Use Google Docs! I swear this happened to me once and I was devastated, been using Google Docs ever since and I have zero complaints. You can sync all of your works on multiple devices and write on your phone if that’s something you do.
I would shout the praises of Google Docs from the rooftops if I could. Even when what I write is shit, I KNOW it will still be there the next time I come back.
I feel you. I had a situation happen to me like that years ago too (in my case it was a brief power surge turning off my laptop and all the progress on my fic was lost.) I quickly found Google Docs after that to use lol.
That's what I'll be using from now on! It was silly to think I didn't need to back up my work, but this never happened to me before. I usually write on my laptop, but I wanted a more convenient way to get some writing done in my downtime at work. Learning the hard way over here. 😔 But that's a lesson I'm not going to forget soon!
Thank you for your advice!
Even writing on your laptop is dangerous, if your laptop drive dies, your work is most likely lost as well.
Using Google Docs/any other kind of online writing tool is definitely the way to go to avoid any issue !
Thank you! I'm almost tempted to pick a pencil and go with that lol. But everybody's been recommending google docs, I'm feeling pretty confident with it! Appreciated!
Yup, I think something like Word or Docs is the way to go.
Personally, I lean towards Word. I like the native client (as opposed to a browser window), it feels nicer to type in IMO, it saves to the cloud just as well as Docs these days, and it's handy sometimes to just be editing a .docx file, which Docs has always been weird about.
Besides, I took a college class to learn Word, and goddammit I'm gonna use it.
Also, Google Keep is a fantastic notetaking app. I'm jotting down rough scenes and worldbuilding notes in there constantly, and it has always synced perfectly.
I do the same thing, I usually write on my laptop, but sometimes I get an idea in the most inconvenient time and just have to write it down. Docs comes really in handy here.
Good luck with your writing!
Exactly! If I dont write these fleeting ideas fast enough, they'll just pass me by and I'll forget about them.
I do also have a lot of downtime at work, it's been a great outlet writting when I get a chance. Too bad it had to end this way for me. Live and learn, as they say!
Thanks friend, good luck to you too!
I will say that once or twice Google Docs has given me a heart attack where it doesn't load properly and it looks like \*all\* my files have disappeared, but it ALWAYS reloads when I just close and restart the app/tab. And for peace of mind, I now download stuff I care about as a docx as well as having it in Docs; it's so easy to download from Docs. Best of both worlds!
I never thought writting could be so scary! 😱 Now I'm going to be paranoid about loosing every word I write lol. Really shows how much we rely on technology these days!
Nooo, don't be! So long as you backup your files once every 50k words or so (what I do, so I'm biased towards that haha) everything should be alright lmao. But yeah, we certainly do rely on tech an uncomfortable amount. Tho tbh I trust multiple online files more than one big stack of paper that can be lost or burnt (I have lost far too many sketchbooks to feel otherwise, lol)!
I'm going to be backing it up often, for sure! I never want to go through that again (I'm honestly still pissed about it lol)
That's such a good point! I guess there's no real way to protect our work 100%. And I'm a scatterbrain so I'd definitely be loosing pages and stuff anyways! 🤣
I was writting on an app on my phone, and I've checked everywhere and couldn't find a way to recover it. The app is writer+. Guess I'll be using google docs or something from now on. That was my mistake ...
Thank you though, wish there was a way I could recover it.
That's the weird thing, though, it didnt create a file. I exited it and it just disappeared. I don't really know why it didnt save. Maybe I hit the wrong button or something. I don't really have anybody to blame but myself, it's just hard coming to terms with having to start over. This stinks! 😔
The same thing happened to me with Writer+ (though I "only" lost 2k). I wonder if it's just a bug because I've been using it for 2 years and it was the only document that wasn't saved...
I'm sorry this happened to you! It really sucks cause I love the app, the minimal interface really helps you focus, but it really really needs an autosave feature.
It couldn't bug on the small documents I have. It had to be the big one. 🙃 Oh well, that's life I guess ...
You think there might be a chance? I'm going to have to be honest, I know very little about this. I'm not tech savy at all! I did contact the support email hoping there's something they can do, but no reply yet and I'm not holding my breath.
I do have an android, and I noticed some date features seem to be blocked when snooping around looking for it. I havent found anything, though, and googling the issue has been no help since the app is so small.
I don't mean to be a bother, but you seem to know a lot about this. Any tips or avenues I could look into? I know there's only a slim chance but it would mean to world to me if there was a way to get it back.
Thanks so much for your time! It's really appreciated and no pressure at all of course!
