It made them feel special, to be whisked to the top of the rock like superstars.”
“Its steely gray body hanging like a malignant wasp.”
“It was like watching man set foot on the moon for the first time.”

I encourage you to write down metaphors as you come across them in your reading. Through osmosis, you’ll begin to develop your own as you write and edit your work.