Ready to scream or cry...

[dreamflower]

In SPITE of compulsively hitting save nearly every paragraph, my computer somehow failed to save ALL THE WORK I DID ON MY BB TODAY! Over 3,000 words, gone! Just-- GONE!

I probably won't be able to reproduce what I did today. I was very pleased with it.

Now it's GONE!

I've no idea if I will be able to finish now.

Comments

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

Oh no!!! That's terrible! I wonder what could have happened???

*hugs you*

I wish I was a tech whiz that could tell you how to retrieve it...

[dreamflower]

I am beginning to think it was something to do with the file rather than the computer.

I started rewriting last night. I hope I can get caught back up.

[nancylea57.livejournal.com]

so sorry!

mine sometimes spits things out of completely unrelated places, have you tried looking in some of your other files?

[dreamflower]

All over the place. I find the file, but none of the changes saved, even though I'd been hitting "save".

[ramblin_rosie]

AUGH! :'( *hugs*

[dreamflower]

((hugs back))

[gamgeefest.livejournal.com]

((((hugs)))) That's awful! There's nothing that feels worse than pouring your heart and soul in a story and have it disappear.

It's not perfect, but until you can get the problem fixed, you can work on it in Yahoo and email it to yourself. At least it's saved somewhere.

[dreamflower]

I am now copy/pasting an email, as well as backing up the file AS I WORK, and putting a copy in Dropbox. I can't work in Google docs right now. Since my last updates, Google docs won't cooperate with IE or Firefox. I think they are trying to force Google Chrome on me, but I don't want to add another browser.

Anyway, I'm not sure this could have been avoided. It seems to have been a problem with the file itself.

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!!! *hugs*

[dreamflower]

(((hugs back)))

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

That's awful. Try using the "search" function to look in hidden files and see if it got saved in the wrong place somehow. (I'm sure you've already done the "undo" thing.)

I don't know if googledocs would work for you. When I'm having computer problems I work there. (And I'm still paranoid.)

[dreamflower]

Google docs doesn't like me right now.

I seem to still have the file-- just none of the writing was saved in spite of me hitting save, so I'm thinking that the problem was in the file itself.

[shirebound]

Oh no, how utterly frustrating!!! I'm so sorry, my friend.

[dreamflower]

(((hugs))) It was utterly disheartening, but I'm hoping the re-writing won't be as hard...*sigh*

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

I don't know what kind of computer you have but a lot of computers have a function where you can search for words anywhere in the computer. It has helped me find documents that somehow got hidden deep away. Maybe this is what rabidsamfan was talking about (?). I have the feeling that it's somewhere in there, just saved in a weird place! I wish I could help you more specifically but I've had a Mac for the last few years and just can't seem to remember the other computers' functions!

I do hope you find it! I'm sorry this happened -- that REALLY sucks! *hugs you*

[dreamflower]

I've begun to believe the fault was in the file. I can find two copies of the exact file, but none of the new material I put in yesterday is on either of them.

[lilybaggins.livejournal.com]

OMG that SUCKS. You poor thing!

I had that happen once with a fic, and there are FREE programs you can download to recover lost files. If it's just been deleted accidentally, it is still there on your hard drive---somewhere.

I was able to recover a fic one time using such a program... I had to redo the formatting, but it worked. I don't remember what program I used, but I did get it from a reputable site like download.com or bleepingcomputer.com.

Don't give up yet!

[dreamflower]

The file's still there, just none of the stuff I wrote yesterday. I am not sure how it happened, because I did hit save a LOT. (I've lost writing before through not hitting save, so now I'm compulsive about it.)

But I've never lost THAT MUCH before!

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry,it is a horrible feeling to lose your writing.

[dreamflower]

*nods* Uh-huh. It is.

[addie71.livejournal.com]

That's terrible! *hugs*

[dreamflower]

((hugs back))

[gentlehobbit.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness--that's heartbreaking. When you've poured out so much creativity...

I wonder what went wrong? Perhaps you could take it to an outfit to see if you can either retrieve the data, or to find out what's wrong with your computer. That shouldn't have happened.

*hugs you*

[dreamflower]

I'm beginning to think it was the file itself, rather than the computer. But anyway...(((hugs back)))

[telperion1.livejournal.com]

I saw your comment over at GFIC. I'm really, really sorry. I remember quite literally crying when three ficlets (by which I mean short stories in the 1,500-3,000 word range) disappeared somehow in a BMEM-like writing frenzy. It is so frustrating!

If more time will help with this, let me know and I will tell the MEFA crowd not to expect your input as we finish up categorizing. Not pushing you out, of course, but I completely understand if you need the time.

[dreamflower]

(((hugs)))) Thanks, dear! I am going to write like crazy today and try to catch back up!

[inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com]

Poor you. This once happened to me with an entire chapter. Like you I was devasted but decided to rewrite the entire thing from scratch. It was surprising how much fell into place and I think it ended up better. All the best, I hope you put it together a second time.

[dreamflower]

I recall losing a chapter before when writing "A New Reckoning". But it wasn't nearly this much, and I wasn't on a deadline.

Anyway, I've already started the re-write, and it's going faster, since I'm not completely making it up from scratch, and I have some longhand snippets to help guide me.

[ellynn-ithilwen.livejournal.com]

Oh no! :( I am so sorry to hear that. :( I know how you feel. *big hug*
I really hope you'll be able to recover the file. *fingers crossed*

[dreamflower]

(((hugs back)))

The strange thing is, the file's not gone-- but none of my "saves" took.

Needless to say, as I write now, I am backing up as I go.