Freewriting Exercise Sample

In class, the students were shown a slide projection of a huge white flower (purposefully unidentified) painted by Georgia O'Keefe. They were asked to meditate on it for five minutes. Then the lights were turned back on so that it was light enough for them to write but dark enough for them to see the picture. They were asked to freewrite for fifteen minutes on what they saw and felt during the meditation. They were also asked to identify a "kernel" idea or a "surprise" idea upon which they were to write a short poem. The following is a sample.

White, white, white flower. So big. I can smell it. Mostly I feel it it it it it. Death, cold, sterile, scary. Funeral parlor. Sheets of petals remind me of a bed. Hospital. The cavern in the middle seems to draw me in. down a tunnel of oblivion. scarey. alone. no one around. quiet quiet quiet quiet quiet. I'm in a wave. being pulled down, under. At the lake, almost drowning. The two things in the middle of the flower look threatening and painful like swords or needles. maybe because the picture is so big big big big feel small small small. Vanilla ice cream tastes good, cool. Summer days. Ice cream man. drips down the cone. smell vanilla. soothing. white bathtub. white water water water water slide. rushing down, down, down the slide. feels good. fun. Pillows. soft and cool. sheets in hot summer on hot, prickly skin pillow fights soft fluffy cotton balls. Snow balls, snow banks. Plopping into snow. Cool fun, warm sun. Hard icy whack on the side of the head hurts ice daggers pinch. Eating snow. Take a snack break. Snow cones. Blue skies and the neighborhood gang. Sledding with Joe. Ice in the face fun. Where is Joe? Hey, buddy, buddy Joe. Someday old. Old with Joe. Remember sledding down that white hill hill hill hill. Into soup. Mom's soup and crackers. Crumbs all over. White flecks. Blowing bubbles in milk. Gettin yelled at. laughing at Joe milk goes up his nose ha ha ha ha ha

Kernel: I'm not sure there is a kernel idea here. Nothing seems especially profound to me.

Surprise: A couple of things surprised me here. I think it is interesting that looking at a flower made me think about death. I am impressed that I came up with so many different ways to describe the fear of death. But then I'm surprised that I went from death to fun stuff. Finally I ended up talking about Joe, my best friend when I was a kid. We had a lot of good times. Remembering the time the milk went up his nose really made me laugh. Maybe I should write about Joe.