Sample | Memoir | Exceptional Writers

BEFORE

Polly Letofsky

3 MPH: The adventures of

one woman's walk around the world:

From Opening Pages

A simple browse through the Barnes & Nobel travel section will prove the great lengths at which people are prepared to go to discover the world. Books are lined up journaling people’s adventures, like the 63-year old Grandma who trekked 1,600 miles across the Gobi Desert with two camels, or the woman who took a solo trip down the Nile in a seven-foot rowboat. Impressive, given they were women traveling alone in oppressive regions.

On another shelf there’s a book about the parents who traveled abroad with her three small children for a year. Half way through Laos the father writes that traveling with children is so much harder than life at home. He’s got to clean up after them in hotels and restaurants and help organize their each and every day, oh Lord, the humanity. The mother says traveling with children is so much easier than life at home. She's got hotel staff that helps clean up after them, restaurants that serve them dinner and do the dishes and a husband that helps organize their each and every day, oh, Lord, this is fabulous.

Steve, the paraplegic tells the tale of traveling the world in a wheelchair proving nothing could stop him from seeing or doing anything an able-bodied person could do. Moreover, he was on a mission to visit every Hard Rock Café on the planet.

But there could easily be a separate section altogether for people who have traveled around the world in a self-propelled fashion, not the least of which is the man who roller bladed around the world, or the numerous boomer couples who swap their suburban house for a sailboat and head for open seas. And the bikers of course. Heck, at any one time there are thousands of people biking around the world -- primarily the Belgians and Dutch -- accounting for a sizable subculture that fills up youth hostels in quiet corners of the globe.

There have also been a handful of people who have walked around the world. At last count there were four men who had walked around the world, and one other woman. Britain’s Ffyona Campbell did her walk in stages; she walked one continent, then took a two-year break back in the UK to raise funds for the second continent, then back to the UK, etc. All told, it took her eleven years to walk over 18,000 miles. Bless her, instead of walking through Asia she literally hacked her way through the jungles of Africa with a machete dodging land mines, malaria and wild beasts -- including the two legged kind. But when she finished she admitted to catching rides half way across America due to becoming pregnant by her crew driver, and that resulted in her “title” of First Woman to Walk Around the World to be stripped.

I give Ffyona Campbell all the kudos for what she did and she deserves the credit for what she accomplished despite the skipped thousand miles across the bible belt of America. That, of all places, would be a difficult stretch to walk after becoming impregnated by someone who is not your husband and try to get any support. But I digress. The fact of the matter is she walked 18,000 miles, I walked just over 14,000. She walked upwards of fifty miles a day, God knows how, because I was ready to drop dead after my longest day of twenty six, but paced myself at an average of sixteen per day. She took two years just to walk through Africa, I thought I would take my own life -- and that of everyone around me -- after a mere three months in India. So let’s be clear, I cheer her on. I never quite knew, though, if, after her confession and subsequently being taken out of the Guinness Book and losing her sponsors, if I then was going to be the First Woman to Walk Around the World. But, again here, nothing I’ve ever given two hoots about.

Mine is not a story of how I embarked into the world to find myself. I was comfortable in my own skin even back when I had no front teeth and cat-eye glasses. Nor was I launched by family tragedy into my journey. It’s much less dramatic than that.

Then why?

A simple but complicated question, a question I’ve perused and analyzed over the miles and still come up empty. Sir Edmond Hilary, when asked why he climbed Mt. Everest, gave his now infamous response, “Because it was there.”

Humble yet sassy.

I’ve heard, “You did this all for breast cancer?!” But I’m not that martyr. Yes, breast cancer was the final catalyst to commit me to this journey, but there’s no use me pretending that I could’ve raised more money on the road alone than if I had stayed home in a mother-nature controlled office with no earthquakes, bugs or splashing trucks to contend with. Fact is, I’ll never know exactly why this idea tickled my fancy.

What I do know is how the seed was planted.

AWARD-WINNING

Noel Brock

The Lady in Blue

The white clapboard house on the Halifax River is a perfect fit for the Cason family. Wanda and Denny have been raising their three children in a small two- story home a block back from Riverview Drive. Wanda’s dream is to have a home on the water with gentle daytime breezes, gorgeous sunsets and picturesque moon lit reflections.

This house with a front porch facing the water is one story but boasts more space and the potential for even more. Before moving day, a construction crew enlarges the living room by removing a wall between two small rooms, adds an addition of two bedrooms and one bath, and remodels the kitchen. It is in the wall between the present dining room and the new bedrooms that the diamond engagement ring is found. The engraving inside the ring is scripted in tiny letters…..Alice. And the discovery is made that the dining room windowpane has Alice etched on it. The writing is dainty and neat with a small heart after the name. Even the workmen comment that the diamond in the ring must have been used to etch the name on the glass. www.Trafford.com/05-1906

(good writing, three drafts for publication, thorough line edit on paper, first edit avg 875 wds/hr)

AFTER

Computer Basic Copyedit

once-through first edit

with combine, rearrange, organize entire manuscript

A simple browse through the Barnes & Nobel travel section proves the great lengths to which people are prepared to go to discover the world. Books are lined up journaling people’s adventures; like the sixty-three-year-old grandma who trekked 1,600 miles across the Gobi Desert with two camels, and the woman who took a solo trip down the Nile in a seven-foot rowboat. Impressive, given that they were women traveling alone in oppressive regions.

