Like a Walk in the Park

by guest Janet Bolin

We lived on a hill, so although leaving home was all downhill, homecoming was the proverbial uphill battle. Maybe it was only a mile, but my legs were short. Starting out, the journey seemed impossible. So what did I do? Run?

Nope. To ignore that sense of a huge, invisible wall holding me back from ever reaching home, I made up games. If I passed that tree before the truck behind me reached the intersection, aliens couldn’t pick me up in their space ship.

If I kicked a pebble all the way home, I could keep it. Since part of my trip involved crossing bridges on wooden sidewalks with gaps between and beside the planks, I usually lost the pebble. Also, I had to stop every few feet and peer over the railing. The bottom of the valley was very far below me. I needed to examine the sky for those space ships, too.

Beyond the bridges, I had to stomp on every ice-covered puddle. Hearing the ice break and seeing those glass-like slices slithering away was very satisfying. Flinging icy water in over the tops of my boots—well, that couldn’t be helped, could it?

I never started running until I was almost home. Tired and relieved, I burst into the house, threw off my coat, mitts, and sopping boots, and joined the family.

It’s kind of like writing a book. Starting out, that blank screen is daunting. I’m sure I’ll never be able to push past that huge, invisible wall. So I make up rules, race the trucks, kick a few pebbles, peer into various abysses, dodge aliens, and break some ice.

And then, finally, I’m hurtling toward the end. I finish that first draft. I’m exhausted, relieved, a little surprised, and ready to re-join the human race—for a few hours, that is, until I begin the rewrites...

What do you do to make your journeys more interesting and (we hope) easier?

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Janet Bolin loves sewing, machine embroidery, knitting, and every sort of fiber art she can think of, but lives too far from stores that sell the supplies she needs, so she invented the Threadville Mystery Series.

Read excerpts from Dire Threads (in stores now) and Threaded for Trouble (coming in June, 2012.)

Connect with Janet on facebook and twitter.