Okay, I know I have been rather quiet so far this year - it's been a trying time in my life and something had to give. Sadly, it's been NaNo. But I think I'm back on track!
Anyway, those of you from years past know that I'm anal about making sure everyone backs up their work! I know - from personal experience - how bad it can be if you don't backup your writing...
My second NaNoWriMo was a disaster! Not only was I struggling through that year (no one told me my first NaNo that it was supposed to be hard, so it wasn't), but the laptop I was using - the only computer I had at that point - DIED! I don't mean slightly died, I mean it totally died! It was a brick! I ended up using it for slingshot practice!
There was no way to get anything - at all - out of it. My boyfriend lent me his lappy for the rest of the month, but that didn't recover the 30,000+ words I'd lost! My ML at the time told me to fudge it when it came to word count at the end - as I had written the words - but it still didn't help me with the story. I only have a small portion of that novel if I ever decide to go back to it.
Therefore I have been the biggest supporter of backing up your work since then. Everyday I email a copy of my work to myself. I have a Gmail account just to store my writing - nothing else! I don't use it as an email account at all, just for storage. Gmail has such huge amounts of storage for their accounts, and it's constantly growing, that I'll never fill it. I just keep dumping there - keeping folders for each novel and each group of pictures that gets sent there - no matter what it is. Even my sports articles that are up on the web get sent there so I have personal copies for myself in ten years if I might possibly need them for something. (I actually did need a couple for proof recently, so I'm glad I did it.)
So all this writing was my annoying way of telling you to back up everything you write! Not just NaNo, but especially NaNo! I know how crushing it can be if something happens to your work when you least expect it. Make sure you cover your bum by backing up your writing in at least one other location than on your laptop or computer!
Even if you don't use Gmail for your work, back it up in some way!!!
Ken
----------
"Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards." Heinlein
50,010 / 50,000
Okt 18, 2009 - 15 35
As another wrimo who has lost a nano novel, I agree. Please back up your work! It takes almost no time and can save you a lot of stress and heartache!
----------2006: Three Wishes for Sadie
2007: Blood Sister
SF 2008: Flight of the Falcon
2008: The Marked Man
SF 2009: The Alliance of Delphia
2009: Lit
50,080 / 50,000
Okt 18, 2009 - 15 55
The Gmail way is really fantastically easy. There's no need to start up an account just for you writing if you don't want to, either. There's plenty of storage for all of your writing and emails too! Like I said in the links thread, almost every year somebody loses all of their work. Don't let that somebody be you!
I feel like we need some sort of cheesy PSA slogan for this... Don't Press Your Luck - Back it Up! Don't Go Bezerk - Back Up Your Work? Someone help me out here :P
----------http://www.squirrel-girl.com/
http://squirrellylist.blogspot.com/
81,160 / 50,000
Okt 18, 2009 - 17 45
Ellie, Stacy and I like the second one!
We need to redo the poster, maybe we should put it on a new one...
Don't Go Berzerk - Back Up Your Work!!!
Ken
----------"Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards." Heinlein
50,010 / 50,000
Okt 19, 2009 - 03 20
"Don't take a hit! Back up your..."
:)
----------2006: Three Wishes for Sadie
2007: Blood Sister
SF 2008: Flight of the Falcon
2008: The Marked Man
SF 2009: The Alliance of Delphia
2009: Lit
50,080 / 50,000
Okt 19, 2009 - 06 10
^ lol i like this better
----------http://www.squirrel-girl.com/
http://squirrellylist.blogspot.com/
40,008 / 50,000
Okt 19, 2009 - 09 52
I keep two copies of everything, one on my laptop, the other on Google Docs so I can work from any computer should my laptop go to hell.
----------5,559 / 50,000
Okt 26, 2009 - 08 55
Back on the "Helpful Links" thread, I'd suggested using Google Docs to write and back up one's novel. Today, I discovered that it automatically saves your open document every minute or so. Awesome!
----------I didn't win, and I'm okay with that.
18,104 / 50,000
Okt 30, 2009 - 10 13
I did a factory reset on my computer a couple days ago. I hope that keeps it satisfied so I can make it through without any meltdowns.
----------Fine Art
A horror, psychological thriller, romantic, surreal boat, taking a trip from an indie coffee house to a plastic box in an art gallery.
50,010 / 50,000
Okt 30, 2009 - 14 22
Look at all these smaht people!
Remember: back up before you frack up!
----------2006: Three Wishes for Sadie
2007: Blood Sister
SF 2008: Flight of the Falcon
2008: The Marked Man
SF 2009: The Alliance of Delphia
2009: Lit
78,044 / 50,000
Okt 30, 2009 - 15 26
I use both Google docs and my thumb drive USB thingy for back up. Yep...I learned the hard way. Ugh.
----------http://rjkeller.wordpress.com/