The screen went blank.
I made a little sound.
Sort of a cross between an gasp and an eep. And dashed to my office to plug the blasted laptop into the power cord.
How bad could it be? That was some of my best work ever sure the computer gods would not let such brilliance disappear. It was amazing writing. Honestly. My character was just about to realize her true potential. I was nearly crying as I wrote it.
It can't be that bad. I soothed as I rebooted my computer. I probably lost a sentence, maybe two. I always save. Don't I? But I was so wrapped up in my character voice. I couldn't be sure. I couldn't breath, or swallow as I waited... and waited for the screen to light up. How bad could it be really? Really? REALLY?
Then there it was, my document. I dropped to my knees. It was ALL GONE. Just a few measly words I'd scrawled first thing this morning remained. And they weren't even in a coherent sentence.
I'm feeling pretty devastated right now. It was very good writing. Some of my best. And now it's lost forever with all of the other forgotten files in the unsaved vortex. I've spent the last two hours trying to recreate it but it's not the same. Just a hollow shell without any of that spunky freshness. *sniff...sniff*
I read once that Ernest Hemingway's first wife Hadley, lost his first completed manuscript on a train. He was never able to recreate it. I'm not at all surprised their marriage ended. It is that devastating to lose the work.
There is only one phrase to describe what I am feeling right now;
OPEN APPLE S.
16 comments:
I'm sorry Kristi. I would just be happy to have written something brilliant. So try to be happy. And remember . . . brilliance will strike again. 'Cause that's the kind of writer you are.
This is why I love my Word program - it saves every few minutes whether I tell it to or not. Boy has that saved my bacon more than once.
My sincere condolences on losing your work - not even a toothache comes close to that kind of pain!
That is so sad. How frustrating. My battery life is like ten minutes, so I'm never unplugged. It has it's disadvantages, too. Like needing an outlet wherever I go...
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your misfortune, though. Also, I have no idea what the last line meant. Is it because I'm a PC nerd?
You'll have to fill me in because my husband is giving me his mostly new macbook and I don't want to make a fool of myself by not knowing the lingo. Okay, that is totally going to happen anyway.
My heart literally sank reading this post. I feel for you!!!
Oh, Kristi, my heart goes out to you. I once lost 5 years worth of poems because I never bothered to type them into the computer, so I know the devastation. Consider yourself hugged. Really, really hard hugged.
Oh, man! Oh, man! I feel for you!
I lost about 10,000 words of a really awesome book when we reconfigured my computer - saved everything onto a flash drive and then the flash drive failed. I haven't recovered yet.
Well, it sounds like I'm in very good company.
Thank you so much for the condolences. It doesn't take away the major "ouch" but I guess it could be worse. Last night I backed up my entire hard drive on two separate external drives and a flash drive. I know it sounds a little redundant but I took your advice. You can never be too careful.
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! I'm very sorry. This is what I do now. I email myself my documents every now and then in an attachment. Then if my computer failed and my flash drive failed, it would still be in my lovely gmail. :)
I hope the muse strikes again soon!
AGGGGGHGHGHGHGGHGH!!!!! I'm so sorry! You need to be taken out to Cafe Rio right NOW.
The "nightengale" was me. I always forget to sign in as myself!
That really sucks! (I don't let my kids say that word, but in this case it really applies). Hope you can "redo" it better than the first!
Ouch, I'm sorry!! It doesn't have one of those temp file options when the power goes out??
I hope you recover it in even better form...
Yes I do need to be taken out to Cafe Rio. Lunch with awesome friends is the only thing that will make it better. Thanks so much for the support. Live and learn I guess. Oh yes, and always save.
Ohhhhhhhhhh!!!!
I feel your pain! My hard drive crashed once and I got physically ill.
On the positive side though, Orson Scott Card once lost a manuscript, had to rewrite it, and then when he found it later he realized his second draft was much better.
good luck
Been there, done that!
hmm. i think you and jason must be cycling in the same orbit. he lost a roll of film tonight... :(
weird, my word verification is "mikedies"
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