Do You Respect Your Work?

If you're like me, you devote many hours to writing. I type notes, charts, and lists in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. I type drafts, revisions, query letters, and synopses into Microsoft Word. And then there's my blog. I spend a lot of time typing and editing my posts in Blogger.

All of that time and effort is precious to me. The thought of losing any of these files gives me cold sweats. I respect every letter I type; therefore, I back up my work.

Do you back up yours? Your manuscripts? What about your blog posts? Your pre-writing notes?

I recently read about an author who blogged for years before she got published. Along the way, she also accumulated hundreds of e-mail addresses. A week before her first book was released, someone maliciously hacked both her blog account and her e-mail account and wiped out every shred of information. She lost every post, every e-mail contact--the base of her promotion efforts.

I've personally lived through two devastating computer crashes of our main computer. Every file disappeared. Worse, my laptop crashed on the same day as my main computer. If I hadn't had my files backed up on a disc, I would have lost three manuscripts.

It takes seconds to back your work up to a thumb drive or a memory stick each time you write. You can go further, too. There are plenty of companies who offer online back-up storage for a monthly fee. You could also try a few less secure, but free, ways of backing your work up online, but if you do, please be very careful to avoid posting your work on public sites and make sure you protect your files with passwords.

Do you back up your blog posts? How much do they mean to you? Mine are very important to me. I've come up with an easy solution. Simply copy and paste each post into a Microsoft Word file. Back the file up on a memory stick. You could also print out your posts and keep them in a binder. I do!

How do you back up your manuscripts? Your blog? I'd love to hear your tips!

Join me on Friday when we'll discuss publishers.

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