Today’s entry will be short, as I’m having computer troubles. I’m using a computer which has few of my files and even less of my blog stuff on it. Although my excellent husband is really good, this old dinosaur (the computer not the husband) seems to be giving me trouble on a regular basis.
Writing Tip for Today: What are the best ways to keep your story alive when your computer hiccups?

• Back up, back up, back up. Whenever something like this occurs I always vow to be diligent in backing up everything. But as days go by without a mishap, I get lazy. Don’t let this happen to you.
• Save Variably. I know a writer who uses a free yahoo account to email to herself the day’s writing. Others stash hard drives in their car trunks or save on lots of devices such as external drives and flash drives. Can’t hurt. But you have to remember to actually do it, or else get an external drive which can be set to back up regularly.
• What about paper? It’s a waste of resources to some, but I take comfort in knowing that if all the computers on earth go down, I have a hard copy of my book. Helps me sleep better.
• Pay for backup. Using one of the advertised services such as Mozy or Carbonite might be the way to go if you can afford it. That way you don’t have to worry OR remember to back up your files.
• Finally, even if your computer is as decrepit and frustrating as mine, there’s always that old electric typewriter or yellow legal pad. Sometimes writers must be creative to achieve that word count goal. Excuse me, but I’ve got files to back up. Ciao.