Writing is a hall of mirrors.
Writing is a head full of rocks.
Writing is a giant squid lurking in the midnight zone. Majestic, terrifying, and elusive. Rarely glimpsed — or found in pieces, washed up on the beach…
Okay, maybe that one got away from me.
But METAPHORS, baby. They’re magic, right? And we want to read yours!
Share a Metaphor = Win The Forever Workshop & Sub Club For Life
Share your best original metaphor in the comments below for a chance to win lifetime premium memberships to The Forever Workshop and our sister stack: Sub Club1
Your metaphor could be from a work-in-progress, a finished piece of writing, published, unpublished, or completely made up on the fly — so long as it’s yours it’s all good.
We’ll pick our 5 favourites at the end of the month and bequeath the winners a metaphorical rabbit hole of writerly riches…
The fine print:
One entry/metaphor per person
Original metaphors only — and pls don’t use AI, for the sake of all our souls
Contest deadline is 31 Aug (and we’ll notify the winner by 8 Sept)
Open to Forever Workshop subscribers only (both free and paid!)
P.S. Check your metaphors
To give yourself the best chance of winning, make sure you know the difference between a metaphor and a simile… (a metaphor makes a direct comparison between two things; a simile compares one thing to another using “as” or “like”)
Behold: the metaphor
“Language is a house on fire.”
— Ilya Kaminsky, Deaf Republic
Behold: the simile
Language is like a house on fire.
Language is as wild and changeable and all-consuming and powerful and capable of destruction and lots of other fiery things as a house on fire.
(Just doesn’t hit quite the same, does it? Sorry for ruining your work, Ilya.)
For more metaphorical tips, get a free 101 primer on how to craft a killer metaphor in this month’s Forever Workshop: Mastering the Metaphor with Kelly Grace Thomas.
Now throw some clever words at us:
THE PRIZES!
A Forever Workshop membership gives you access to ALL our weekly workshop lessons, Community Corner posts, and our full workshop archive, containing a wealth of writing knowledge on all genres created by award-winning authors, plus advice on submitting, publishing, and building your writing career. More info here »
A Sub Club membership gives you 4-5 weekly email lists with up to date submission calls from literary magazines and competitions, literary agents and indie presses, where to pitch your non-fiction and find paid opportunities, plus insights and interviews from editors and authors. More info here »
You guys these are SO good
My feet, once kissable, now bestial. My bunion a tiny turtle shell, my heel spur an antler - bleached bones vying for escape through stretched skin.