So, for about two weeks, my laptop has been sick. For some unknown reason (*coughcough Laptop is really old coughcough*), it choked and died on me, leaving me dependent on my desk top computer for any kind of progress on WIP2. Which wouldn’t have been a bad thing or an inconvenience, really, except that half of my house was still under construction. So, the husband and I had to sleep in my office while the master bedroom was being dolled up with new…well, everything. (No worries, my office is a roomy bedroom, so it fit our bed comfortably. It just happens to house my desktop computer, hence the term “office.”)
Anyway, because desktop computer was also in our makeshift bedroom, I couldn’t exactly make a lot of progress on WIP2. Or, any computer-ing, really, like blog posts and visiting other blogs. For some reason, the hubs can’t sleep with a glowing screen on at night, and waking up to the clickety-clackety-ing of a keyboard in the morning makes him kinda murderous. (Crazy, right?) But, since I love my hubs, I wanted to accommodate him. Therefore, I shifted my normal writing routine from crazy early in the morning (or really late at night, depending on your perspective) to around 7 or 8 PM (basically, when I get home from the paythebills job) till 10 PM (when we go to the gym).
I’m happy to report that as of a few days ago, we moved out of my office, and into the master bedroom. And, as of Thursday evening, I have my laptop again! ^_^ *frabjous day* *callooh callay*
Throughout all this, I learned a few things.
First, “save early, save often” is meaningless if the computer on which I’m saving my files dies of a heart attack and I have no way of retrieving those files. I thank God every day for Dropbox. I don’t know where I’d be without it. Thankfully, hubs was able to recover and save ALL my files, but what if he couldn’t?? ALL my work, all my files would have been lost to me. My only hope would have been that my alpha readers had *some* kind of copies of WIP2. Since The Incident, I’ve backed everything up on a flash drive, and have DVD backups, too, just in case.
Second, I learned to grit my teeth and make the most of the resources that I had, even if the situation wasn’t ideal. I hand wrote pages in the morning. I transcribed them onto the desk top at night. I made excruciatingly slow word count progress on WIP2. All the while, I kept thinking, man, if I were on my laptop, how many pages would I have finished by now? But you know what, I still made progress despite my cramped circumstances, and for that win alone, I will celebrate.
Third, I now have a new appreciation of the freedom that my Laptop gives me, OH SO MUCH. I appreciate the freedom I have to sit in My Chair in the living room and type type type into the wee hours of the morning (not unlike what I’m doing now…;) ) I appreciate having the screen right here instead of at an awkward height/angle like my desk top. I love how my fingers don’t freeze up because Laptop keeps me warm (helps with the typing speed, fo’ sho’). And, I love how FAST I can type on it. I wrote more than my required four-pages this evening without even feeling it.
Anyway, it’s a great luxury for my writing life to have Laptop back in my life again. (Heck, I’ve even made the rounds of my fellow campaigners’ blogs this morning.*) But, I’m happy to know that if a situation arises in which I *can’t* use Laptop again (please oh please let that happen a long time from now, when I have money to replace Laptop), I know that I can continue on with my goals, albeit at a slower rate, and be all right with it.
Speaking of progress, time to add more pages to WIP2. ^_^
*Thank you to all my fellow campaigners for your patience. I have subscribed to ALL the blogs in the groups I’m in via Google Reader, and will have my dystopia/post-apocalyptic group linked and posted with my YA All Genre group on my Campaign page by next week (most likely sooner, of course). Also to my non-Wordpress colleagues, I *just* discovered that I can be a part of that Google Friend Connect thing-y via my Twitter account (I know, kinda slow, but I never bothered to click on it before because I thought I’d need a blogger account!), so as I comment on new blog posts, I’ll be sure to “Join” your site.
**Still so unbelievably happy with Laptop. *pets Laptop* *loving sigh*
Liza Kane 
I shudder to think what would happen if my computer stopped working. I’m not really in a position to buy a new one at the moment. I would probably have to be without one for at least a month, and they would probably have to commit me at some point.
heehee, well, definitely definitely definitely back up all your work then! I’m just grateful that hubs has the patience to revive laptop time and again, including recovering files that he doesn’t *need* to recover (but am glad that he could, and did!)
