John R. Platt - Writing Advice

Writing Advice

Who's Got Your Back(up)?

By John R. Platt

One second. That's all it takes for your hard drive to crash, for a storm to come smashing through your window, for a burglar to pick your front lock, for a fire to start smoldering, or for a tornado to turn your entire home into kindling.

One second for your computer and your entire lifetime of writings to be destroyed.

One second, which could turn into an eternity of regret.

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You think it will never happen to you, of course, and yet, every one of the examples above happened to well-known writers within the last few months.

If that one second happens to you, will you be prepared?

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I'm sure you hear it all the time: "Back up your files." But how many of you do it?

Don't look around the room. I'm talking to you.

I know, I know, you always meant to, but it's such a pain, isn't it?

No, it's not.

Not compared to the alternative.

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There are several steps you should be taking -- right now -- to protect your creative output from the ravages of hardware problems, theft and acts of God.

Step one: buy yourself an external hard drive. For as little as $200 (sometimes even less), you can find a device that has plenty of storage space and will automatically duplicate your files every time you get ready to turn off your PC. It doesn't get much easier than that.

Step two: Think smaller. All of your written files can probably fit, quite easily, on a CD-ROM or a removable jump drive (sometimes called a "thumb drive"). Set a schedule for yourself and back your files up to one of these removable formats every few weeks. You can use any of a number of automatic calendar tools to remind you when it's time.

Step three: Get that CD or jump drive the hell out of your house. Store it at work, in a safety deposit box, in your car, or at your parents' house, anywhere but where you are. Why? Simple: you should always have a backup of your files in a second location, just in case something catastrophic happens to your home. After all, if your computer and your backup are both in the same place, and a hurricane floods your street, they're both going to bet destroyed.

Step four: Repeat.

Now, this isn't the be-all and end-all method for backing up your files. You want the solution that works you, and different things work for different people. For instance, some people use online services which allow you to upload and store your files on a remote server. Some people email their files to themselves at on online account, so they can access them from anywhere. And some people just print everything out.

Find the method that works for you, but please, just find it, before some natural disaster hits your town and takes everything you ever cared about with it.

You've been warned.

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