Greetings, writers,
I'm pleased to report that ten minutes ago as I write this, I received an email from a local computer fixer who, after several hours of struggle and dashed hopes, managed to find the lost Chapter 1 I wrote about last week.
Now, to move forward in my book I need to locate some notes I remember taking about three weeks ago.
I don't know where they are.
Because if you're anything like me, you have not only various computer files in various places, but you also have any combination of: handwritten pages in journals/notebooks; printouts of drafts that don't even exist as computer files anymore; and random scraps of paper on which you've written notes and ideas.
Not to mention ideas scribbled in the margins of books; index cards on which you've written out scenes and/or plot points; photos and other objects that you use for inspiration or that are relevant to your project; audio files of interviews you've conducted, or maybe of yourself reading your work aloud or talking out your ideas.
The question is: How do you know where to find what you need when you need it? What kind of organization system do you use, and does it work for you?
Or do you have a way to avoid all of this scatter to begin with?
Let me know by visiting this week's post and leaving your thoughts in the comments.
And a great big thank you to all of you who suggested methods for recapturing my chapter and for backing up my stuff in the future. I ended up using a professional (Lincoln Business Machines near Lincoln Sq., if you're local and interested), but I greatly appreciate your time and assistance.
