Language that uses comparisons, exaggeration, or other techniques to create meaning beyond the literal words on the page.
Figurative language is any language that means something other than (or more than) what it literally says. When you write "time is a thief," nobody thinks a clock is picking pockets. You're using a metaphor to express how time steals moments from us. Figurative language includes metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole, and more - all tools that let you express complex ideas and emotions in ways that plain, literal language can't.
Figurative language is how you make abstract experiences tangible. You can tell a reader "she was sad" or you can write "grief sat on her chest like a stone." One reports; the other transmits the feeling. It's also how you create originality in your prose - fresh figurative language is one of the clearest markers of a distinctive voice.
Morrison layers metaphor on metaphor - the ghost is both literal and figurative, representing slavery's inescapable haunting. The entire novel operates on multiple figurative levels simultaneously.
Adams turns figurative language into comedy, using wildly inventive similes like "hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't" to make absurdity feel logical.
Marquez's magical realism blurs the line between figurative and literal - when it rains for four years, you're never quite sure if that's a metaphor or just Tuesday in Macondo.
"Quiet as a mouse," "sharp as a tack," "heart of gold" - these were once fresh. Now they're wallpaper. If you've heard it before, push further. Find your own comparison.
"We need to grab the bull by the horns and run with it before the ship sails." That's a rodeo, a track meet, and a harbor in one sentence. Pick one image and commit.
When every sentence is a metaphor, nothing stands out. Figurative language works best against a backdrop of clean, literal prose. Let your best images breathe.
A farmer wouldn't think in nautical metaphors. A kid wouldn't compare something to a stock market crash. Ground your figurative language in the character's experience.
Describe a thunderstorm three ways without using any weather cliches. First, use only metaphor (the storm IS something else). Second, use only simile (the storm is LIKE something else). Third, use only personification (the storm DOES human things). Read all three aloud and pick the one that surprises you most.