A Writer’s Worst Nightmare
It was gone. Everything. My computer was stolen, and with it went my heart and soul. The final knife in my heart – I didn’t back it up. I thought I had, but I hadn’t. Some of the most important things to me on that computer were my photos, my completed MS, and my newest work in progress. Now they were gone.
My salvation? Earlier in December, my brother had requested a copy of my book in its completed form. I saved it as a PDF and emailed it to him. He still had the copy. I also emailed several chapters of my W.I.P. to my editor and was able to retrieve them from her. But the last eleven chapters are gone.
My lesson? For the love of God, BACK UP. I went out and bought an external backup system and now back up religiously.
My photos will be gone forever, but at least my work has been somewhat saved.
But theft is only one way of losing your prized information. Viruses lay in wait for an opportunity to wipe you clean. Anti-virus software is good, but it certainly isn’t the be-all –end-all in the virus protection world. New viruses spring up daily, and even if you update your anti-virus software regularly, there’s no guarantee that it will cover the newest viruses out there.
And if not a virus, or a theft, how about an accident? A spilled drink on your laptop, or a fall from your lap, a desk, or table could also render your work forever gone.
Your best option is to back your stuff up. Be faithful about it. Here are some suggestions in how to back up your important data:
Organize
Before you back up, you want to have your files in a good organizational order. Otherwise, backing up isn’t going to do you any good if you can’t find what you’re looking for. Spend some time organizing your files and folders.
Back Up
Back up to an external drive. But remember, this drive must be handled with care. After you back up your data, unplug the drive and store it someplace safe. 
If you are going away for a few days, take it with you. If your home is ever broken into, you don’t want to make it too easy for a thief to gain access to it.
If you are going away for a few days, take it with you. If your home is ever broken into, you don’t want to make it too easy for a thief to gain access to it.
Set a Backup Schedule
Once you have your data backed up, set a schedule in your computer to be sure to back up on a regular basis. You might also want to add weekly a reminder in your mobile device or on a calendar.
Another option is backing up to a Cloud. for ten good reasons to do this.
A flash drive is okay for a pinch, but don’t rely too heavily on it, or CDs that can become scratched.
You’ve spilled your heart and soul into your work. Treat it with the importance it deserves.
I hope you found this information helpful. Drop me a comment and let me know your thoughts on this.
All my best,
Dee Ann
Free Antivirus Softwarewww.norton.com/software
www.mcafee.com/antivirus
That's horrible! I'm glad you were able to recover at least some of your files.
ReplyDeleteI tend to use a lot of different computers - my own desktop, my dad's desktop, my laptop, desktop at work, as well as my smart phone - and I want everything immediately accessible, so I tend to rely on the cloud for most of my backup.
I save everything to the cloud, often in multiple places. I use Google Docs for the stories I'm working on, as I can always be certain I'll have the latest draft. I upload finished stories to Scribophile for crits, and I leave them there until they're published. When I submit, I save the final copy in Dropbox.
As for music, I've backed it all up on both Amazon's cloud player and Google Play. It would cost thousands of dollars to replace all my songs.
For pictures, I use Snapfish (which also provides a service to print them). I really need to upload a bunch of them; thanks for the reminder!
I tend to lose flash drives, so I don't use them except on a temporary basis (saving something at the library, for example, or when the internet's down), and then I save it to the cloud when I have a chance.
Wow, ED, what a great and thorough response! I'm sure my readers will take A LOT of useful information from your comment. Thanks so much for stopping by. I've never tried Snapfish, but I'll check it out tonight. I'm there with you on losing flash drives. I've lost two already! lol Thanks again for your comment.
ReplyDeleteGet into cloud storage... External drives are stolen as well.
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, you won't regret it. You can also check your most vital docs from anywhere in the world.
Every writer goes through something like what you've just mentioned. Thank the Gods for your brother!
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9223805/5_online_backup_services_keep_your_data_safe
Hi Jonah (the name of a character in my current WIP - a good man, of course), thanks for stopping by. I totally agree. The more I've looked into things, the more I've been directed to cloud storage. Seems like the way to go. I've already begun saving most things there. It's a little creepy, but I'm getting used to it. :) Thanks again for your comment. Hope to see you back.
ReplyDeleteDee Ann;
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling. In spite of backups and virus protection, my computer was hacked last year. Took many weeks to get everything back, but I finally did. The cloud sounds like a good idea.
Hi Phyllis, I'm sorry to hear you went through that. What an awful feeling that must have been. I'm glad you were able to get it all back. Thanks for stopping in and sharing.
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