This Week in writing:
Holy cow ya’ll so much has happened this week.
I’ll just jump right into it and make a +qq+ story short, my manuscript got deleted. It’s a classic tale of broken usb. I opened my laptop bag to find my flash drive broken in two pieces. It was one of my biggest fears realized, for like half a second. Luckily for me I printed out my manuscript it a while back. That said, the initial shock of it breaking and the thought of that I may have lost it all sent me into a tail spin. In no small terms, I was devasted. That usb was my safety net. It was my concrete evidence of years of hard work all complied in wires and data, and just like that it was gone. I felt so lost ya’ll. I closed myb1o2qv laptop in complete defeat. Decided I wasn’t writing anymore that day or the next day, and I took some time for myself. I spent that time to thinking of what I’ve lost, what I currently have, and what’s left to gain from all this.
So what let’s look at what I’ve lost, the digital copy of not only one but three manuscripts of the series I’ve currently working on, my safety net and a little bit of my confidence. The flash drive which not only includes the novel I’m currently working on but the next two novel in that series has acted as a foundation on which I’ve built my confidence and if I‘m being honest a little bit of my drive. I’ve been working on that manuscript since 2015 and it is my child. But now that I ‘ve cried and screamed about that loss. I can move on and build on a new foundation. I’ve accepted what was lost and I’m ready to move forward and focus what I do have.
What I do have, is a paper copy of all three manuscripts, a digital copy of the chapter I was reworking, and a fresh perspective of writing. I’m feeling kind of free, as weird as that sounds. I’m still sad about the broken usb, as well as copies of other projects that are now lost forever. I loved holding on to that usb and thinking “here it is, here is my dream, in the flesh” (well in wires and data) and now I don’t have that. I don’t have anything to show for my hard work and that sucks, but it’s all going to be okay, because if I did it once, I can do it again.
What I have to gain now that I’ve accepted that loss, I can look at what I have to gain from this. I said in my last week in writing that I was reworking chapter 1 and thank God I didn’t lose that chapter. It’s really the new foundation on which I will build this next rough draft on. I will need to rethink how I edit my book now, since I’ve been using the flash for quick edits, and aside for the obvious getting back up for my backups. I used to heavily rely on technology to edit. I’m going to try the paper route and see how it works for me.
Looking at the next couple of week I want to focus on recapturing that feeling again: to look down at a new sturdier usb and know my book is on that, and just for good measure I’ll make sure I have a physical copy to just to be sure. Hopefully one day instead of just usb, I’ll have a hardcover to show for my work. What are ya’ll’s week looking like in terms of writing, tell me in the comments below, till then go create something.
