What is defamiliarisation? How can this technique help your writing?

Russian Formalist, Shklovsky, stated “art exists that one may recover the sensation of life; it exists to make one feel things, to make the stone stony.” He explains that with habituation, perception becomes automatic – the role of literature is to make things difficult, to defamiliarise and heighten perception. This technique is useful for all writers, but particularly relevant for those writing horror, fantasy, and sci-fi.

The workshop with Ever Dundas will help you explore defamiliarisation through examples, short writing exercises, and group discussion.

About Ever

Ever Dundas describes herself as a ‘queer disabled writer living in Edinburgh’. After completing a degree in Psychology and Sociology at Queen Margaret University, she went on to study for a Masters in Creative Writing at Edinburgh Napier University.

Having previously had several short stories and dark fairy tales published, in 2017 she released her debut novel Goblin, the story of an outcast girl living on the streets of London during the Second World War. Goblin won the Saltire Society First Book of the Year Award

Running time: 90 minutes

Materials will be provided. This workshop is suitable for writers aged 14+.

Price £10/£8 concession

Venue: Cheviot Room

This workshop is supported by the Edinburgh Napier University’s MA Creative Writing.

The Masters in Creative Writing at Edinburgh Napier University loves science fiction, fantasy and horror, making it unique among postgrad degrees. The MA focuses master-class feedback and one-to-one mentoring instead of the usual peer review workshops, preparing students for life as professional genre writers. It offers specialist modules on writing graphic novels and YA fiction, important creative areas ignored by other writing programmes.