Back in high school I had a world studies teacher, a former nun named Joan Harden, who assigned a writing lesson that I’ve since come to treasure. She told us to describe America as if we were Martians arriving here for the very first time. That could mean, for example, writing about a coffee maker as if we had no idea what coffee was. We could use simple English, but no shortcut nouns — no Xerox or computer or telephone. We had to look at the world around us with completely fresh eyes, working backwards to reveal the function of actions and instruments, to make sense of how Americans interacted. Even a kiss had to be deconstructed in detail to reflect its cultural purpose. The goal was not to write science fiction but to discover just how much we take for granted — and overlook — because of familiarity.
The value of this exercise for writers cannot be overstated. Whenever a reader picks up your story, they’re effectively stepping into the world of you…
