A writing coach helps a writer defamiliarize their observations.

Defamiliarization (or ostranenie) is a concept developed by Victor Shklovsky in 1917 in his essay "Art as Technique" (also translated as "Art as Device"). Shklovsky, a leading figure in the Russian Formalism movement, introduced this term to describe a literary technique that forces readers to see common things in an unfamiliar or strange way, thereby enhancing perception of the familiar.

Shklovsky argued that habitual perception, what he called "automatization," deadens the senses, causing objects and experiences to become overly familiar and lose their sensory impact. Literary art, he contended, "makes strange" the world of everyday reality, revitalizing ordinary experiences and objects through unusual, complex, or unexpected use of language and form.

Defamiliarization in literature involves using techniques such as complex syntax, unconventional punctuation, unusual word choices, and narrative structures that disrupt readers' normal expectations. Poetry often uses this technique by altering syntax or using intricate metaphors that force the reader to consider words and phrases in a new light.

Writers employ defamiliarization to challenge readers' preconceived notions and perceptions, thereby delivering a more potent and vivid experience. By presenting the world in unexpected ways, writers encourage readers to engage more deeply with the text and to see the narrative world through fresh eyes.

Strengths of Defamiliarization

1. Enhances Sensory Experience: By making familiar objects and ideas feel new, defamiliarization helps to intensify the reader's sensory experience of literary texts. This renewed perception can make even the simplest details vivid and significant.

2. Encourages Critical Engagement: It compels readers to think critically about the text. Readers must actively work to understand the significance of the estranged elements, promoting deeper engagement with the material.

3. Fosters Creativity: For writers, defamiliarization is a tool that fosters creativity. It pushes them to explore new narrative possibilities and to experiment with language and form in ways that can lead to innovative and expressive literary art.

4. Broadens Interpretation: This technique can open up multiple layers of meaning within a text. The strange presentation of information prompts readers to interpret the work on several levels (literal, figurative, symbolic, etc.), enhancing the text's richness and complexity.

Potential Drawbacks to Defamiliarization

1. Accessibility Issues: Texts employing defamiliarization can be challenging and inaccessible to some readers, particularly if the techniques used are overly complex or obscure. This can alienate readers who are not familiar with such approaches or who prefer more straightforward narratives.

2. Overemphasis on Form: There's a risk of focusing too much on form at the expense of content. If a text becomes too concerned with being strange or innovative, it may neglect to communicate clear or impactful messages, diminishing its emotional or thematic resonance.

3. Misinterpretation: Unusual forms and structures can lead to confusion and misinterpretation, particularly if the shifts in form are not effectively managed or if they do not align well with the content of the text.

4. Potential for Gimmickry: If not handled carefully, the use of defamiliarization can become a gimmick—a tool used for its own sake, without contributing significantly to the work’s depth or artistic value.

Defamiliarization remains a powerful literary tool and a central concept in formalist criticism. It revitalizes readers' sensory experiences and deepens engagement with texts by breaking free from habitual perceptions and interpretations. A fiction writing coach can leverage the concept of defamiliarization to not only deepen the narrative's intrigue but also sharpen the writer's ability to convey sensory details and encourage a freer experimentation in their craft. This technique, when implemented effectively, refines sensory writing and boosts creative freedom, offering fresh perspectives and revitalizing well-worn narrative paths.

To enhance sensory writing, a coach might start by redefining how sensory details are typically described. For example, they could assign a writer to depict a common scene—like a morning routine or a busy street—using unexpected sensory details. A sunrise might be described without sight, focusing instead on touch, sound, and smell, which compels the writer to explore and employ unconventional metaphors and similes, such as comparing the sound of traffic to the texture of silk. These exercises push sensory boundaries and invigorate descriptions, making the familiar strange and vivid.

Another approach involves using unusual descriptors that blend senses deliberately. Writers might describe ordinary objects using terms from other sensory categories, like "the salty look of the wall" or "the loud hue of the shirt." This cross-sensory exploration leads to novel imagery and richer descriptions, enhancing the reader's sensory experience and immersion into the story's world.

Furthermore, coaches can encourage writers to "zoom in" on mundane details with intense, magnified sensory input. Focusing on the texture of a sauce or the specific crunch of a vegetable, rather than describing a meal in broad terms, can intensify the sensory impact of the descriptions and make the common seem uncommonly engaging.

Encouraging Experimentation in Narrative Craft

Experimentation in narrative craft can be encouraged through several innovative exercises. Coaches might challenge writers to disrupt traditional narrative structures, perhaps by telling a story backwards or using a non-linear timeline. These structures compel readers to piece together the narrative puzzle, engaging more actively with the text and reinterpreting the story through a fresh lens.

Changing points of view can also refresh the narrative. A coach could suggest retelling a story first from one character’s third-person limited perspective and then from another character’s first-person viewpoint. These shifts not only make the narrative feel new and intriguing but also deepen the reader's understanding of the characters and their motivations.

Using experimental syntax and punctuation, such as incomplete sentences or unconventional punctuation à la Cormac McCarthy in "The Road," reflects character mindset or narrative pace and enhances thematic expressions as well as the overall narrative mood. Such techniques mirror the characters’ psychological states or the atmospheric tension within the story, making the prose itself a reflective medium for the narrative’s deeper themes.

Moreover, blending elements from different genres can unfetter the narrative, allowing writers to mix science fiction with romance or mystery with magical realism. This not only defamiliarizes the narrative but also creates a vast playground for creativity, encouraging writers to explore and combine narrative elements in innovative ways.

Feedback and Iterative Refinement

Constructive dialogue is essential in refining these techniques. Coaches should maintain an open discussion about the effects of experimental methods on the narrative, focusing on what enhances the story and identifying what may need tweaking to avoid confusion or loss of clarity.

While encouraging experimentation, it is crucial to balance creativity with narrative coherence and integrity. The use of defamiliarization should serve the story's emotional impact and thematic depth, rather than merely acting as a stylistic flourish.

Integrating defamiliarization into coaching practices can push writers to question conventional boundaries of narrative and language. This approach not only leads to richer, more vivid storytelling but also equips writers with the skills to continually reinvent their narratives and engage readers on deeper, more sensory levels. Such coaching enhances the writer's toolkit and deepens their understanding of how form and content dynamically interact to produce compelling, memorable fiction.