The Assignment

 

It began with a blank sheet of paper.  Then, the first thing that came to me was the sentence, it began with a blank sheet of paper. So that’s what I wrote.  Twice now.  Nothing that followed that first sentence made any sense, it didn’t add to the plot.  In fact, there wasn’t a plot.  There was nothing but that sheet of paper, no longer blank by the way, but nothing else.

So this was my beginning.  Would the teacher like it?  I doubt it.  It stunk and I knew it stunk. Most everyone in this class would be turning in something that stunk, I can’t allow myself to be one of them. Don’t get me wrong… I’ve written stinky stuff before, lots of it, but this assignment needed to stand out.  It needed to be different.

How’s this, “It was a dark and stormy night”.

 

Yes, you're right.

Maybe I’ll take an art class.  How hard can it be to paint a sandwich?

 

I call it, Hold the Onion.

  It began with a blank canvas.  I had gathered my paints and brushes.  I had my easel set up in the corner so I got just the right amount of natural light from the windows.  I had a few beers and my crab sandwich.  Okay, I had a few potato chips as well, but what I needed was inspiration.