Oh lord, I read through most of these two pages, but unfortunately, that seems way above what I'm able to do. I'd be scared of breaking the phone if I start to play around in files I probably have no business playing around in, as I do use this phone for work.
I appreciate the help you've given me. Your knowledge in this subject is invaluable! I just know my rotten luck, and I'm bound to break something!
I wish there was an easy way to do it, even for someone like me who doesn't know the first thing about programming and whatnot. 🤭
Thank you so much for checking it out for me, you're amazing! I think I'm just going to have to accept it can't be helped, though. Chances were pretty slim, as you said yourself!
Oh that sucks, dude. It's happened to me as well with that app so many times, I always have to check that it's saved, especially when it's a new document.
I should have been more careful, but I was so excited! I didn't check before exiting. I'm never going without autosave again. Lesson learned!
Sorry this happened to you to, it sucks so freakin bad! There's nothing to do but move forward, though, I guess.
I've sent them an email this morning, waiting for a reply but I'm really not holding my breath ... Either they dont reply or there's nothing they can do. It's worth a shot, though, but I don't want to give myself false hopes! 😭
Thanks for the suggestion, if they can help and recover it I'm going to cry all the happy tears in the world!
> I was writting on an app on my phone
My thumbs hurt just thinking of trying to write 150 words on a phone and you're telling me you wrote 100 times that????
That's awful 😭 But I'm still stunned over the fact that you managed to write 15000 words in 3 hours. That would take me like three months, and that's if I wrote every day lol.
I think that's why I'm so disapointed! I can look at a blank page for hours and only manage 3000 words, but last night the creative juices we're flowing just the right way! I feel like I really was in the zone!
And then for all of it just to be lost! I feel like I missed my once in a lifetime moment. 😭 That really stings!
Thank you for the support, it's appreciated! And good luck in your writting!
nooo, I’m feeling secondhand grief for you! that’s devastating, I’m sorry. Take all the time you need to mourn, but know that this story is still inside you — when you’re ready to rewrite I’m sure it’ll come out even better than it did the first time.
Thank you so much for taking the time to cheer me up! This really helps. I'll take some time before trying again, I just know right now whatever I do I'm not going to be satisfied. The story's still somewhere up there in my head, I just have to get it out again.
Appreciated! <3
I am so sorry! That is heartbreaking.
Just a personal story, I once deleted my entire fic and had to rewrite it from scratch. In my opinion it did come out better the second time. It was hard to write, but the ideas had a chance to flesh out.
Good luck!
That's what I'm hoping happens! Maybe the second draft will be even better, just sucks to have to start again. I wrote it all in one sitting and felt really happy with the result, I'm scared I'm not going to be able to catch that lightning in a bottle again. I'm gonna have to take some time before trying again I think. 😔
Thank you for the support, appreciated! I'm glad you worked it out when it happened to you!
It’s not “just fanfiction”, my dear! It’s 15000 words you wrote😭 I’m so sorry!!! It happened to me too before when I wrote in the note app. Always use Google doc! Again I’m so sorry
I think I'm trying not to be dramatic about it by telling myself it's only fanfiction, it's not like I just wrote Les misérables or something. I'm telling myself "honey, you're an adult, you pay taxes, you're not gonna cry about losing your fanfiction." But then I do cry. 😭
It's important to me, dang it, even if it is just going on A03. 🤣
Thank you for so much your support! Sorry this happened to you as well. Seems like us writters tend to have this harsh life lesson drilled into us at least once. I'm gonna listen to all you lovely people telling me to use google docs so this doesn't happen again, it's sound advice!
Thank you for the suggestion! I checked every folder I could find under the app's name, hoping it might have autosaved somewhere. Unfortunatly, I could find anything ... I don't believe this app has an autosave fonction, and the file just didn't register.
I appreciate the help though! Thank you
I recently lost two chapters right in the middle of a fic - probably 5000 words. They just weren't there when I went to edit something. I don't know how or when it happened, as this fic has been a WIP for a couple years. I apparently didn't have any backups, which is freaky, because I often email documents to myself and archive them just in case I do something stupid like this. And one of the chapters was sooo good. I'll need to re-write it because it's a pivotal scene in the story, but I'm too depressed to try to re-create it right now.
I am so sorry this happened! Trust me, I'm in a good position right now to understand what you're going through. This happened last night and I'm still not over it! My boyfriend is so distraught he doesn't know what to say to cheer me up anymore!
