Get To Da Choppa!
Do It! Do It Now!
Fun fact for some of you just beginning your writing journey (or a daily reminder for you veterans out there): always have a backup.
Seems simple, right? “Why bother?” You may ask. “It seems like a waste of time.”
That’s where you’re wrong, kiddo.
See I’m going to spill the beans on a great authorly secret the likes of which you will never see again: Murphy’s Law is coming for you.
And It. Is. Pissed.
You think your laptop is safe?
FOOLISH MORTAL!
Your cat will find a way to drop a magnet on it and wipe your hard drive.
Think your box of notes is in a secure place? Mr. Murphy will have your roof leak right on top of it.
The cold, hard fact is your manuscript is never safe.
Isn’t that fun?
Your only recourse is to (if I may quote the venerable Gandalf): Keep it secret. Keep it safe.
But you don’t have to live in perpetual fear! A few small adjustments and you’ll have Murphy kicking himself in frustration at your cleverness (and boy does that posh bastard deserve a kick or two).
So, without further ado, here are five easy steps to take to save yourself some heartache.
1. Save Multiple Drafts.
It may seem efficient to have one giant master document, but convenience will always lose to application. You lose that doc and you’re skunked. Saving a backup version is simple, free, and will ensure you’ve got something to work with if a file gets corrupted
2. Use a USB.
You can pick up a 10-20 GB USB for around $10 or less these days and if you’ve got a manuscript that’s bigger than 10 GB I weep for your editor. USBs allow you to not only save multiple drafts but to store the USB away from your primary writing area, ensuring if something cataclysmic falls, you got (you’ve guessed it!) a backup of all your work. Speaking (again) of saving multiple drafts….
3. Save Multiple Drafts.
You’ve saved one draft, yes, but what about your second draft? Or a third? You may find in your revision process you want to eliminate whole chapters, subplots and characters in order to streamline your novel. Saving multiple versions of your draft can be useful if you or your readers ever want to add that stuff back in. A quick pop into an older version, a copy and paste later and voila!
4. Trust. No one.
Through no fault of their own your best friends or deepest lovers will inevitably, at some point, become an unwitting agent of Murphy’s Law. Your dog will pee, your cat will puke, or your significant other will sit in the EXACTLY wrong spot and ruin your notes, backup, or primary writing machine (or any and all combinations of chaos). Does this mean you need to be a hermit? That in order to be a writer you can’t have pets, friends, or (sniff) love? Get a hold of yourself and quit being such a drama queen. No, it simply means you have to (say it together kids) hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The more hyper aware of where your writing materials are in relation to anything flammable, liquid, electric, or shred-capable, the more you can avoid those things becoming unfortunately intimate with your magnum opus
5. Keep To a Routine.
I’m not just talking about getting into a routine of making that backup save, or connecting that USB at the end of every writing session. No, I’m talking big game routine. Try and put your laptop in the same designated “safe space” every time you’re not using it. Put your notes and USB in their spots as quickly as possible. Even if it’s just a single room, or a part of a room, or even a single foot of bookshelf designated as your “writing area” stick to putting your applicable materials there every time. The less they’re floating around your private domicile, the less likely they are to be dashed upon the cold, unforgiving rocks of oblivion by the capricious hands of fate.
So there you have it, five quick and easy tips to make your life a whole lot easier in the long run. What'd you think of the list? Got any tips that work for you? Sound off down below it shoot me an email- I'm always looking for more ways to stick it to Murphy's Law