2012 in Review: Simile Challenge
Now that we’ve all had a week to look back on the past year, who can write the best simile to describe it? I love similes; they’re the energy drink of writing. The great English dictionary maker, Dr. Samuel Johnson, loved them too; the simile, he said, will “illustrate and ennoble the subject, and show it to the understanding in a clearer view.”
You don’t need to be as lofty searching for similes that sum up 2012. Remember Norm in Cheers;
“How’s the world using you, Norm?”
And Norm answers, “Like a baby to a diaper.”
Between those two portly gentlemen, Dr. Johnson and Norm, you’ll find your pitch. We ran a simile challenge last year, we had a ton of entries and great fun; the winner was @rebeccablood "He gazed up at the pole dancer like a baby watching a ceiling fan." This year the task is to tell us how your year was in 140 characters or fewer. You might go for something like, “The past year was as memorable to me as my first tooth extraction.” Or – “Living through 2012 was liking losing my virginity – anxious, messy, unsatisfying, and leaving me wondering what it was all for.” Or you may reach for a different response; “2012 was for me like eating floating islands followed by chocolate and strawberry ice-cream parfait – luscious, thrilling and dangerous.” What about “2012 was like Life of Pi in multiples – there was a snarling tiger in every room.”
Whatever you choose, make it clear. If you write, say, “The past year to me was as explosive as the ultimate and curated antinomic deriding of subatomic particles” – you won't win because I won't know that the hell you mean. If you write, say, “2012 sucked like a drain” – you’ll have a better chance, but you won’t win because I’ve now used it. And if you do win – you get a copy of James Joyce’s Ulysses, which will encourage you, I hope, to join the mighty band of 600,000 people who have downloaded my weekly Ulysses podcast on this website. Go to it; write with the clarity of an upcoming dawn in a clear sky; write with the energy of a steam engine driving a triphammer. Oh, just simile your heart out. The rules are…
2012 IN REVIEW: SIMILE CHALLENGE RULES
Step 1: Follow @FDByTheWord on Twitter
Step 2: Tweet a simile that describes your past year. Include the hashtag #FDsimile in your tweet.
You may enter the Simile Challenge as many times as you wish during the course of the contest.
The challenge begins Wednesday January 9th 2013 at 9am.
The challenge ends Friday January 11th at midnight.
At noon EST, on Tuesday January 15th 2013, Frank will pick a winner.
*The simile must be your own. You will be disqualified if you lift it from a published work. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.
*You may enter via mail (and skip steps 1 and 2) by sending a postcard with your 140 character verbage to Frank Delaney, c/o Meier, 907 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10010. Entries must be received by
Monday January 14th 2013.
You don’t need to be as lofty searching for similes that sum up 2012. Remember Norm in Cheers;
“How’s the world using you, Norm?”
And Norm answers, “Like a baby to a diaper.”
Between those two portly gentlemen, Dr. Johnson and Norm, you’ll find your pitch. We ran a simile challenge last year, we had a ton of entries and great fun; the winner was @rebeccablood "He gazed up at the pole dancer like a baby watching a ceiling fan." This year the task is to tell us how your year was in 140 characters or fewer. You might go for something like, “The past year was as memorable to me as my first tooth extraction.” Or – “Living through 2012 was liking losing my virginity – anxious, messy, unsatisfying, and leaving me wondering what it was all for.” Or you may reach for a different response; “2012 was for me like eating floating islands followed by chocolate and strawberry ice-cream parfait – luscious, thrilling and dangerous.” What about “2012 was like Life of Pi in multiples – there was a snarling tiger in every room.”
Whatever you choose, make it clear. If you write, say, “The past year to me was as explosive as the ultimate and curated antinomic deriding of subatomic particles” – you won't win because I won't know that the hell you mean. If you write, say, “2012 sucked like a drain” – you’ll have a better chance, but you won’t win because I’ve now used it. And if you do win – you get a copy of James Joyce’s Ulysses, which will encourage you, I hope, to join the mighty band of 600,000 people who have downloaded my weekly Ulysses podcast on this website. Go to it; write with the clarity of an upcoming dawn in a clear sky; write with the energy of a steam engine driving a triphammer. Oh, just simile your heart out. The rules are…
2012 IN REVIEW: SIMILE CHALLENGE RULES
Step 1: Follow @FDByTheWord on Twitter
Step 2: Tweet a simile that describes your past year. Include the hashtag #FDsimile in your tweet.
You may enter the Simile Challenge as many times as you wish during the course of the contest.
The challenge begins Wednesday January 9th 2013 at 9am.
The challenge ends Friday January 11th at midnight.
At noon EST, on Tuesday January 15th 2013, Frank will pick a winner.
*The simile must be your own. You will be disqualified if you lift it from a published work. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.
*You may enter via mail (and skip steps 1 and 2) by sending a postcard with your 140 character verbage to Frank Delaney, c/o Meier, 907 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10010. Entries must be received by
Monday January 14th 2013.
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