# Need motivation.



## pheonix (Nov 27, 2008)

I just recently lost a 147 page story that I wasn't finished with yet and this isn't the first time I've lost my work. It's happened 5 times in the past few years. My problem is I'm too afraid to write another story cause I think my work will be wasted again. What should I do and how do I get my motivation back?


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## Tonbogiri (Nov 27, 2008)

Start writing again. Keep copy in your computer, one on a flash drive somewhere safe, and keep a hard copy somewhere safe as well.


Probably shouldn't keep the hard copy and flash drive together though. If something happens to one of them, you'd probably lose both.


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## pheonix (Nov 27, 2008)

Tonbogiri said:


> Start writing again. Keep copy in your computer, one on a flash drive somewhere safe, and keep a hard copy somewhere safe as well.
> 
> 
> Probably shouldn't keep the hard copy and flash drive together though. If something happens to one of them, you'd probably lose both.



Well I don't have a flash drive so I hate when people tell me that and I lost my copy on the computer because someone wanted to give me a virus intentionally so I didn't have enough time to burn it to a disk cause I almost immediately had to wipe my drive to avoid permanent damage. I don't write on paper anymore cause I can't read my own handwriting so I type all off it. (trying to get money to get a printer)


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## Tonbogiri (Nov 27, 2008)

Ouch. Wish I could send you one of the flash drives I have around here somewhere.


Best advice I could give though, CDs work too...and if you're ancient...floppies even.


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## foozzzball (Nov 27, 2008)

Get a webmail account, e-mail it to yourself.


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## FurryWurry (Nov 27, 2008)

Why not upload your unfinished stories to your scraps folder on FA?

Call it a WIP until it's finished. Sometimes people will even provide useful comments!


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## TakeWalker (Nov 27, 2008)

If you've got any money at all, you can find small flash drives for ten bucks at OfficeMax. That's what I use to back up my writing (though I sometimes wonder if there isn't a better backup to use).


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## SnowFox (Nov 27, 2008)

pheonix said:


> I just recently lost a 147 page story that I wasn't finished with yet and this isn't the first time I've lost my work. It's happened 5 times in the past few years. My problem is I'm too afraid to write another story cause I think my work will be wasted again. What should I do and how do I get my motivation back?



That really sucks that you lost that amount of work, I'd probably cry. I've been stupid and not backed up reports that once counted to 60% of my grade in a class and lost it a day before it was due. But surely you can find some way of backing things up? Flash drives don't cost that much any more, you could email it to yourself or upload it to FA like people have already said. You could even get something like a freewebs account where you get about 40MB I think, and if its only stuff like word documents, then it should be enough.


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## makmakmob (Nov 27, 2008)

I agree with these guys; upload your stuff to FA or Yahoo. Best way.


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## kitreshawn (Nov 27, 2008)

Get a gmail account and upload files there.  You can either email yourself the file or get Firefox which has a plugin that will let you use Gmail as a online storage service.

I also agree with the pin drive thing.  If you don't have one they are really cheap, especially the smaller ones.  Even the large ones are coming down in price (I got an 8 gig about a year ago for 40 dollars, I suspect it is cheaper still now).

If you have a notebook to write, a copy on your computer, a copy on a pin drive, and a copy on Gmail you can be almost 100% sure that at least one will survive.


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## pheonix (Nov 30, 2008)

I didn't have the chance to this time cause of time issues but if I start writing again I'll start backing up my files, I wanted motivation but everyone's focused on how I didn't back up my files. lol Oh well I'll get over the lose and the fear of losing eventually.


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## mrredfox (Nov 30, 2008)

how did you loose it exactly? you may be able to download software to search for recent deletions and recover it


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## FurryWurry (Nov 30, 2008)

Without knowing you better, how can we suggest something that might motivate you? Different people need to be pushed in different ways.

One way is just to write every day. It doesn't matter how bad it is. Set a goal and stick to it. A goal like that is what NaNoWriMo provides, for example. But if you really want to be a writer, you have to provide it yourself.


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## Jax (Nov 30, 2008)

Pheonix...that sucks! I lost a trilogy once...fire...backup yes but they were next to my PC. Telling you to back up now...you have that part figured out. Just start rebuilding it. Just work with the highlights and work backwards, whatever works. You'll probably end up with a better product than you started with. Motivation...START WRITING NOW OR WE WILL FOREVER BUG YOU! Really, sometimes you just have to force yourself. Easier to recreate than start from scratch. E-mail it to a friend. E-mail it bit by bit to me! Anyone...but don't let it die. FW...you wrote me and got me out of a slump. Sometimes it takes external. But Pheonix, he is right, in the end it is up to you. Just know there are a few out there who are there for ya!


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## V_D_O (Dec 2, 2008)

Well, if you're afraid you'll lose everything again, it'll be pretty hard for you to get motivated, right? Just get a thumb drive. If you check sale pages, you should have no troubles whatsoever getting one for under $10.
Backup early, and often. External storage is cheap and easy.


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## RailRide (Dec 3, 2008)

pheonix said:


> Well I don't have a flash drive so I hate when people tell me that and I lost my copy on the computer because someone wanted to give me a virus intentionally so I didn't have enough time to burn it to a disk cause I almost immediately had to wipe my drive to avoid permanent damage.



There are utilities out there that can recover files even after a format, provided the location of the original fine has not been overwritten.

BTW, how did someone intentionally give you a virus?

---PCJ


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## Meliz (Dec 3, 2008)

flash drives are easy buying. cheap and easy (insert favorite yo momma joke here), just sit in the street, look miserable and beg for money. you think i haven't? people will pitch you a quarter now and again and then you just get up and walk to the store and get one of those thingies with a lot of space on em.

no, seriously, begging is still the easiest way to make money. and if you look miserable enough, (and a bit filthy, but not too much) you can make quite a bit of money.

and never give up. your loyalty should be to your story, not to your whim ^^


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## pheonix (Dec 4, 2008)

RailRide said:


> BTW, how did someone intentionally give you a virus?
> ---PCJ



lol funny one.


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## SnowFox (Dec 4, 2008)

was it that linux guy? I can't remember. And was he banned?


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## Jax (Dec 5, 2008)

pheonix....come on...you motivated yet? now I am loosing motivation just because I worry about you loosing motivation...


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## pheonix (Dec 11, 2008)

SnowFox said:


> was it that linux guy? I can't remember. And was he banned?



I think that's what his name was, I haven't seen the fucker around since he crashed my computer but I know he only got a warning.

And Jax: don't lose your motivation cause of me, I'm sure you write good stories and should keep on writing. I'll jump in the game again when I get over the fear of losing my work.^_^


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## Jax (Dec 11, 2008)

Seems every time I've run into a slump there is always someone pulling me back up. You'll be back in the game soon. If I ever finish my current series (which I admit I hope keeps going longer than me) then I might start again wit the one I lost. It will happen, and I think it will be far better than it was the first go round. 
That is the key though, just one moment, one little start and it al starts flowing again. Sound foolish I know, but I hate to think of characters "born" but not developed. Oh, after reading your post I did  quickly back up my story home and at work...just in case. Book one is just about in the can...now on to the next series


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