Egg #22: More Eggs in Suburbia

Debbie Long lives next door to Colleen McGregor, who keeps the 12 hens in her backyard. Record the conversation Debbie has with her husband Derek as she watches through her kitchen window and observes Colleen tending to the hens and gathering eggs.

Egg #21: Eggs in Suburbia

Colleen McGregor keeps 12 hens in her suburban back yard. Describe her gathering their eggs in the morning.

Egg #20: Egg Lob 4

A newspaper carrier has an egg lobbed at his car at 4 in the morning. What is his reaction?

Egg #19: The Requested Egg

A woman with cancer who is dying requests a 'perfectly poached egg.' Her daughter attempts to make the egg for her. She consults 'Joy of Cooking.' She googles 'how to poach an egg.' Then she goes into the kitchen to prepare the egg. Describe the results.

Egg #18: Barn Cat Hen

A barn cat unexpectedly begins 'nursing' the eggs of a hen who has abandoned her brood. Describe the scene as the farmer opens the door to find the cat lying on the eggs.

Egg #17: Still Life With Egg and Newspaper

Write a scene that contains an egg, a newpaper, a blue ceramic vase, an ice cube and a red tie.

Egg #16: The Resilient Egg

A character cracks an egg against a mixing bowl and empties its contents into the bowl. She turns to take a carton of milk from the fridge, and when she turns around again, the egg has re-assembled itself and is on the counter-top next to the bowl. What is her reaction? What does she do?

Egg #15: Egg Lob 3

A young Ivy League college student has an egg lobbed at his car while driving home from the perfect first date with the girl of his dreams. What is his reaction?

Egg #14: The Egg That Could Not Be Broken

Imagine a woman taking an egg out of the fridge. She goes to break it against the side of the skillet. It will not break. Frustrated, she slams it into the sink. It leaves a dent. She next tries to break the egg with a hammer. No go. Describe the process. What extremes does she go to in an effort to break the egg? How does its inability to be broken effect her?

Egg #13: Modern Day Humpity-Dumpity

You've heard the nursery rhyme about Humpity-Dumpity, the egg who had a great fall and couldn't be put back together again, not even by all the king's horses and all the king's men. So, write a modern version of this tale. What could befall a man so badly that nothing could put him back together? What has the capacity to break a man, in other words. Loss of money? Loss of power? Did he get caught embezzling and sent to prison? Did he return home one day to find the love of his life packed up and gone? And who are the king's horses and the king's men who try to put him back together again? Therapists? Attorneys? Doctors? Friends? Who tries to help him put his life together again?

Egg #12: How Many Ways Are There to Break an Egg?

So? How many? Think about this for a second and then make a list. I can tell you two for starters: One is to break it against the side of a metal mixing bowl. Two is to throw it out the window at the tree trunk outside your apartment. Other ways? Try to think of at least ten. Once you get going, you'll be surprised at how many ways there are to break an egg.

Egg #11: Still Life With Egg and Piccolo

Write a scene that includes an egg, a piccolo, a small white dog, a pair of black dress shoes and the Ace of Diamonds.

Egg #10: How'd That Egg Get Here?

Take a few minutes to do a google search about the origin of the egg. You might want to try search terms like 'Origin of the Egg' or 'Where Do Eggs Come From?' Absorb the information, perhaps jot down some notes. Then write a short piece about a character sitting down to eat an egg which incorporates some of the facts and trivia you have found.

Egg #9: Egg Lob 2

A woman who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer is driving home. Someone lobs an egg at her car. What is her reaction?

Egg #8: You've Got Egg-Mail

A woman arrives home to find an egg in her mailbox. How did it get there? What does she do with it?

Egg #7: A Dozen Broken Eggs

A 56 year old man has just been fired from his job at a bookstore, due to being caught reading books whilst clocked in. He stops at the market on the way home for a six-pack of beer, a bag of Doritos, a package of toilet paper and cat litter. While on his way to the check-out, he sees a carton of broken eggs on the floor in the dairy aisle. What is his response? What does he do?

Egg #6: The Moody Egg

In her short story 'The Easter We Lived in Detroit,' Janet Kauffman uses a hard-boiled egg to evoke the mood of a character:

In the kitchen, I took a blue-painted hard-boiled egg from the refrigerator, poured some milk, and let my eyes travel the walls in the indoor light. It was a greenish, undersea light, very mild. I peeled the egg and sliced it with a steak knife onto a big plate, where the two halves slid together. They arranged themselves, it certainly seemed to me then, as downhearted, pitying eyes. I just whispered, Don't you worry. Not today.

Take an egg - cooked any style - and use it to evoke the mood of a character. In the above passage, the character is missing her daughter, whom she hasn't spoken to in months. What is the emotional landscape of the character you have in mind? How can a simple egg portray the mood of that character?

Egg #5: Still Life With Egg and Suitcase

Write a scene in which an egg, a suitcase, a blue towel, a pair of galoshes, a cigarette and five one dollar coins are featured.

Egg #4: Walking on Eggshells

You may be familiar with the expression 'walking on eggshells.' It is often used to describe the feeling of being around a person whose behavior or personality is prone to sudden and unexpected change. Imagine you are driving through an isolated area of the country. You stop at a local tavern for a drink. When you step inside the door, you see that the entire floor is littered with eggshells. Describe the sensation of walking across those eggshells to take a seat at the bar.

Egg #3: Egg Lob

A married man who is contemplating having an affair with a younger co-worker has an egg lobbed at his car while driving home after work one evening. What thoughts go through his head? 

Egg #2: The Egg Fairy

A young boy wakes to find a hard-boiled egg under his pillow after leaving a tooth for the tooth fairy. What is his response?

Egg #1: Scrambled vs. Over-Easy

A husband eats only scrambled eggs, and his wife eats only over-easy. After 15 years of marriage and recent marital problems, their marriage counselor suggests they try switching egg preferences one morning. Write the conversation the couple has over breakfast.