Egg #60: The Last Egg

Part of the unnerving beauty of being human is that there is always a last time for every activity. Sometimes we know when it is, like the last day of school, or the last time we walk out of the door of a job we have resigned from. Other times, we don't know. We don't always know the last time we will kiss someone before the relationship ends, or the last time we will see someone before they die an untimely death. Of course, part of this is that we, ourselves, being mortal, do not know the last time we will perform any specific activity. For instance, we do not know the last time we hear the song 'Stormy Weather,' or the last time we will eat a peach. 

With this in mind, write a passage that begins 'Although I did not know it at the time, it was to be the last egg I would ever eat.' 

Egg #59: Eggs, Holes, Bones

In his novel, "Await Your Rely," Dan Chaon writes this passage about a character who has lost a hand and is living in a country where he must learn to speak Spanish:

     The keen sense of loss had faded, and these days he found that he stumbled less and less over that absence. He could dress and even tie his shoes without much trouble. He could make toast and coffee, crack an egg into a skillet, all one-handed, and some days he wouldn't even bother to wear his prosthesis.

    "Eggs" was one of the words that he sometimes stumbled over.

    Huevos? Huecos? Huesos? Eggs, holes, bones.

Write a passage in which a character stumbles over the word 'egg' with other words that sound similar. Use the example of the Spanish, or another language, if you wish. You can even make up a language. The idea is to play with the language a bit and to create parallels that evoke the emotions the character is experiencing.

Egg #58: Gallery Eggs

An art gallery has an exhibit of eggs drawn by a local artist, and it is opening night. Record a few lines of conversation by a couple who attend the show, a few lines between the woman who works at the gallery and a friend of hers, and a few lines that are exchanged between the artist and his or her significant other. This is all about perspective--looking at the same event from a few different viewpoints.

Egg #57 : Death Row Egg

The short story "Last Requests," by Giles Smith, is told from the point of view of a woman who prepares the final meals for prisoners on Death Row. While some of the prisoners have simple requests, such as a meal from McDonald's or a take-out curry, other requests are more specific, such as the inmate who desires "two guinea fowl, wrapped in bacon and roasted, with buttered green beans and mashed celeriac."

Write a last meal request for a prisoner who wants an egg. How does he or she want it prepared? Do they request anything else with the meal? What crime landed the prisoner on Death Row?

Egg #56 : Still Life With Egg and Gin

Write a scene which includes an egg, a bottle of gin, a cigar, a sidewalk hopscotch game, a canary and a cold bean burrito.

Egg #55 : All You Ever Wanted to Know About Eggs

For 10 minutes, write down, without stopping, everything you know about eggs. If it goes off subject, that's okay - the important thing is to just keep writing.

Circle 4 of the things and incorporate them into the conversation of a man on a first date who is so nervous, he can't stop babbling about eggs.

Egg #54 : The Dangerous Egg

Write a brief scene that begins with the line "The egg didn't look dangerous."

Egg #53 : The Work-A-Day Egg

A construction worker takes a hard-boiled egg with him to work. He removes the egg five times from his lunch pail to peel and eat it throughout the day, and each time, he gets interrupted and has to put the egg away again. Describe 5 things the egg has witnessed throughout the day from the egg's point of view, using 2 -3 sentences for each event.

Egg #52: Still Life With Egg and Dominoes

Write a brief scene which incorporates an egg, dominoes, the scent of a clove cigarette burning, a bottle of red wine and a blue shawl.

Egg #51: Egghead

Write a brief scene that begins with the line "You say 'egghead' as if it were a bad thing!"

Egg #50: Martha's Egg Salad

In Louise Erdrich's novel The Beet Queen, there is a character famous for her odd Jell-O mold concoctions. Mary puts all sorts of ingredients into the Jell-O salads, including "walnuts or chopped celery, macaroni, onions, miniature marshmallows, or, worst of all, sliced radishes." There is some tension between Mary and another character in the novel - Dot - regarding Dot's daughter, who is Mary's niece. Dot decides to express her discontent with Mary by making a parody of Mary's salad for an event. She concocts a Jell-O mold full of nuts and bolts and other hardware and tapes Mary's name to the dish.

Write 5 sentences describing the odd egg salads of a character named Martha.

Write 5 more sentences describing a parody egg salad a character named Dorothy creates to get back at Martha for something. 

As a bonus effort, include the issue that is creating tension between the two characters. 

Egg #49: Egg Metaphors & Similes

Practice writing metaphors and similes using eggs as a subject. For instance:

-The egg burst yellow like a drunken sunrise on a gin-soaked Monday in October.

-The rotten egg sat waiting in the carton beside the stove, a shifty bandit ready to ambush the stagecoach at noon.

Write 3 metaphors and 3 similes. Don't worry about it sounding silly--just let go and have some fun and allow your imagination to have free reign.

Egg # 48: Egg Haiku

Writing haiku is a good exercise in practicing using only words that are necessary. Write a haiku involving an egg. It should have 3 lines, with a syllable count of 5 - 7- 5.

Egg # 47: Egg Talk

Record an imaginary conversation that takes place among eggs in a carton inside a refrigerator.

Egg # 46: Still Life With Egg and Clarinet

Write a scene that includes an egg, a clarinet, a beagle, the smell of freshly cut grass and a ringing telephone.

Egg # 45: The Well-Traveled Egg

A man takes a hard-boiled egg with him on a train trip. He removes the egg from the bag he carries it in five times to attempt to peel and eat it, but each time, he gets interrupted and has to put the egg back into the bag. Describe the places the egg had 'seen,' in 2 -3 sentences each, from the egg's point of view.