And yes, in the absolute worst case scenario where not only is laptop beyond recovery, but NONE of my files are saved anywhere at all, you will definitely hear my wails and cries and shrieks…it will probably sound like the harbinger of the apocalypse, but don’t be alarmed: it’ll just be me 😉
I don’t really use Dropbox much, mostly because I already transfer important files back and forth between different machines on a flash drive. It’s true that you never know how dear something is to you until you lose it for a while, isn’t it?
I’m glad that you’ve been reunited with your laptop!
Thanks, and yes, the beginning of this month was a lesson in being grateful for what I have and realizing how much I take for granted!
I want to get to the point where I have the habit of saving everything to something physical like my flash drive. I know my hubs would prefer it. He notsosecretly thinks that dropbox was a main reason my laptop got sick in the first place since it has so much running in the background that my reallyoldandancient laptop just couldn’t keep up!
Glad to hear you worked things out. 😀 And new master bedroom? Saweet, right?
I save everything on a flash drive in hopes of preventing a computer death crisis. I’ve heard about Dropbox. I think I’ll check it out. I’m so freaked out that something will happen and WIP will disappear forever. I don’t know if I have it in me to start over.
Yes SO excited to have a master bedroom…and CLOSETS. I took so much for granted! ah!
And, though I love the convenience of dropbox, I think overall, I prefer having a flash drive at my disposal since it requires fewer software things that may eventually hemorrhage Laptop again.
God, it’s so awful when your laptop conks out! *endoftheworld*
I know right?? *heart stops*
I’m glad you have your laptop back- that must be such a relief. Good for you for finding alternative ways to write while you waited for the repairs. I think I’m the last to learn about Dropbox- thanks for the tip!
Thank you, and I’m glad I can share some fun tidbits! ^_^
My laptop powercord and battery died in the same day and I was without a computer for a week. It was murder! I’m with you–Dropbox is the best 🙂
AH! DUDE, at least I had my desktop! Poor thing to be out a computer for a WEEK! *shivers*
I love the security of using Dropbox. For me, it’s all about availability. My writing time is broken up into so many little snatches of time, I never really know when or where I’ll be when I find a few minutes alone. I’ve got Dropbox installed everywhere I might be, including on my iPod Touch which goes with me EVERYWHERE. While I prefer a full-sized keyboard, I can literally write anywhere and sync the updates as soon as I’ve got a wifi connection.
Glad to hear you’re up and running mobile again!
Thanks John! I’m happy to be mobile! And, I hear you about having dropbox everywhere. I have the app on iPhone and use it to re-read my morning writing session, and then, jot down some notes while on lunch break. (And yes, to a full sized keyboard! The dream is to have a new more portable Lappy to play with!)
I’m glad you saved all of your files! It can be such an inconvenience when computers get sick/die, but it sounds like you handled it well! I really need to write longhand more often. I jot down notes here and there when I don’t have access to my computer, but haven’t had a good “real writing” session in a long time 🙂
I think in the back of my mind, I don’t *really* trust these machines that I depend on SO MUCH, so I always expect the worst! So, when the worst (almost) happened, it kinda lived up to my expectation 😉
Silly machines.
I love my laptop!! I do use several jump drives to back up my work though. I have fears of losing everything. Glad things are in working order.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and offering loads of encouragement. I’m a huge advocate for “No Excuses”. That’s why I know I’ll accomplish all I set out to do. It’s just a matter of time.
Have a great weekend!
Yay, that’s a great mindset Miranda! I’m cheering you on!
I’m so proud of you for being so devoted to progress, even with all the annoying circumstances that hindered you! Thanks for the reminder to Dropbox and make backups of things—I’m good to go and current with backups for all three novels, but absolutely everything else would be lost if something happened.
(Also: you’re so not alone on the Google friend connect thing via Twitter—had NO idea we could do that until I read this post!)
❤
Thanks Kayla! I’m trying, especially since I’m more curious about where my story is going to go more than anything else!
(Glad I wasn’t alone! heehee)
So glad I started using Dropbox as well! Smart move, but the flashdrive is a good idea too, I just um, forget…and then…can’t find it, and well, erm, I just stick with Dropbox mostly:) Yay for shiny working laptop! See you VERY soon chickadee!!!!
Now I’m going to fear losing this flash drive thing! Thankfully, hubs is on top of everything electronic in this house so he won’t let me lose anything like that. ^_^