Majken Selinder Nilsson Books

I started writing as a way to bring comfort to myself that didn’t involve chewing my fingernails down past their quicks or eating to the point I would need a tent for clothing.  I found over the course of the last year that writing calms me, offers me escape, so that I can focus on other things than those events or stresses of which I can do very little to prevent or control.  So, when my trusty old laptop went down a few weeks ago, I was not a happy camper, nor consequently were those around me.

It is incredible to me just how reliant we are on our computers; how much they have become such a mainstay of our daily lives.  To have mine not functioning was akin to removing a hand.  I found myself wandering multiple times a day to its usual spot on the table, only to find it missing.

The panic I felt that I had lost certain data forever was intense.  Thankfully, one of our dear friends is an amazing computer genius and he graciously volunteered to take a look to see if he could rescue all of my data that was trapped within it’s partitioned brain.  Most of it was replaceable, sort of…  All of my very important files, namely my books, are backed up in other places.  But, my query letters, database of to which literary agent I have submitted my books, my husband’s resumes and cover letters were not.  All of them could have been redone, but the hours and hours involved in making that happen made me sick to my stomach.

Fast forward a few weeks and my old machine has new life.  Our friend replaced my fried hard drive and it is definitely faster and less glitchy.  I am happy, which I am sure equates being much easier to be around for my family and friends!  I can now get back to the work of trying to find a publisher, but more importantly, I can continue to write on my next book.

The true lesson learned, aside from making sure I upload my work to the cloud more often than I have been, is that if I have no computer, then I have no stress relief.  If I want to have mental peace, I need to make sure I investigate why my machine is acting strangely before it goes down.  Funny how these things that were not even really widespread just a generation ago now have the ability to evoke feelings of panic and utter loss when they happen.  Talk about technology controlling our lives.  But, I wouldn’t have it any other way right now.

I am grateful for my friend’s gracious act of service and I am sure my family is, as well!