Writing Exercises: Three Wishes

"You know, Erika, you should really write a story sometime. It's good for you," I said one day to a friend.

"I wish I could, but I have no idea what to write about!" Erika replied in frustration. "I don't see how you author-types ever come up with a whole book. How do you do it?"

"Uh..."

I was at a loss. By now, writing inspirations were coming so thick and fast that my biggest question was how to stop getting ideas. It was just second nature. How could I explain the thought process that begins a story?

So, how do you think of things to write? If you're stumped, here's some simple Q & A that might help you.

Q: What would you do if, when you were standing by a fountain admiring the large gargoyle at the top, someone slipped a note into my hand that read, "You have been given three wishes--use them wisely"?

A: Well, I probably wouldn't take it seriously at all. I'd stick it in my pocket and I'd forget about it, and then it would go through the wash.

Q: What would the consequences be?

A: I might be talking to a friend one day and I'd accidentally say, "Oh, I wish my little brother would just go away. He's always getting into my stuff."

Q: What happens next?

A: I'd probably be shocked when my little brother did 'go away', because I had forgotten about the note. Then I'd realize what I had done when I accidentally told another friend, "I really wish my mom wouldn't act so goofy in front of everyone" and it happened.

Q: What would you do next?

A: I'd try and fix what I had done, of course. And I'd remember that I only have one wish left to make things right. But, still sticking to my colloquial language, I would probably say, "I wish my eyes were blue!" and use up my last wish.

Q: How does it end up?

A: Well, I'd try to track down the person that gave me the wishes. I'd remember where I had been handed the note and who had given it to me. And, believe it or not, it was actually the gargoyle on the fountain that had granted the wishes, and he had convinced the stone angel to give me the note. Although he was super mad that I had wasted my wishes instead of using them for the good of all, he granted me three more. I used those to get everything back to normal (even my eye color, because I realized that I like my old brown eyes better).

By just asking yourself questions, you can get a pretty cool story! Your questions may be different than the ones here. If fact, they probably will be because your story line will be different.

Remember, when in doubt, ask questions!

Yours without wax,

Izori