Is it live or is it metaphor?

‘Kick the habit’ lights up the brain’s motor cortex

When your readers kick, the motor cortex in their brains light up. If they read, “the player kicked the ball,” that cortex lights up as if they’re kicking.

Metaphor … or virtual reality? Your brain doesn’t know whether you’re kicking … or just reading the metaphor ‘kick the habit.’ Image by Brooke Cagle

But what if they read, “The patient kicked the habit”? Or “The villain kicked the bucket”?

We know that descriptive words light up the brain. But do readers’ brains light up if they read metaphors? And what about clichés?

Metaphors simulate the brain.

Yes … and no, according to a new area of neuroscience. For this research, volunteers in fMRI scanners read literal, metaphorical and idiomatic (clichéd) sentences.

The results?

Make readers’ brains light up

Metaphor at work: 6 reasons analogy is more persuasive than literal language A whole new animal: If crime were a wild beast, we’d be more likely to cage it

Make Magic With Metaphor

Charm readers with compelling comparisons

It’s tempting to call metaphor the magic spell in a writer’s repertoire, the Penn and Teller of the page.

It’s magic Make readers’ brains light up with the magic of metaphor. Image by Thomas Kelley

Metaphor has the power to persuade far better than literal language. It lets you say in five words what would otherwise take five paragraphs to explain. It makes readers’ brains light up, helps them think more broadly about your message — even (ahem!) makes you look more attractive.

But, as with other forms of magic, you’ll want to master a few tricks before you step onto the stage.

At Master the Art of the Storyteller — our two-day creative-writing master class on Sept. 25-26 in New York — you’ll learn how to charm readers with the magic of metaphor.

Specifically, you’ll learn how to:

• Get the zombies out of your message: Don’t let Dead and Dead2 metaphors eat your readers’ brains.
• Get an analogy during an interview by asking one simple question.
• Make numbers more emotional with our simple, four-step process.
• Craft a compelling metaphor with our fill-in-the-blanks formula.
• Polish your metaphor: Learn which kinds of metaphors to choose, which to avoid and where in your message to place them from 41 academic studies covering 50 years of research.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn the latest best practices in creative-writing from Ann. This is the last creative-writing workshop we have scheduled for 2017.

Save $100 when you register by July 25.

Polish your skills at these Master Classes

Learn to Master the Art of the Storyteller, Catch Your Readers, Get Clicked, Cut Through the Clutter and more

Portland | July 27-28 San Francisco | Aug. 17-18

New York | Sept. 25-26 Kansas City | Nov. 16-17

Miami | Dec. 11-12

Rather bring Ann in to train your whole team? Invite Ann