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Friday, 13 August, 2010
- Integrity: Looking for an honest man and the value of backups.
- Essay: World Doom and Other Mysteries.
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RANT-'o-THE-WEEK:
Last week, my main computer died. It was a slow and painful death, over a week or so, and it finally went toes-up on Thursday night. Friday a.m. at 0900 hours I was parked outside Screwbox Solutions, in downtown Tampa. Owner Steve Bush confirmed my suspicions and then swapped out the drive in two hours flat - exchanging a dead 500MB drive for a live 1TB drive in the process.
I spent the time across the street visiting with a client who, ironically, was the architect who had done the rehabilitation of the building Screwbox was in. I maintain her web site and so was able to see the very space in which the computer was being repaired - including as it was before the building was revived. It amused me a little that the hard drive they removed from themachine had photos in it of the very space in which they were working when they did the surgery.
Steve explained that he had installed a program on the new drive to 'migrate' all the data from my backup onto the new drive. He handed back my broken hard drive. Back home I prepared myself for the adventure. I had done this before. It was still too early to drink but I hooked up my laptop to the backup drive and copied off two fantasy novels that needed review. Then I hooked the backup to the iMac and commenced the 'migration'.
Fifty hours later...Sunday afternoon...I had completed the review on one fantasy novel and was starting the second and the computer was done migrating. The process had transferred programs and documents and settings - almost one million files in total. I then had some cleaning up to do and was back in business in the iMac as if nothing had happened.
My last backup had been after 11 p.m. Thursday, minutes before the crash, so I lost nothing at all. The Time Machine system backs up every hour, in the background. I have a few odd things to deal with, some minor technical glitches to correct. You never get away totally unscathed. But, thanks to an automatic backup system, I am not out any lost data.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE SOME FORM OF AUTOMATIC BACKUP, GET IT NOW!
FEATURED
COURSES:
| Book Promotion |
Even the best book won't sell unless people know it's available. Learn how to present your book for greater sales whether you have a publisher or are self-publishing. |
| Book Promotion Timetable Workshop |
All authors, whether self-published or published by a publishing house, must take major responsibility for the promotion of their books. Learn what needs to happen and when each step should be taken. |
| Book Reviews |
When you read a book, you always have an opinion about it, don’t you? Well, why not turn that opinion into cash by writing book reviews? How do you get books to review and where are the best places to peddle your freelance reviews after you’ve written them? |
| Choosing Your Voice |
Are you telling your stories in the most convincing, most dramatic voice? |
| Photography for Writers |
Being able to take photos, or find photos, to accompany your writing can help sell the story, keep control over your work, and even earn you extra money. |
SCHOOL
NEWS: New course! Novel Notions for the Novelist is a class that guarantees to enrich your writing efforts by means of creative visual, verbal, and hands-on activities. The lessons in the course provide helpful suggestions and practical advice to any writer who has faced the proverbial question, "Where do I go from here?" Whether your characters run into a brick wall, or you just run out of ideas, Novel Notions for the Novelist will get your creative juices running again.
Commas: That Tricky Little Dot (A 1-week seminar): Writers like to decorate their papers with commas. Some writers just put in commas where it feels right, sounds right, or looks right. Commas are not decorative objects. This course will teach writers to use commas when it is right. |
WHO's
DOING WHAT: Awww! Cute animals! Susan Farewell's web site, http://farewelltravels.com has a video of white lions and cubs. check it out. When not traveling or writing about travel, Farewell teaches two courses for WritersCollegee.com: Stop Talking About it; Just Write and Travel Writing.
Need more news about YOU! What's up in your writing life? Tell us. Click here to send me YOUR news.
INTERESTING WEB SITES FOR WRITERS: The 33rd Annual International 3-Day Novel Contest takes place over the 2010 Labour Day Long Weekend (Sept. 4-6, 2010). For more than 30 years, hundreds of writers step up to the challenge each Labour Day weekend, fuelled by nothing but adrenaline and the desire for spontaneous literary nirvana. It’s a thrill, a grind, a 72-hour kick in the pants and an awesome creative experience. How many crazed plotlines, coffee-stained pages, pangs of doubt and moments of genius will next year’s contest bring forth? And what will you think up under pressure?
Costs $50 U.S. to enter.
Prizes: 1st Prize: Publication. 2nd Prize: $500 3rd Prize: $100
More info at http://www.3daynovel.com
ESSAY: World Doom and other Mysteries
Isn't there some saying that every journalist has a novel manuscript in his or her desk drawer? Here we are, a bunch of ruthless nonfiction writers—speaking for myself here—who would rush a flamethrower for a buck, envious of the creative freedom of the novelist and wondering how to make that work financially.
Count me among you. I have one mystery done and am working on a sequel and also a five-book fantasy series of which I have written two.
Thus far, no trees have been injured in the making of these books. ...
click here to read the full essay
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Stephen
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Director@WritersCollege.com |
