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August 30, 2007 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as CyberTalk

Today my topic is one we’d all rather NOT think about, although many of us take precautions.

I’m talking about what happened to me just a week ago: my hard drive crashed. And, yes, it took everything with it. This was the second time that happened to me. The first time was a slow drawn-out process where I could tell it was going and I quickly backed up everything. Since then, I bought an external hard drive and back up frequently so I thought I was safe from data loss. But the truth is, you have to be very diligent and crafty to achieve that and I hadn’t been due to my travels and various other things.

What can you do to guard against data loss completely? Burn candles? Light incense? Pray to the computer gods?

Maybe that will help, but the best way to keep the bottom from dropping out is to have a redundant backup program that you adhere to with the fervor of a religious zealot. All it takes is losing your WIP once to get you there. But it’s even better if you do this without the upfront data loss.

Here are my suggestions:

1/ Have an external hard drive and back up your data and preference files (and anything you’ve customized) on a regular basis, like weekly, biweekly but no less than monthly.

2/ Have a safe place on the internet where you can backup your files. If you have a Mac you can purchase a .mac account. There are loads of other services that offer to backup your data files, but here are some suggestions that are by no means exhaustive of what’s available.

Start a yahoo group with your critique group or you could have your own. Save your writing files in the file area. Make sure it is NOT accessible to the public (yahoo has a “management” area where you do this).

Get a gmail account (they come with a HUGE amount of storage) and email your WIP to yourself every day at the end of your writing session. If you don’t have a gmail account and you want one, leave me a message in the comments and I’ll send you an invitation.

3/ Put your files on a USB flash drive (one of those little things you plug into your computer). Be aware that these drives can fail, so this must be part of a redundant system.

4/ Burn all your old an unchanging data files (like those manuscripts you’ve sold or the ones that are gathering cyber-dustbunnies on your hard drive) to CD. Get them out of your house unless you are impervious to fires, earthquakes, or loss. Put them in a safe deposit box, or give them to a trusted family member or friend. CDs can fail too, so it doesn’t hurt to have two sets out there.

5/ If you have a Google account you can upload your WIP to the “documents” area and even work on it there. This is a good way to do things if you float from computer to computer. It’s easy to download them onto a local host at any time.

6/ If you have a website and it has a secure area, you can FTP your files there.

Whatever you do, do something and do it now. If I’d been a bit more diligent about backing up my finances (my writing files survived), I wouldn’t be losing part of this upcoming three day weekend to resurrecting three months worth of transactions instead of revising my WIP.

Somehow, Gina manages to work some writing time in around her internet adventures. In addition to posting here, she blogs on The Gina Channel, Romancing the Skein, and Title Wave.

And yes, her computer screen really has burned itself into her glasses.

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BOOK CLUBS – What goes on in a book club stays in a book club

There are faux book clubs. The members tend to read Oprah books, non-
fiction, and actually work the workbooks for discussion. The call
themselves book clubs and books are involved — but they aren’t the
real thing.

You also have sort-of book clubs that are more Branson than Vegas.
Members come and go. Anyone is welcome. Often there is a leader that
coordinates everything into a nice pleasant experience.

But the other book clubs, the ones that experience camaraderie that
goes beyond secret handshakes, beyond age, race, religion, or
economics…those book clubs are real book clubs. The activities they
engage in are never discussed with casual acquaintances, against the
rules in most work places, and isn’t even shared with spouses.

What do they do? The members experience a deeply private intimacy
that normally only a faceless author is privy to. In the context of
reading books together members share the fantasies that get them
through the lousy bosses, troubled teen-agers, no money, and even
death. What turns them on, what turns them off. What is beautiful,
uplifting or depressing. “This book has reached inside of me and I’m
going to tell you how.”

Intimacy and safety in a world where we don’t even know our
neighbor’s name — My Book Club.

THE READER

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WHAT’S WHAT?

August 28, 2007 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Keeper Shelf

WHAT’S WHAT has been donated for the Research Book Sale at OCC’s chapter meeting on Saturday, September 8.