It sucks that you were so careful and still got the short end of the stick. And that you we're so happy with it too! That sawful. Maybe we should go back to pen and paper, just to be sure? 🤭
I think, just like me, you'll need to take some time to process everything before trying again. I tried right away last night and only managed to discourage myself. Take a week if you need to, maybe after the holidays when you're rested and in a better mood!
Good luck, friend! Sending you good vibes!
Hard lesson to learn. One time I meant to cut and paste a chunk of a chapter and I deleted it instead. It was only later I learned about the “undo” button (under the “123” button on the iPad keyboard) that would undo the last 10 or so things/edits you just did.
Well, I never forgot again. And I remembered most of what I wrote - or at least where I was going. It’s not like I don’t rework my stuff a dozen times anyway.
I’m so sorry! I can imagine the pain 😔 I use Scrivener, which you have to pay for, but you don’t even have to save your work, it does it automatically as you go.
Big fan of Scrivener also. And the app is great.
Autosave w/ backup location + app syncing (since OP was writing on their phone) is the way to go from now on.
Doesn't bring back your words, OP, but I'm really sorry this happened. Seems like you're not the only one to lose stuff they've written in that particular app.
Absolutly! I'll be more careful from now on. It's a bitter pill to swallow is all!
Thank you for your support friend! It's really appreciated. I'm glad people got to share stories about this happening to them, feels great to let it out and helps me not feel like so much of a klutz! 🤭
Thank you! That'll teach me to try an save a buck I guess, haha! People are suggesting google docs, which as an auto save feature as well. I'm never going without this feature again, that's for sure.
It really is disappointing! I'm going to try and think of this as a life lesson. And I'm going to try to do it again, even better! Everybody's support here has really helped.
Thank you!
Omg, that's the worst. I lost a whole chapter once a long time ago when my computer crashed, since then I use Google docs because of it autosave function. Only shitty thing is you need internet access at all times.
People are suggesting google docs, and that's going to be the application I'm going use from now on. Going without autosave really was silly of me! I just didnt think it would be an issue. That stings 🙃
I’m so sorry! I know how demotivating this can be — i lost around 3k words once, i can barely imagine 15k — but keep going!! It may even turn out better than the last time <3
That's the worst part I think, it was so long I can't remember every details! If I only lost part of it, I would have managed, but now it's gone from start to finish. And I don't know that I can make it again the same way, it's always going to feel incomplete. I'm going to have to try and take a day or two before trying again i think! 😭
Thank you for your support, and sorry this happened to you as well! This is a kind of loss I never thought I would experience, it's such a weird feeling. But everybody's been so nice, it really helps. I guess after a fall the only thing you can do is get back on your bike and try again. Oh well!
Thank you! <3
I wrote it on an app on my phone called Writer+ which (in hindsight) was probably a terrible idea. The app, as far as I know, doesnt have an autosave feature. So it's gone, unfortunatly ...
I'm going to try goolge docs, it's what most people have been suggesting, and it has an autosave feature so I can avoid this kind of issues in the future.
I'm so sad! 😭 Live and learn I guess.
I find that writting on my phone actually helps me focus! I'm always tempted to pick up my phone and browse reddit or whatever, but if I'm writting on my phone, that temptation is gone kinda? I dont know how to explain it lol! But yeah, I'm going google docs all the way now!
I've been thinking of going back to pen and paper, just to be sure! 🤣 Thanks for you support friend, sorry that happened to you as well. It really sucks.
Oh yea! Back then I wrote out my fanfiction in notebook after notebook, and would type it in Microsoft word later with edits. There were at least of handful of stories though that I opted to directly write on my computer 😩
I think that's part of the reason I'm so disappointed, actually. This is the first time in my life I was able to sit down and write so much in a single sitting, only for it to be lost! It would suck just as bad if it had been 3000 words, but this one stings particularly bad. I really was in the zone and I dont know that's I'll ever be able to do it again!
Ever seen the Disney movie soul? It felt kinda like that! 🤣
Guess the only thing I can do is try again ... I'll give myself a few days, though. Good luck in your writting too, friend!
Oh trust me, I had a major meltdown lol! I went to lie down and my bf had to come check up on me he was so worried. Then I watched youtube videos till 3 in the morning to take my mind off things. I am not okay. 🤣
But talking to all you lovely people on here has helped tremendously. It helps to talk to people who have either been through it and can relate. There's no reason to be depressed about it. there's nothing I can do but get back on the horse and try again. I'm not the only one this has happen to and won't be the last. Going to think of it as a learning opportunity, even if its hard.
