Backing Up Your Writing and Other Projects
Today, I was looking for an old character sketch I had completed for a previous work-in-progress. A couple of years ago, I chucked that mystery because of the usual boredom, lack of plotting and just plain bad writing. However, I did have a great outline and method for doing character sketches, and I went in search of this one in hopes of using it as a template for my current characters. No such luck. I honestly do not know what happened to it. This brought to mind the important rule:
Back Up Your Writing
You can’t go wrong with having multiple copies of your work. It might be a hassle sometimes to save an updated copy in more than one location, but it will definitely be worth it in the end. Just imagine how devastating it would be to lose the entirety of your current work-in-progress, especially if you were 60,000 words into it.
I’ve been really good these days in regards to this, and I would like to share some of the ways that I back up my writing. I would actually like to develop a more organized method of doing this. Right now, sometimes I back up one way and other times I do something else. That just causes confusion when I’m trying to look for something later.
1. Thumb Drive - This is easy, and you can carry it in your pocket. It takes no time at all to quickly copy a file over from your laptop or desktop whenever you have an updated copy or new document. Plus, these days, you can get one with quite a bit of space. Some mp3 players also let you save documents in addition to the regular audio and video formats.
2. External Hard Drives - I love my Western Digital Hard Drive. I currently don’t keep mine plugged into my laptop because I move around quite a bit. But if you do keep it plugged in at all times, it’s just as easy as updating as the thumb drive. You can also carry this around, but it’s not quite as easy.
3. Google Docs - I like Google Docs because it allows you to store your documents online, and you can access them anywhere. So, if you forget your thumb drive at home or don’t have one, you can still get to your files wherever you are as long as there is an internet connection. You can also adjust sharing options so that you can allow beta readers the ability to see your documents without sending anything to them. They will always be able to see the most updated version as well. However, Google Docs is not perfect. I use Word, and Google Docs changes spacing and paragraph formatting whenever I import or export my file. I definitely cannot work out of Google Docs, and I would be upset about trying to format everything back to normal if I ever lost my laptop’s copy. When documents start reaching a high word count, it stops matching Word’s word count. So, the program is not perfect, but it has some positive qualities. And I do use it for sharing and backup purposes.
There are plenty of other ways to keep copies of your projects. The most important thing is that you do it and in the manner that makes the most sense to you. If anyone has a great suggestion or method, I’d love to hear it!
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Comments
For all online backup and storage related info, I recommend this website:
http://www.BackupReview.info
Good advice. I don’t think many people think of it, but I’ve lost important files at my job myself, and it is NO fun. I keep my work on computer and Flash drive, too. Buuuut, just in case of a universal digital melt-down, I also print out each chapter when a finish a draft, so I have a hard copy.
Great minds and all that… I was just about to post on the same topic tomorrow. Backups are one of those chores we all put off, usually until it’s too late. There are some nifty online solutions, of which Google docs is one. Since we’re writers, our work is mercifully small file-size wise, so another option is to email copies of your precious work to other writers you know. The key with this and online storage is to store a copy of the work off-premises and out of harm’s way should (heaven forbid) something happen to not only your computer, but your whole home or office.
Great post!
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