This exercise, that we test-ran in our experimental writing course, is a good way for students to practice description and making choices in revision, as well as highlights the necessity for multiple drafts.

Step 1: Choose an object, something that will be fun or interesting to describe, and put it at the front of the room. Ask students to take 3 minutes to "describe what they see."

Step 2: Ask students to put the first description away, and then describe the same object again, this time taking 8 minutes. They should push the limits of their descriptive abilities, feeling free to include associative ideas or digressions.

Step 3: Give students about 5-7 minutes to "distill" their descriptions into 50 words. They can take writing from either the first or second piece, and should try to retain the best ideas and language.

Discussion: After students share their writing with the class, the following questions can be helpful to stimulate discussion about description, revision, and making choices as writers.

• How many people feel their first piece is best? Second? Third? Why?

• What did it feel like to distill your language? How did you decide what to include?

• Where did most of the language in your final piece come from? (beginning, middle, or end of the previous pieces)

• Did you consider an audience when writing or distilling? How might this have affected your decisions?