Similies or Metaphors - which to use
Okay so this is pretty much a stylistic thing, so I’m going to give some pros and cons, but note that this is more heavily my opinion than straight fact. Also note that I tend to favor metaphors, so there’s a bit of bias there.
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First a quick refresher:
A simile is a direct comparison. Something is like something else, or shares the same qualitiy as something else. If there is the word “like” or “as” in the phrase, it’s a simile.
A metaphor is an indirect comparison, usually characterized by describing something in a way that’s not technically possible. For example, a common metaphor is “they’re a ray of sunshine.” Technically they’re not, but the indirect comparison is that a ray of sunshine is usually associated with comfort and warmth, as is this person.
Similies:
pros:
clearer and more direct - harder to misunderstand
they’re easier to use, as you can compare almost anything
more effective at incorporating worldbuilding it’s easier to compare things that the readers aren’t going to be as intimately familiar with
you can emphasize exactly what aspect you’re comparing
cons:
can come across as heavy-handed if you’re not careful - many readers can draw what comparison you’re making even if you don’t directly make it
often uses a lot of words - annoying if you’re trying to lower your wordcount
really easy to draw on cliches - avoid this.
fewer sentence structures to pick from - more rigid