On another shelf, a book about parents who traveled abroad with three small children for a year. Halfway through Laos, the father wrote that traveling with children is so much harder than life at home. He got to clean up after them in hotels and restaurants and help organize their each and every day. The mother wrote that traveling with children was so much easier than life at home. She had hotel staff who helped to clean up after them, restaurants that served them dinner and did the dishes and a husband who helped to organize their each and every day. Oh, Lord, this was fabulous!

There easily could be a separate section altogether for people who have traveled around the world in a self-propelled fashion. Steve, a paraplegic, traveled the world in a wheelchair, proving that nothing could stop him from seeing or doing anything an able-bodied person could do. Moreover, he was on a mission to visit every Hard Rock Café on the planet. One man roller-bladed around the world. Numerous “boomer” couples have swapped their suburban homes for a sailboat on the open seas. And bikers, of course. Heck, at any one time, thousands of people are biking around the world—primarily the Belgians and Dutch—accounting for a sizable subculture that fills youth hostels in quiet corners of the globe.

During my preparations for my walk, people asked me if this was going to be a Guinness record. While it was nothing I ever cared about, so many people kept at me that I thought it best to check the rules: Start and finish in the same place; walk at least 14,000 miles and across at least four continents. When you get to the end of each continent, you may fly to the next. I was to have a witness sign my records every day to say they had seen me walking; with attached photos and newspaper articles to prove I was on the road. By the time I was done, I had traveled by foot for five years, across twenty-two countries, four continents, and 14,124 miles from Vail, Colorado and back again.

I left Vail, Colorado on August 1, 1999. On September 11, 2001, while in Muslim Malaysia, I found myself discovering the world from a unique historical perspective. Determined, I adjusted my strut through Islamic Asia, India, and Europe. It became a journey of spiritual commitment and perseverance. I learned that we can accomplish anything if we take one step at a time.

There have been a handful of people who walked around the world. At last count, four men and one other woman. Britain’s Ffyona Campbell did her walk in stages. She walked one continent, then took a two-year break back in the UK to raise funds for the second continent; then back to the UK, etc. All told, it took her eleven years to walk over 18,000 miles. Bless her, instead of walking through Asia, she literally hacked her way through the jungles of Africa with a machete, dodging land mines, malaria and wild beasts—including the two-legged kind. But when she finished, she admitted to catching rides halfway across America due to becoming pregnant by her crew driver, which resulted in her “title” of First Woman to Walk Around the World being stripped.

I give Fyona Campbell all kudos for what she did. She deserves the credit for what she accomplished, despite the skipped thousand miles across the bible belt of America. That, of all places, would be a difficult stretch to walk after becoming impregnated by someone who is not your husband and try to get any support. But I digress. The fact of the matter is she walked 18,000 miles. I only walked just over 14,000. She walked upwards of fifty miles a day, God knows how. I was ready to drop dead after my longest day of twenty-six, and I paced myself at an average of sixteen per day. She took two years to walk through Africa; I thought I would take my own life, and everyone around me, after a mere three months in India. So let’s be clear, I cheer her on. I never quite knew, though, if, after her confession and subsequently being taken out of the Guinness Book and losing her sponsors, if I then was going to be the First Woman to Walk Around the World. But, again here, nothing I’ve ever given two hoots about.

Mine is not a story of how I embarked into the world to find myself. I was comfortable in my own skin, even back when I had no front teeth and cat-eye glasses. Nor was I launched by family tragedy into my journey. It’s much less dramatic than that.

Then why?

A simple but complicated question, a question I perused and analyzed over the many many many miles and still came up empty. Sir Edmond Hilary, when asked why he climbed Mt. Everest, gave his now infamous response, “Because it was there.”

Humble yet sassy.

I’ve heard, “You did this all for breast cancer?!” I’m not a martyr. Yes, breast cancer was the final catalyst to commit me to the journey, but there’s no use in me pretending I could have raised more money on the road alone than if I had stayed home in a mother-nature controlled office without earthquakes, bugs, and splashing trucks. Fact is, I’ll never know exactly why this idea tickled my fancy.

What I do know is how the seed was planted.

Line Edit / Copyedit

on paper, good writing and organization

The white clapboard house on the Halifax River is a perfect fit for the Cason family. Wanda and Denny have raised their three children in a small two-story home a block back from Riverview Drive. Although only one story, the new home is spacious and faces the water. They will have gentle daytime breezes, gorgeous sunsets, and picturesque moonlit reflections.

Before moving day, a construction crew enlarges the living room by removing a wall between two small rooms, adds an addition of two bedrooms and one bath, and remodels the kitchen. It is in this wall, between the dining room and new bedrooms, that the diamond engagement ring is found, with the name Alice and a small heart engraved in a dainty script. Even the workmen comment that the diamond in the ring must have been used to etch the name on the glass of the dining-room windowpane.

Contact The Writing Doctor

Replies by next business day

Award-winning Editor and Author