# Writing metaphors

Exercise

Step 1: Answer the question: What character traits does my idea have that I want to transform into a metaphor?

Step 2: Answer the question: What person, object, place, verb, etc. also has this characteristic? You can answer this question by playing in the key of your idea. See the example below of playing in the key of moon (Pattison, 2009, p. 25):

'Moon: stars, harvest, lovers, crescent, astronauts, calendar, tide'.

Step 3: Combine two of the words of the key into either an Expressed Identity Metaphor, Qualifying Metaphor, or Verbal Metaphor. If you are working with an Expressed Identity Metaphor, make sure that you run your idea through the three different types. Kies degene die het beste in je lyrics past. The character trait itself should not appear in the final lyrics (Pattison, 2009, p. 25):

'The New Mexico sky is a rich harvest of stars / Evening brings a harvest of lovers to the beach / The lover's feelings wanted to a mere crescent / The crescent of human knowledge grows with each astronaut's mission'.

Step 4: Incorporate the metaphor into your lyrics.

Theory

Pattison (2009, p. 23) states: "a metaphor is a collision between ideas that don’t belong together. It jams them together and leaves us to struggle with the consequences. (…) Conflict is essential for metaphor. (…) Essentially, a metaphor works by revealing some third thing that two ideas share in common. One good way of finding metaphors is by asking these two questions: 1. What characteristics does my idea (…) have? 2. What else has those characteristics? Answering the second question usually releases a veritable flood of possible metaphors"(Pattison, 2009, pp. 25-26). Unlike similes, metaphors place more emphasis on the object (vehicle) (Pattison, 2009, p. 32). The word “metaphor” originates from Latin and means “to transfer focus”. The focus therefore shifts to what the subject (tenor) is being compared to.

‘Metaphors support lyrics like bones’ (Pattison, 2009, p. 23). Metaphors can be used to explain complex ideas in an accessible way, make lyrics more creative and vivid, and address taboo topics in a subtle and indirect manner (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021). "(...) a simple and tasteful metaphor or simile is often a great way to come up with an interesting angle or fresh hook for a song’ (Bell, 2017, p. 72). Additionally, it is important to avoid clichés (overused metaphors), as they have become so deeply ingrained in our language that they lose their meaning, and the listener no longer really stops to think about what the expression actually means. Ask yourself instead: "what fresh image or idea – and what fresh words that express it – could say it in a way nobody has before? How can you take existing, familiar ideas and create something new and unfamiliar from them?" (Bell, 2017, p. 72).

According to Pattison (2009, pp. 23-24) there are three types of metaphors:

"Expressed identity metaphor: An expressed identity metaphor asserts an identity between two nouns. Expressed identity metaphors come in three forms:
- X is Y = fear is shadow
- The Y of X = the shadow of fear
- X’s Y = fear’s shadow
Qualifying metaphor: A qualifying metaphor uses adjectives to qualify nouns, and adverbs (bijwoorden) to qualify verbs. Friction within these relationships creates a metaphor.
- Fe. hasty clouds, to sing blindly
Verbal metaphor: A verbal metaphor is formed by conflict between the verb and its subject and/or object.
- Fe. Clouds sail, he tortured his clutch"

Sources

Bell, E. (2017) The Art of Songwriting: How to Create, Think and Live Like a Songwriter. New York: The Song Foundry.
Indeed Editorial Team (2021) 8 Types of Symbolism Used in Literature. Available at: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/types-of-symbolism (Accessed: 2 February 2026).
Pattison, P. (2009) Writing Better Lyrics: The Essential Guide to Powerful Songwriting. 2nd edn. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books.