HH and I have been watching more “foodie” shows than usual lately. He’s actually more hooked on them right now than I am. They entertain, and there’s no deep thought required, and winter makes him more tired than usual. The poor man is even asking to watch more mysteries. I think he’s lived with me too long. But we watched Guy Fieri’s Grocery Games Delivered last week, and three top chefs had to cook high end meals using “surprise” ingredients that were delivered to their doors. Then on Saturday, we watched–on accident–Guy’s Ranch Kitchen because he had top chefs cooking street food.

I love street food. It usually punches a huge flavor for a low price. How can you beat that? It’s food you grab and eat while you’re doing other things. Satays. Kebabs. Burgers. Fries. Corn dogs. The stuff of life.

And it made me think high end and …well… low end. And I compared that to writing. And it made me feel better. Because sometimes, it’s nice to go to a fancy, expensive restaurant, but more often–for me–I’m just as happy with a burger or chicken wings. And if you do it right, you can elevate either one of them. Same as writing. Sometimes, I want to plunge into something deep and meaningful. But more often…well…I’m just as happy reading a good story. But good stories can be elevated so that they stand head and shoulders above the rest. And those, for me, are golden.

Good writing is good writing, literary or genre. If a genie came to grant me one wish, I’d ask to do genre fiction really well–the perfect blend of great writing with great story. I don’t have to write a classic like Moby Dick or The Scarlet Letter. I don’t need to go down in history as equal to Shakespeare. I just want to entertain people but to do it really well. What about you?

If the genie popped out of your soda can to grant you a wish, what would you want to do with your writing?