Last year, I resolved to get published. And I sent a manuscript to a magazine. They rejected it (as I knew they would, don’t get me wrong—one can’t expect miracles), and gave me some semi-helpful criticisms. But then my computer turned into a steaming pile of crap, so I couldn’t make changes. Nor can I write anything right now, and I really want to.

Then, in a tragic Briefcase incident, I lost nearly everything related to my story I’ve been calling “Ship” up to now. Briefcases (the file kind) are designed to synchronize files to be carried on a disk between computers. Or something like that. And when removing the Ship folder from the briefcase, it got the idea that I wanted to delete the originals as well (i.e., it was synchronizing), and then they were all gone. Not even to the recycle bin, just the electronic æther. And then I stabbed my laptop with a screwdriver. The LCD screen made pretty colours. And I kept stabbing. And I smelled smoke. And I realized it was probably not a good idea to stab a running laptop with a metal screwdriver. Luckily, I pulled the hard drive, and it was undamaged, so the other files and my myriad of programs should still be there. Luckily, it was all background work, not actual story, that was lost. Maps, ship diagrams, crap like that.

What was I talking about? Oh, right, resolutions. So, I’m saving up for a new computer, and my resolution this year is the same as it was last year: To be published. Oh, and I’m starting school again, so another resolution is to get good grades—something I’ve never been famous for.

What’s your resolution?