It’s been almost a year since I have had the urge to write. It feels like a million months have passed since my imagination created something worth putting to paper (or on the screen of my laptop as the case may be).
Last spring and summer I was on a roll, having written almost half of a story that had been kicking around in my head for a couple of years. And then poof! I just lost all motivation, the story stopped abruptly and I’ve yet to return to it.
I’ve tried multiple times to get my head back to that space, back into the story, but my crazy life again took precedence and there were far greater things pressing on my attention and my energy. So now I’m trying again to find my muse and momentum.
I’ve learned that things happen for a reason, even if we don’t always know the reason right away. My life has always been ruled by synchronicities. I knew when life happened and pulled me in a different direction for a few months that it would be hard to get back to the mindset I was in when words were just flowing out of my fingers and onto the pages. Even now as I write this blog post, duty called and I needed to set my thoughts aside to handle the situation.
Throughout my hiatus, I have read many books (come find me on Goodreads and connect!), highlighted awesome lines and jotted down scurrying thoughts. I also did a bit of research as well, including one book that gave me awesome ideas and a new direction to travel. So for now, Ophelia and Archer’s story is on hold and the ideas are brewing yet again beneath the surface for characters, plots and settings to grace the empty pages… and I know if I can just hold on and have patience, they will dance again on my screen when the time is right.
I was lucky to have been born in the Hudson Valley, NY. My heart lies buried deep in my roots: the tract of immense acreage from New York City to the Adirondacks that is a treasure trove of American History beginning with the Native Indian tribes of the Algonquin and Iroquois to colonization, the Revolutionary War, to the Industrial Age and right up through to modern times. It is an area that has experienced profound change, yet still retains its majestic beauty.
I fell in love with Hudson Valley history at a young age. My hometown alone has three historic sites: the homes of Franklin D Roosevelt, the Vanderbilts and the Livingston Mills. As a young girl I imagined myself as a part of these homes and I was lucky to have teachers who flamed my passions for local history; they created an insatiable curiosity that has followed me throughout my life; inspiring me to learn more about all of the people who came before me.
My favorite time period is the Edwardian Era: the time of robber barons, railroad magnates and gilded lifestyles, encompassing the end of the Victorian Era until the First World War. Those who had money flaunted it profusely, and those who didn't suffered in unimaginable ways. The Hudson Valley experienced the contrast directly with the immense mansions built along the shores of the Hudson River to the immigrants arriving in New York City to make a new life in the United States.
My blog will provide glimpses of life in the Hudson Valley during this time by drawing on the historical research I am always working with and through the snippets of stories I am writing. I hope that my blog brings you enjoyment and a new perspective on a beautiful area so important to American History. Happy reading and thank you for taking the time to visit me!
View all posts by evelinawood
Evelina Wood 