It’s that time again. After unwrapping all the presents, eating all the yummy christmas food and trying to avoid family feuds, you realise that the year is coming to an end. And we tend to make glorious resolutions, only to forget them three days into the new year.

Nevertheless, I learned my lesson this year: If you don’t make it happen, it won’t happen.

You see, I never really understood why people kept telling me that I should write a book. Until I read what other people wrote. Not just stories, but also articles for our employee magazine. And then the penny dropped. Hard. Problem is, telling a story is really really difficult if you want a decent outcome. Even when half your cast has a permanent residence in your head, taunting you with plot bunnies. Time is your enemy, too. Especially if you work fulltime and have a social life too. There’s a reason so many great authors were some sort of hermit.

Some of you might remember my poor little Captain Lilla. She’s still there, and I think I should finally give her the spotlight she deserves. One story every week. 52 stories. Although I might be content with 26, as life tends to come in the way with these sort of projects. Other people take pictures of themselves every day for a year, I’m going to write stories. In German though, because as much as I can be proud of my command of the English language, it is way easier to write in your native language when you are tired. And I predict a lot of writing when I’m tired. The goddam meeting from hell will see a second edition in April and I’m already feeling the effects.

I won’t write a novel. Oh no, that’s the job for those NaNoWriMo-Lunatics and I also don’t want to keep track of continuity. But if you are lucky and I will succeed, there will be a nifty little e-booklet of the collection in the end. So, here’s the deal (nothing beats a declaration with all the pomp and circumstances):

I will publish a short story every Sunday during the year 2013. Minimum length to pass the story qualification is 500 words. The goal is 52 stories at the end, but at least 26 stories should be written to make this project a success.

There, I said it. Now, if you would excuse me, I need to calm down and prepare some plot snippets so that I can hit the ground running come the new year. Aaaaaaaah, I’m insane!