Jo Linsdell

Showing posts with label advice for writers. Show all posts

That time I almost lost all my work

When my Mac Book Pro stopped working earlier this year I went into panic mode. I hadn't backed up all my files. I had first drafts of novels, premade book cover designs, and more... that were potential lost. Yes I did cry a little.

Anyway, I finally got it fixed, and the first thing I did when I got it back was back up all the files. Words can not express how happy I was at finding all those files still there. Unfortunately, the problem came back again quite quickly and so it's back at the repair shop again. I should comment at this point that my Mac Book Pro is a model from a few years ago (2013 I think), which they aren't producing anymore due to this problem. This however also makes it harder to find the pieces needed to repair it. Hopefully the newer versions all work fine.

As a side note, I really do miss my Mac though. Well, if I'm honest, I really miss the programs I had installed on it. My trusty old HP Pavilion laptop is always there for me though, and I do have most of the programs on that too (just older versions).

Lesson learnt: My favourite back up tools

Needless to say, it's a good idea to regularly back up your files. As this is such an important topic, I thought I'd take you through a few of the ways I back up my files.

External Hard Drive

This is my preferred way to back up my files. I just plug in the USB and select the files I want to save from my computer. When I need them on another device I just plug the USB into that and transfer the files over.

I have several external hard drives that I use to back up my files. The biggest is the Verbatim 1 TB http://amzn.to/2znMqOi. It's a bulky model but does the job. I've never had any problems with it. This is the one I use for all my bigger projects.

Then I have a My Passport Ultra external hard drive http://amzn.to/2zoGAOD. This is much smaller and so easier to move around. Again, works great, and I've never had any problems with it.

Online Back up

I have several accounts for saving files online. Google Drive is the one I use most. One Drive and Drop Box are next on the list. This particular method of backing up files is really useful if you need to send the file to other people as you can get a shareable link, and give permission to view, and even edit the file to selected people.

There are free and paid options available for both Google Drive, One Drive, and Drop Box (and the many other types out there).

Email

This one is often overlooked, but beautifully simple. Just email yourself a copy of the file as an attachment. You'll then have a copy sitting ready for you in your inbox.

BONUS!

Surprise! Now I'm going to tell you about a bonus way to back up, that can be super useful for writers: Amazon's Free Kindle Reading App. This has saved me more than once. When I finish writing the first draft of a book I always send a copy of the file to my Kindle Reading App on my ipad. It really helps during the revising and editing stages as my brain goes into 'book reading mode', and so I find errors that I might have missed reading it on my laptop.

It is just a reading app and so you won't be able to edit the file from the app, but it does give you another copy. Once I wrote a big chunk of a non fiction book, and sent a copy to my Kindle App. Due to a problem with my computer, I lost the original file. Luckily I'd sent the file to the App and so managed to write up another one quickly. Not the best way to back up, but definitely a useful, extra layer to your safety net.

Now go back up your work. Trust me. You'll be glad you did.