I've never lost anything and save my work in several places. But to people who are starting out, this is good advice. And yeah. never write on the document where you have your notes. 

This has happened to me. I had a file become corrupted, and when I went to the backup in the cloud, it was several days old. So, a story that was pushing the 6000-word mark, ended up with just a small piece of just under 700 words, or so. I was devastated. After a day or two, I went back and finished the work, and had some friends look it over, and it got posted. I have both physical and digital copies of my Notes Journal, and it works for me. Some of my best thinking happens, usually where I'm someplace away from my laptop. That's when the pen and paper come out. 

But, even being bit by the TechnoDemons, I still use the digital landscape for notes.

2 minutes ago, Myr said:

I'd strongly, strongly, strongly, recommend that you take advantage of the cloud.  My writing is backed up on every computer I've got, and One Drive and Dropbox.  

Just saying.

I use Dropbox as well, but I will also email stuff to myself constantly.  I found two of my old NaNoWriMo novels that way.  

1 minute ago, Myr said:

My writing is backed up on every computer I've got, and One Drive and Dropbox.

I don't have Dropbox, but I use OneDrive and Google Drive. Cross-platform OneNote is a GODSEND!!! I can do notes at home, and access them on any computer.

I'd also suggest using the Save As... command to create a new version with a different file name in your word processor. Doing this, if you accidentally save over your work (classic example - I once hit Select All (ctrl-a), hit the space bar, and saved over my file, making it blank. All in a fit of spastic hand motion. By having an earlier version under a different file name, I recovered almost everything).

Also, the "Save" command only saves changes to the document, making it larger because of all the save-tracking metadata that's saved with the file. Using Save as... forces the file to be rebuilt without that extra data, making it smaller and potentially removing corrupted data that could cause problems later.

Try it - save a document normally, then use Save As to create a new file. The new file will be quite a bit smaller.

With Windows 10 and OneDrive everything is synchronized and when it's working it's glorious. 

This article has reminded me of something though: 

The first file I ever tried  using the cloud to make available anywhere, is my budget spreadsheet workbook. Design on my desktop, make notes on my phone, my laptop when I was on vacation, awesome. 

Until...

Microsoft had some kind of glitch.  the glitch isn't necessarily relevant so I'm going to put it in a spoiler to save room. 

 The problem was on their server not my device or my file, and they fixed it.  Without ever acknowledging the problem was there. 

And this one time, at (band camp XD) work, a few weeks into having our shift notes and shift schedule in cloud files,  Our entire campus lost its internet service. No internet, no cloud. 

One was scary, one was frustrating. 

 I wonder if Google has a program you can install on your computer to automatically synchronize files on your computer hard drive with your Google Drive. I think so... XP I wonder if I could set it to automatically copy the folder that automatically synchronizes with my OneDrive.  anytime my desktop is on the two would synchronize. 

I must try this. Then I should get my external hard drives in on this too.  because if I had to have the same panic attack over a story? 

Oh. Oh!  One time, The Office 365 cloud at work was broken even though the internet wasn't. 

I have an iCloud, I guess... *cough" Rotten Fruit *cough*

 I can't do the paper and pencil thing, I write very slowly, and tire quickly.  After about a page I wouldn't be able to read my own writing. 

 Oh, this one time when I was a kid I was away from home for a few weeks, somebody spilled something on a notebook full of story ideas stuff while I was gone. Ruined. ( when I was a kid, kids did not have access to their own computer all the time)

My advice to you pencil pushers is scan a copy of your notebooks. Maybe use loose leaf paper in 3-ring binders,  have a scanner with a document feeder, and be careful not to crinkle the corner edges. 

No solution is perfect, spread the seed of your creativity  to as many places as you can. 

Edit:  using Microsoft Office and one drive, OneDrive automatically creates periodic versions that you can view or switch back to.  especially useful on a spreadsheet.

6 minutes ago, VampireMystic said:

I wonder if Google has a program you can install on your computer to automatically synchronize files on your computer hard drive with your Google Drive.

Yes. It's called "Backup and Sync from Google." I have it on my laptop. You just have to tweak what folders you want to save, and how it handles deletion of files.

I use Google Drive. I prefer Microsoft Word over Google Docs, or Pages. Simply because fewer format issues. I added the Google Drive plugin to Microsoft Word. Keeps it synced.

15 minutes ago, BHopper2 said:

Yes. It's called "Backup and Sync from Google." I have it on my laptop. You just have to tweak what folders you want to save, and how it handles deletion of files.

I was going for irony there. But thanks.

