Nothing is more disappointing than a lost story. Digital files are so impermanent but seem so safe. Copy the file to a backup disk, move it with your documents to a new computer and save on a floppy. "Save on a floppy?" you ask. Yes, for some reason it was once thought that portable disks were a means to store your work.
I had two stories that ended up saved to a 3.5 disk for safety. Only when you do to retrieve them for publication, it seems that technology has passed you by. I have two desktops in my home and four laptops as well as five tablets and six smart phones. None of them have 3.5 inch disk drives anymore.
So when I went to upload the story "The Cove" I was thwarted. It only existed on an old disk, which I no longer had the means to access. I asked friends and family and struck out.
I then dug around. I had to have a hard copy somewhere. Not in my files. Not in the box in the garage. Sadly, not at my desk where I put all my hard copies.
So instead I decided to write another story and let it go. I pulled out my laptop which was too heavy to carry around and began to cull out the unnecessary documents I was carrying around.
Sweet! I had a hard copy among the very old files. So, though the upload of stories meant for October are not yet there, they soon will be.
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