I remember when I first started to write my first book. I
was so excited because the idea for it just came to me in the middle of some
contemplative thoughts spurred by a traumatic event. For just a moment, I needed to drift away to
a place where I could escape the present anguish and pain I was going through at
the time. I noticed I do that from time to time. I've since learned that it's
part of a writer's DNA. Nevertheless, as soon as I returned from LA-La land, I
pulled out my laptop and began capturing it on paper. My fingers couldn't move
fast enough for the outpouring of thoughts formulated into words reading across
my forehead like the stock ticker on MSNBC.
Before I knew it, the outline was complete from beginning to
end, with character names, places, and the storyline formulated etc..etc..and
now I just needed to fill in the blanks of the details. After a couple of days
went by, I decided to close my laptop and rest on what I just created. The next
time I opened my laptop, my book was GONE!!
My hard drive just stopped working.
After many attempts, to no avail, I gave up & took it to the
experts. As the computer geeks proceeded to tell me that my work, my creative
juices, in essence, my baby...was DEAD! It was on a lifeline and they saw
little to no evidence of brain activity and would have to do major surgery to
gear it up again so that they could possibly retrieve the information. After
hearing that it could run up to hundreds to thousands of dollars, I began to
feel ill & tuned out. Devastation was not enough to describe that feeling
of loss for your work. One's writing is a piece of art; it can't be REcreated
nor duplicated. Initially, I didn't give up & went to several different
experts who ALL told me the same thing or just to take a loss. “A LOSS????” “Are they crazy???”, I screamed to myself.
How does one just take “a loss” with his/her very first book? I finally
conceded. I cried for months and developed a writer's block for almost five
years; until one day...God placed another book in my belly and I began to write
again.
After having
started the second book, eventually He brought into remembrance the first book
and I was able to continue writing the rest of the story. His anointing
reawakened me to whom He created me to be...once a scribe forever a scribe!
Whenever I tell that story, I can't
emphasize enough how important it is to have backup for your work. Nowadays,
even as advanced as technology is, a writer MUST back up his/her work in
several different flash and external
hard drives. Six years ago, I wasn't a GOOgLE Doc enthusiast yet (I’m ashamed to
admit it was my daughter who put me on to becoming one) and concepts of the
cloud was just being introduced into mainstream. Now, even with Google and other cloud programs, I still
have my work backed up in several different places. I figure, once my books are
published then I can erase many of the original drafts but NEVER the final
one. Always retaining the original to
serve as a reminder to never leave work vulnerable like that again!
I took the
liberty of asking for feedback regarding other users of their experiences with
products that are worth the investment.
An external hard drive still remains my #1 choice for saving all work. Designate one solely for your writings
already published or yet to be published. In addition, memory stick/ flash
drives preferably with a password feature is what I use when I’m on the go or
can’t get a signal for wi-fi to sign in to my Google doc
account. Finally, using a program like Google which already has auto update.
My top 5 choice of products based on personal or public
review that can be found in any tech or online
store:
-“Western External” Hard Drive ($29.99-$109 depending on the
memory capacity)
-“My Passport Ultra” ($60-$65)
-“Lexar” flash drive ($6 -$9 bucks)
-“Scandisk” flash drive ($3-$6 bucks)
-Google; create and use an account that provides cloud
memory and the ability to share your work with for example, your editor after
you’ve finished your book.
In my case, thank
you Jesus that the Holy Spirit served as my flawless reminder but we must also
continue to be diligent and treat each time we're able to put that pen to the
paper, as a serious moment in time where we connect to a part of the essence of
our being. ~ Tricia Scott
