I’ve found a writing technique that almost feels like cheating.

Every time I use it, something strange happens. Readers message me. They laugh. They highlight. They say, This line stayed with me all day. At other times, it stings them a little. The good kind of sting — like antiseptic on a wound.

But one thing’s always true:

This technique makes my words stick. If you want to write sentences that wiggle into your reader’s brain and set up camp. Let me hand you a secret weapon:

Word pictures.

The writer’s secret weapon.

I thought metaphors were for poets and pretentious people.

When I was taught similes in school. It was as exciting as boiled cabbage. I was told to study them. But no one explained why they mattered. So I filed them under stuff I’ll never use again. Right next to quadratic equations and how to play the recorder.

Fast forward a few years. And now I can’t stop using them. Because I’ve realised something vital. A good metaphor doesn’t just explain something, it makes you feel it. It’s like adding seasoning to plain food. Suddenly, the bland becomes delicious. Memorable.

So I started digging deeper. Why do they work so well? And how do you come up with ones that don’t sound like they were ripped from a Valentine’s card? Turns out, there’s real science behind it.

And once you know how, it becomes one of the easiest ways to upgrade your writing.

Why this gives your writing an edge

It’s tough when no-one reads your writing.

But if want to stop being invisible here’s a hard truth. No one owes you their attention. Your words have to earn it. And word pictures? They do some serious heavy lifting for you.

Here’s three reason why they supercharge your writing.

1. They make your words unforgettable