Thursday, April 5, 2012

The Importance of SAVING your work...

So, let me just say that everybody knows to save their work. I know this. You know this. It's not a hard thing to do. Right? Yeah, how we about talk about saving your works in more than one place?

I know. I admit it. I saved my work on a flash drive and only a flash drive. In my mind, I was thinking that by keeping it on the flash drive, I wouldn't have to worry about losing anything if my laptop was hacked (which it was), if it was infected with malware (which it happened), or if the hard drive crashed (Oh God, where's the wood for me to knock on?) Okay, so the last one hasn't happened yet.  YET.

Seven months of work~ I am almost completely finished with my 2nd book and I am super-excited about it. It is GREAT. I love it....

I can't open the file on the flash drive because suddenly it has become corrupted.

I tried for hours to get it back... and then cried for another hour because I couldn't. This happened on a Saturday night so there were NO computer shops open. I patiently waited (insert the words panic, hyperventilate, insanity... you pick) until Monday morning for the shops to open and was at the door waiting, flash drive in hand.  Thankfully, the pc guy I use is a pc God.  It took him a few hours (he had never retrieved anything from a flash drive before) and he got almost the entire file back. He only lost about three thousand words. 

Don't worry, I had a hard copy of the missing file but the rest of the hard copy was gone. Where, you ask?  Ask my daughter's cat....   Now I am working on editing and finishing up the last few chapters. Just so you know, it is now saved on a new flashdrive... and my computer's hard drive.  My lesson has been learned.  Now I just need to redo my hard copy....

5 comments:

  1. YIKES! I must say, I'm super glad that you were able to somewhat recover from the panic and hyperventilating. And now, with a lessoned learned...finish that manuscript!

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  2. I learned this lesson in 2001 when Sydney had bad bushfires. On our way home from relatives on Christmas day, we had trouble getting home because of multiple bushfires in multiple locations in Sydney, one of which was in the next suburb south of us, and there wasn't a lot between us and that fire except some trees.

    I had multiple backup files of my book, but I suddenly realised they were ALL in that house! I, like you, patiently waited (panicked, hyperventilated, went insane LOL) the agonisingly long drive home. Now I have files at home, at work, at my parent's house, on my netbook and on my flash drive which NEVER leaves my person. OK, so I haven't QUITE taken the step of a safety deposit box.

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  3. I am neurotic about saving stuff. I have most things on two flash drives and one of those drives is an ADORABLE silver and gold-toned bejewled bracelet that I wear almost every day. I used to wear a black rubber flash drive bracelet, but people kept asking me if that chunky thing was my house arrest arm band.

    I also have an external hard drive for things like our special photos and full manuscripts.

    Let's hope the worst never happens! Thanks for sharing!

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  4. How awful! I've been through a similar event recently, but the tech guys were able to restore the hard drive.

    One thing I do is send myself (or keep copies of work I sent agents or editors) through email. It might not be the latest version, but it's better than retyping the whole thing.

    I'm so sorry. Good luck.

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  5. Thank you all and, yes, it was definitely a "lesson learned"! lol I now save it in multiple drives and flash drives, one of which never leaves my wallet (b/c I NEVER leave my cash or debit card). I'm almost done with checking everything and (hopefully) will have it finished by the end of the month. *Fingers crossed and coffee in hand*

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