Write of Passage Weekly - Metaphorically Speaking

Write of Passage Weekly

​Hey Writers,

How’s your week going? Hit reply. This vehicle, delivering top-notch writing advice to your inbox, is a two way street. Please, never forget that. We read every response you send us.

As the next cohort moves closer, the energy inside Write of Passage picks up. We’re some-70 days away. Still, the temperature is rising. We’re launching a brand new website, recruiting an all-star lineup of Mentors and Editors to support students during the cohort, and dialing-in the production studio where David will teach for the first time. Cohort 9 will be the first cohort to see it.

Last edition we brought you Publish Quality Ideas, a refresher on the key pillars of Write of Passage. This week, we’re jumping into metaphors.

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The Write Way
​Where you learn to write online.

When you hear the word “metaphor,” you might flash back to high school English class. Maybe you think metaphors are reserved for poets, authors, Ms. Jacobs, and fine literature that comes around once a century. The truth is, metaphors are far more than literary devices.

Metaphors are about making sense of things through associations. It’s when we compare two unlike things, so the properties of one transfer to another.

For example, if we said, “This newsletter has rabies,” you know it isn’t literally a raccoon, but you can assume it’s unpredictable, dangerous, and foams at the mouth. Since it’s none of these, we came up with a more accurate metaphor: “This newsletter is a vehicle for writers.” You know wheels are not included, but it gets you from where you are to where you want to be.

Within our fast-paced culture, metaphors are a way to orient us. They let us use the past to make sense of new phenomena as they arise. Think of it, in the 1980s, the Internet was known as an “information superhighway.” In a recent essay by Write of Passage alum Camilo Moreno-Salamanca, he shows how new technology is understood through old-school analog parallels:

“We use the term horsepower as a unit of power for vehicles, even electric ones. The computations to create additional Bitcoin are called mining. Open your phone, and you’ll see email inboxes, digital wallets, and pinboards. So much of our digital world is mirrored by real-world counterparts.”

Whether you’re trying to convey emerging technologies, new social phenomena, or subtle emotions that are locked within you, it’s worth learning how to craft good metaphors. It will help you bring words to things that haven’t yet been captured in language (also, they’re fun).

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Writer's Toolbox
​The best writing about writing on the Internet.

One from our alum: Write of Passage alum Camilo Moreno-Salamanca recently published an essay called, Metaphors: Crafting Language to Shape Culture. He shares a framework for shaping metaphors. First, you choose a trait of your source object, then explore a bunch of potential associations, until you finally arrive at one that you can weave into your paragraph through context clues.

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One from us: This note from David Perell, called Metaphors and Arguments, looks into how the metaphors we adopt shape our behavior. When we frame an argument as a battle, we seek to win rather than to understand.

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What We're Up To
​The latest from our team.

A couple of us met up in Boston for a Blue Jays/Red Sox game last week (it was the day after Sydney Sweeney threw out the first pitch and the Jays went on a 28-run rampage). While exploring the city, we stumbled upon an old-school printing press. This friendly, hardcore hobbyist joyfully walked us through his printing process.

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Imagine this: Once you finish handwriting your essay, you assemble each word through tiny metal letter blocks, one by one. 1,000 words could take around 8 hours. One time Ben Franklin assembled 30,000 words and then accidentally dropped and shattered his work. Yikes! This gave us a whole new appreciation for the ease of publishing online.

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Appreciate your keyboard!

(Although, one advantage of using a printing press, judging by the size of that handle: you’d get jacked just by publishing.)

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Thanks for reading. If you have any burning questions about writing online or Personal Monopolies, send them over! We’ll feature the best ones in future newsletters.

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Write of Passage Weekly brings you the best writing advice on the Internet. Each edition is 100% devoted to helping you improve your writing, find your people, and build your Personal Monopoly. We’ll answer your questions, curate links, share tools, and give you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Write of Passage. Thanks for having us in your inbox. Happy writing!