Writer’s Note: This is Friday’s Column and yes that is a cuss word in the title.
I made a huge mistake when I left my last relationship. Things had been going bad for a long time and by the time I was ready to walk out the door I was okay leaving with the underwear I had on, my Elmo lunchbox, my light up in the dark pen and my favorite pair of boots….until I sat down a few weeks later and realized that I had left everything behind…even some of my writing. (and an Underwood Antique typewriter…that still hurts)
I paid hell getting some (not all) of my things back. As many of you know, when relationships go bad, just as when folks die, people get stupid. That person whom you thought was a loving, caring person is now setting fire to your possessions on the front lawn of the house you still have to make payments on. (Nope, I’m not the least bit bitter) Trust me, no matter how secure you feel at this very moment…if you leave him/her…you will discover the pain of yours and mine.
If there was a silver lining to that episode in my life it was this….I now back up my work as many times as possible and I carry a USB drive attached to my keychain so that I always have my writing with me. I lost quite a bit of valuable work during that time, work I will never truly get back. Of course the stories are in my head, but as you well know, even if I write it all down again, it will never be the same story…that’s just the way it works.
So my advice is…back it up and back it up a lot. If possible carry that little USB with you with your work. They even have a credit card type USB’s that can be carried in your wallet…just do it…you won’t regret it. One of the worse feelings in the world is to lose any of your work so take those steps to make sure that it doesn’t happen.
And one last word on this subject…it wouldn’t hurt to have a hard copy and a disc in a safety deposit box either. That may well be the best $100 per year you invest. It’s your work…you can’t get that back if there is a flood, fire, break-in or ex-spouse….
A Special Note about THE CLOUD….
I know that many of you are in awe of the idea of “THE CLOUD”…(I think it sounds ominous so feel free to use the booking mysterious voice when saying that…) While I think that the cloud is a nifty idea…it makes me nervous. Call me old school but anything that mysteriously sucks up my work so that I can access it anywhere makes me feel like, if I can, anyone can….
© The Writer’s Advice, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
Like this:
Like Loading...