Also: Who wonders how many have died trying to get Com's notebooks?

Minefield, Laser grid Dire Wolves, Vampire Panthers, the list goes on I'm sure.

Extraplanlar guardian? Probably.

No thanks.

I'll just...

Keep Calm and Wait for Comicality

#I Want to Live

27 minutes ago, VampireMystic said:

Also: Who wonders how many have died trying to get Com's notebooks?

 

Minefield, Laser grid Dire Wolves, Vampire Panthers, the list goes on I'm sure.

 

Extraplanlar guardian? Probably.

 

No thanks.

 

I'll just...

 

Keep Calm and Wait for Comicality

#I Want to Live

I picture a tomb raider setup. A ground that drops out from under you, poison darts. Very sophisticated boobytraps.

1 hour ago, VampireMystic said:

 I wonder if Google has a program you can install on your computer to automatically synchronize files on your computer hard drive with your Google Drive. I think so... XP I wonder if I could set it to automatically copy the folder that automatically synchronizes with my OneDrive.  anytime my desktop is on the two would synchronize. 

No.  The OneDrive folder doesn't work. Seen as empty. Or, "Not your original folder, locate the original"

Oddly, after I verified copies were available offline, I was able to manually upload it like a normal file. Manual update it is.

This is why people generally have ONE service they use.They don't play nice.

Hmm. Chrome extension claims it will do this thing. All I have to do is create an account with THEM and feed them all my others./

One account to rule them all? Or one point of failure?

Cloudhq, any users here?

Anyone have another solution.

7 minutes ago, BlindAmbition said:

I picture a tomb raider setup. A ground that drops out from under you, poison darts. Very sophisticated boobytraps.

Naw, the Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones types always SURVIVE those... see what I'm saying?

EDIT: Why is my reason for edit not displaying I wonder?

amen and hallelujah

34 minutes ago, VampireMystic said:

Cloudhq, any users here?

Decided to try it. They made it a little too easy to sync OneDrive. To add a second you have to go over to onedrive and sign out of one and into the other, first. (Uses the session to go straight to "This app would like access to..."

By the time my daisy chain of backups is finished, I'll have five copies of my writing folder.

Only once you have started do they say "You are using the free plan, you will be throttled. Unless you give us money."

Is this a protection racket?

(Get it? IXD)

2 hours ago, Gene Splicer PHD said:

I'd also suggest using the Save As... command to create a new version with a different file name in your word processor. Doing this, if you accidentally save over your work (classic example - I once hit Select All (ctrl-a), hit the space bar, and saved over my file, making it blank. All in a fit of spastic hand motion. By having an earlier version under a different file name, I recovered almost everything).

Also, the "Save" command only saves changes to the document, making it larger because of all the save-tracking metadata that's saved with the file. Using Save as... forces the file to be rebuilt without that extra data, making it smaller and potentially removing corrupted data that could cause problems later.

 

Try it - save a document normally, then use Save As to create a new file. The new file will be quite a bit smaller.

This is the method I use - in combination with the day's date eg filenameFeb25a -then I change the 'a' to a 'b' for the next Save As, and so on. This way I know at a glance when a file was made and which is the most up to date.

3 hours ago, VampireMystic said:

Decided to try it. They made it a little too easy to sync OneDrive. To add a second you have to go over to onedrive and sign out of one and into the other, first. (Uses the session to go straight to "This app would like access to..."

By the time my daisy chain of backups is finished, I'll have five copies of my writing folder.

 

Only once you have started do they say "You are using the free plan, you will be throttled. Unless you give us money."

Is this a protection racket?

(Get it? IXD)

I have Adobe Creative Cloud with my designers tools so I'm set. I can get things anywhere I need to if I log into Adobe. I also am thinking of expanding iCloud which works even more universally for all my Macs and auto-synchs.

2 minutes ago, MrM said:

 

I have Adobe Creative Cloud with my designers tools so I'm set. I can get things anywhere I need to if I log into Adobe. I also am thinking of expanding iCloud which works even more universally for all my Macs and auto-synchs.

Being blind, I mostly use Apple products. Better overall screen reader experience. Be careful with iCloud. It has many limitations, and not always dependable. It just works is not a true slogan.

6 minutes ago, BlindAmbition said:

Being blind, I mostly use Apple products. Better overall screen reader experience. Be careful with iCloud. It has many limitations, and not always dependable. It just works is not a true slogan.

That's true which is why I am getting more comfortable with Creative Cloud's storage too and downloading my texts to all of my devices.