Jeremy D Vance Author

       I’m currently reading a craft book on loan from the library.  Written by Noah Lukeman twenty years ago, the title reads The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying out of the Rejection Pile.  While needing an update, it has been a good read up to this point.       In chapter three, he comments on a writer’s lack of comparison in description. By comparison he means, the use of simile and metaphor to evoke an image.      A simile uses “like” or “as” in describing something. An example: His glare tore through her like a slug from a .45.       A metaphor is an implied comparison. An example: His eyes lit up with hellfire. Notice the absence of like or as.      For someone like me who uses few comparisons, Lukeman’s following comment is a challenge.       “Conversely, a work devoid of comparison may also be problematic; sometimes a clearer picture need be drawn, especially of an obscure idea. A manuscript bereft of comparison usually ends up registering with the reader intellec