Enliven Writing with Mood-Based Metaphors

Remember to choose words for similes, metaphors, personification, etc., that causes your reader to feel the mood your narrator is in your personal narrative. For instance in the simile

I was as happy as a vampire that had devoured all the babies in the village

it is clear that you were very, very happy; unfortunately, your reader feels repulsed. Bad move. And while the simile

I was as happy as a kitten with a ball of yarn

is cliched, at least your reader feels somewhat happy, too.


Remember these examples from class, and use something like them in your TAKS essay (mood words in italics:

The gnarled trunk loomed over both of us -- encompassing us in darkness.

The dark, ominous, broken tree lured us inside the forest.

The tree branches were so high they almost reached heaven.

The precious golden sunflower danced back and forth in the wind.

My bloody heart burst in pain.

The neon green shoes she wore totally highlighted her outfit.

The tree swayed in the breeze like a graceful dancer.

The willow tree hung low over the pond.

The coward sun hid behind the storm clouds.

The lemon-drop sun soured my afternoon with a bitter glare.

The golden sun blessed our morning with joyful light.

My face was as red as dynamite.