Whether you are writing historical or contemporary, this book has detailed pictures with labels for every part and gadget. Buildings, plants, subway car, police car, ships, boats, clothing, furniture. It’s perfect for those brain-fade moments when you are struggling to remember what that thingy at the bottom of a window is called. Reviews at online bookstores say that every writer must have this book. Now is your chance!

WHAT’S WHAT and many more will be on sale at the Ways & Means table. Be sure to come over and take a look! If you have any research books of your own that you haven’t opened in quite a while, please consider donating them to the sale to help the chapter.

OCC workshops this month will be “Using Music: Pied Piping the Muse” with “noir fantasy-mystery” author and contemporary romance writer Chrystal Green in the morning. In the afternoon, the topic is “The Sidewalk of Success” with New York Times bestselling author of paranormal, historical and suspense and of Christina Dodd.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Saturday, Sept 8th. Brea Community Center, 695 E. Madison Way, Brea, CA. 92821. For a map and directions, click here.

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The Wisdom of Zombies

August 27, 2007 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Pop Culture

by Sara Black

“What’s that on the wall?” I say.

“I have no idea.” Says my younger brother, sitting next to me on the couch.

“Should we go near it?”

“No, let’s go in that door instead.”

We back our character away from the red, pulsing fleshy thing on the wall. It’s the middle of the afternoon and the doors to my apartment are open to allow the sunlight and the sounds from outside in, but we’re nervous anyway. Even after hours of playing we’re still freaked out by the monsters leaping out of the corners, blood smeared walls and corpses discarded in hallways.

When contemplating writing about video games someone suggested Grand Theft Auto to me. I didn’t want to, not because of all the controversy, but because of the plot. GTA is an amalgam of stereotypes from gangster movies strung together to create interesting game play, but not an interesting story.

The plots of Silent Hill II, III and IV are creepy quagmires, with Silent Hill II being the best. In Silent Hill II the main character goes back to the city of Silent Hill to try and find his dead wife after getting a letter from her. Instead he wanders through the fog obscured city and finds a bizarre cast of characters perpetrating unspeakable acts against one another. Things appear to happen for no better reason than to horrify the player, yet a deeper narrative exists.

The thing is, I don’t like horror films. I’ve seen a few, but rarely do I seek them out. I don’t normally enjoy being deliberately scared. Even my foray into another horror style game, Resident Evil 4, didn’t bring the same excitement. Just shooting zombies wasn’t nearly as fun as imagining they unlocked some hidden facets of the main characters psyche.

“I wonder why the telephone doesn’t work.” The main character of Silent Hill III thinks out loud.

“She’s not so smart.” My brother says.

“No, that’s exactly what I’d be wondering if I stood in the middle of a blood drenched hell dimension.” I say.

And despite being a one person game, I find it more fun to play with friends.

Sara Black has a degree in Cinema/Television from USC. She watches far too much television, eats way too much sushi and is always writing a romance novel. This is the fifth in a series of posts on Pop Culture.

She will probably spend this weekend playing more Silent Hill IV with her brother and boyfriend.

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A Life Well Lived

August 25, 2007 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as What Inspires You

by Lori Pyne

I sat in the room listening to mourners recounting memories of the life just lost. The picture that grew from the stories exchanged was that of a life well lived. I couldn’t help but wonder how I would be remembered.

Would I also have friends, family and business associates competing to share the best story of my many acts of kindness?

Will my children, both biological and those from my heart, remember my unwavering love? Whatever the challenges faced, will my parental devotion shine through the solutions explored?

Will my business associates compare the many examples of my honesty, my determination, my generosity, my ethics and my morals?

Will my friends, those from birth to those newly made, gather to discuss my giving spirit, my always open door, my ever ready support, my never say die attitude, my big heart?

When I am remembered, will it be for the things I did and the people I touched? Will the world be just a little better because I passed through?

Will those I leave behind remember a life well lived?

How would you want to be remembered?

*************************************

Lori Pyne is a member of OCC, and a multi-tasking volunteer. She is currently serving as one of our Online Class Moderators, Guest Reception Coordinator and Coordinator for the Book Buyers’ Best Contest for published authors. She is married with one son, and works full time for an entertainment law firm.

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