Author · Writing

2023 Recap

evelinawood

2023 was another year that went by way too fast.  I had many moments and thoughts of blog posts to do here, but family, work or some crazy unexpected thing would come up that kept me from writing.  Let’s be honest, sometimes my brain just wouldn’t work either.

I was on a writing high in 2020 just as the pandemic started.  I wrote ten chapters of my WIP, over 30,000 words.  I was super excited for the story, the characters, and their banter.  I knew I was on to something magnificent.  I set a goal back then that I would be a published author in five years.  

I’ve written maybe a couple of paragraphs since then.  I think of the story line often, run through the next steps of the story, but when I think I can sit down for a few moments to write it out… POOF… the words just dissipate.  I would get so frustrated that it just wouldn’t flow the way it had when I was in the zone.

Then I would remind myself that the same thing happened in 2013 when I was trying to write my capping paper for my Bachelor’s degree.  At that time, I was in the midst of an MS relapse and had awful brain fog; I was really struggling with cognitive function.  My paper was based on a literary review of organizational behavior, customer relationship management and corporate communication.  I had read and summarized over fifty peer-reviewed research docs and there was a connection between all of it that hadn’t been pursued, it was somewhere out there in the ether but just beyond what my mind would let me grasp.

It was then that I learned sometimes the words come not when we want them to, but when they are ready to.  It took me a few weeks for everything to cohesively connect the way I knew it would and BOOM my paper was written and I had taken the research in a new direction.  

Fast forward back to 2021 – 2023, as the next chapters of the story unfolded in my head, writing them into the story wasn’t happening.  So I reminded myself that perhaps, it’s just not the right time.  I pursued other things, read a ton of romance books, added books to my history collections and wrote poetry instead.  A few things I posted here, a few others on my socials.  I really focused on just living in the moment. 

The past 3 years  unfolded as a wild ride of work and volunteer commitments, family health issues, motivating my two boys to complete their work so they could graduate from high school (they did in 2021 and 2023) in addition to  a whole lot of personal exploration and discovery.  I slayed my demons, worked on who I truly was, listened to my intuition more and just dug in to unearth the real me.  Even just writing this all out, I can see why the words just wouldn’t come – holy moly there was a lot going on in the background!

Past me would write that in 2024 I am going to do more blog posts, work on the WIP and get back to the story. The evolved me is just going to say that wherever my muse leads me this year is where I will go. I am not giving myself deadlines, but I am giving myself grace and patience. I know this story is meant to be written, and I accept that it cannot be forced. When the time is right to continue it, it will come to me in a flurry of words, typing and craziness. Sometimes we just have to let the words simmer…

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Published by evelinawood

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!

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