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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/37277
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/37277
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

> Similes are like the Reddit 50/50 challenge: you either get something very good, or your eyes will melt off.

This is an example of the second variety. ;)

Several things need to be true of a simile in order for it to have a chance:

- The two things in question need to actually be similar in the way you say they are. Not sometimes, but always. You can't compare something to grapes, but only the sweet green ones that ripen in July, but you took them off the branch a few days too early.
- The object you're comparing to needs to be sufficiently well known. In the example above, I have no idea what the Reddit 50/50 challenge is.
- The characteristic in question needs to be a known characteristic of the object in question, and a characteristic commonly associated with it.
- The comparison shouldn't be exaggerated. Reddit doesn't make your eyes melt off. My love for ice-cream is not deeper than the deepest ocean.
- It shouldn't be trite. "Skin white as snow" for example has been used to a point that it is only acceptable for Snow White now.

In the end, however, your best indicator, if you're unsure, is reaction of beta readers. Some would even be able to explain why a specific simile doesn't work, even though you've done everything "by the book".

Original score: 3