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Down the Bumpy Road of Writing:

OUCH!. . .THAT HURT

            A task so simple, but too often neglected, can cause grief and regrets.

The words I use to describe this simple task are nuisance, irritating, tedious, time consuming, dreaded, and hated chore. I’m not talking about cleaning the toilet, but most times I view it in the same light. That dreaded task is…backup.

Backup is something every computer user should know how to do and do on a regular basis. Something so crucial, if left undone, can destroy your happiness and peace of mind in a matter of seconds, not to mention all the hard work that could be lost forever. Although everyone has been warned what can happen if backup is not performed on a regular basis, most computer user seldom take the time to follow through and actually perform the task consistently, if at all.

As a writer, I look at backup as a pesky responsibility that takes time out of my day and away from what I love to do most. Unlike other annoying jobs that pulls me from writing, if left undone, I will live to regret it. How do I know this? Experience.

Several years ago when I was just a budding wannabe writer, my husband bought me my very own computer. I didn’t have to share it with anyone, I could write ‘til the cows came home (which is rather hard since I don’t own any cows), and write, write, write. Boy, did I ever utilize that little sucker. I was burning the midnight oil and my fingers were flying across those keys putting wings on my words.

Within a year, I had written several articles, children’s books, a novel, and other writings in various stages. Talk about prolific, I was! I was cranking out those pages right and left on my computer, really going to town…whew! It was a wonder I didn’t have calluses on the tips of my little pinkies or go brain dead at the speed I was working. I had over a year’s worth of work, plus research, setting on my hard-drive. Of course, they weren’t all masterpieces, but to me they were, and it amounted to hundreds of hours of blood, sweat, and tears, especially tears after what happened.

You already know where I’m going with this, and you’re correct…my one-year-one-month-old out-of-warranty computer crashed. It would have been nice if the hard-drive had just locked up, but no, it didn’t. It crashed, rolled, and burned, and then the final insult, fried itself to death. Ouch! Did that ever hurt.

I was told by the computer expert there would be no way to retrieve the information stored on my hard-drive, unless I wanted to spend several thousands of dollars, and even then it would be iffy (he used doubtful) that anything could be retrieved.

Was I ever sick. I wanted to roll up into a ball and cry.

Did I have any backup? No, of course not! Oh, how I wished, repeatedly, that I did, but I didn’t. And did I ever castigate myself for my stupidity. I knew better. It was my fault, no one else’s.

To make matters worst, I was even more dim-witted. I only had hard copies of a few of my short stories, nothing more. I hear you…how brainless can you be?…and I was. However, since that day, I have used that evil to my good. I learned a lesson—the hard way for sure—but one I will not forget.

However, I have a question for you. How long has it been since you backed up your computer? If your computer crashed right this moment, would you have a printout of the vital information that is stored on the hard-drive, or a disc with all your critical information? How about those personal memoirs, the family tree research, addresses, accounting records? Do you see where I’m going with this?

I was in an SCBWI chapter meeting when a woman stood up and told of her personal experience. Living in an upstairs apartment, early one morning her husband took their dog for the morning do your business walk. The wife was still in bed when she heard a crashing sound and a thumping on the floor. Thinking it was her husband, she didn’t give it much thought. That is until a few minutes later when she heard her husband yell something. Within a matter of minutes, a thief had entered their house, stolen her computer, and was never caught. Fortunately, she had backup of her work in progress except for the last 3-6 pages and just a few other pieces of work on a memory stick. She had lost everything else, but she at least had hard copies of her stories in her file drawer that she could recreate.

It's a hard lesson to learn, but I have learned it big time! I backup religiously. My mama didn’t raise no stupid child, and it doesn’t have to happen to me twice before I learned the lesson of backup.

Every Friday morning a reminder pops up on my computer screen and asks – Hey! Have you backed up the computer today? Remember What Happened? DO IT NOW!

It may sound silly, but it’s a simple way to remind me to backup my computer hard-drive with a vivid picture in my mind of what could happen if I don’t. I learned the hard way, but oh, what a graphic, devastating lesson to learn. One that I am still recovering from to this day and wish to never go through again.

My computer may never crash again, but if it does, I’m prepared. I have everything on disc and an external hard drive. My day-to-day revisions I backup on a memory stick. Over-cautious, you bet! A person only has to go through something that traumatic to become very conscientious about backing up their computer.

There are many products and services on the market and internet to help simplify the backup process and it is senseless not to make use of them. There are discs, external hard-drives, memory sticks, internet online storage, and many more ways to store your data that I haven’t mentioned.

The products are easy to find and purchase in the stores or online. Most of these products or services are of minimal cost to you, but will save you weeks, months, or even years of hard work trying to recreate what you have lost. If you backup weekly, you will never end up like me, wishing you had. The only reason not to backup is pure downright laziness!

My advice to anyone using a computer is, do something extra special today for your peace of mind. Backup your computer now. Mark your calendar or computer program to notify you weekly to backup your work, then follow-through.

Backup is simple and easy. Select the folders you want to backup and then begin. If your computer is as full as mine you may have to wait for while for the backup to take place. Just do what I do—get a cup of coffee, or in my case, a cup of tea, sit back and savor the flavor as you rest with ease knowing you’re doing something good for yourself and your peace of mind. It’s called…BACKUP!

Happy computing.

Janice Olson

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