Tag: three Wishes

by Miko Johnston

We often say writing is a solitary endeavor, but that isn’t really true. It takes a village to be a writer, or at least to be a good writer, whatever that means to you. Certainly it includes getting published, selling books and receiving mostly favorable reviews.

The process of writing may not be solitary, but it is sedentary. It requires long periods of what former WInR Kate Thornton called BIC (butt in chair). Sitting at the computer may be good for building the story but not for building muscle. Therefore I must balance my writing time with more physical activities, and as I get older I find that normal routines like housework or light gardening are not enough. I need a regimen of specific exercises to ward off the effects of aging, arthritis and apathy.

One of my exercises is a type of squat, where I pretend to sit down and get up. I begin by standing with my upper arms straight out, perpendicular to my body and parallel to the floor, and then I cross my forearms. The pose reminds me of the titular character from “I Dream of Jeanie” so much, one day I started humming the theme song to keep time as I lowered and raised my bottom.

That’s what may have inspired this post.

If I met a genie who granted me three wishes, what would they be?

I’d have to establish the ground rules first: how big an ask is possible? World peace? Cures for the most horrendous diseases? Depolluting our planet? I suspect that would be beyond the scope of a genie, so I’d have to focus on more personal asks. And with only three, I’d have to be very shrewd about what I chose.

However, since every discipline nowadays seems to be super specific, perhaps that extends to genies as well. Might there be an athlete genie who can’t make your kids call you more often but can give you toned abs? Or a knitting genie who can correct those dropped stitches without ripping out multiple rows?

And what about a writing genie? Could they turn you into a best-selling author? Improve your dialogue? Inspire a brilliant twist in your mystery? Or finally get that idea you’ve toyed with for years (decades!) plotted out and on the page?

Imagine that I were a genie and had the power to grant you three wishes, only they had to be specific to writing. What would your three wishes be?

Miko Johnston, a founding member of The Writers in Residence, is the author of the historical fiction series, “A Petal in the Wind”, as well as a contributor to several anthologies including the recently released “Whidbey Landmarks”. Miko lives in Washington (the big one) with her rocket scientist husband. Contact her at mikojohnstonauthor@gmail.com