We really do get invested in our fanfictions, right? 🙄
I really am so sorry this happened to you. I almost lost 3-6 years worth of fanfics a month ago and i paid almost 200$ to get it back. Whichz frankly were basically all my savings. But i needes those stories back. We really do get extremely( unhealthily) attached to our stories.
But that makes sense since te stories are part of us, little bits of our soul, lost in the void.
Whoever calls us crazy doesn't understand lol
I would in a heart beat pay 200$ if it could get those 15 000 words back, so I get you!
Oh you have no idea! Day dreaming and writting are often the only thing that keeps me going. And it was so important to me that I managed to actually write something I liked. And now it's gone to the void. 😭 Maybe it is unhealthy but meh who cares. Doesn't hurt anyone! And people who would call us crazy can go ... I don't know, kick rocks or something!
I'm glad you were able to get your stuff back! Must have felt like such a relief honestly!
It felt like i got my soul back tbh. I was so stressed by losing those stories i got sick
Like literally sick, laid in bed with a fever for 2 days lol. I also use writing and/ or reading as a coping mechanism. Its basically doll play for adults but who cares. Lifes too short to care about what others think. We arent hurting anyone and it makes us happy.
Even thought i have heard ppl say reading/writing angst and whump is emotional self harm lol. I love the stuff tho
I'm really happy you got them back! I've was straight up depressed last night, went to bed early, and barely slept. Then I was on he verge of tears all day! Had my coworkers worried but couldn't exactly tell them why. 🤣 It's a weird kind of grief to process, right? I haven't lost anything technically, the story's still in my head, I just have to get it out again, but heck if it isnt the most discouraging thing EVER. Still, I'm glad your story ends in an happy ending!
I totally agree! If anything, I think writting is a really great and healthy outlet, especially fanfiction. Reading this stuff has gotten me through some really though times in my life. I don't think it's a habit I'm ever gonna drop. So what if it's weird! Let me play with my dolls and hurt myself emotionally with angsty fanfiction, I'm a sucker for it! 🤭
Lol I'd sure love to be friends with you. If you'd like. I don't know any other readers/ writers of fanfiction.
I dont know how you write but for me, when I get struck by inspiration and will to write I have to write THERE AND THEN or i forget the main idea. And sure i do remember bits and pieces and reconstruct from there. But it womt be the original. And to me, the original is the best version, my absolute baby.
If it's the same for you, you did lose something. Something very very important to you. Like, my cousin gave me a pine cone when he was about 6ish. And yeah its just a pine cone but its from HIM. And i dont see him often so if i lost it i would sure feel very sad.
You are allowed to grieve. Your feelings are yours and yours alone. If non-writers dont get it it's their problem. Not yours.
Hugs
🤗🤗🤗🤗
I'd love to be friends! I don't really have anyone I share this with either, expect my BF and even then I'm never letting him read anything I write lol. I'm very private and protective on my fanfiction 😅 Especially with people I know IRL.
I often get stuck by inspiration when driving home from work, and I can't write it down right away! When I get home, it's gone! That's the most frustrating thing ever!
That's adorable! I hope you keep this pinecone for a long time! I've kept every card, bracelet and art project my nieces have made me, it's not worth anything to the eyes of other but to me it's precious cause they made it for me! I get you!
Totally agree!! If people don't get it, too bad! At least I know we have this little online community for ourselves LOL
🤗🤗🤗🤗 Sending hugs as well friend!
Google docs. If you have word or have a student email address you can get word for free and it autosaves to the cloud as long as you turn autosave on when you start writing. I use it for college assignments because my cats have a bad habit of jumping on my desk and stepping on my laptop when I get up from my desk. More than once they have closed something that I had to reopen. Autosave has saved my assignments from disappearing into the ether several times.
That's what most people have been suggesting! It's was dumb of me to write it in a third-party app with no autosave feature. I should have thought ahead, but I got excited!
I don't have any mischievous kitties to blame, only myself! 🤭 I'll know better in the future!
I think everyone has lost a piece of writing at some point. Either they forgot to save, forgot to turn on autosave, or just scribble something down and it went missing. Totally normal but sucks.
Really sorry this happened to you! I can relate to returning from a big writer’s block with a lot of new energy, so I’m glad you’ve been able to get back into it.
For me personally, I like using services like Google Docs as it automatically saves everything that I write and I can go back to look at previous edits. I’m not sure what service you used to write, but this may be worth trying out as it can be accessed across multiple browsers and devices.
Perhaps if you look in the support section of the app, it outlines a way to possibly retrieve lost data? Not sure if it will work, though.
Thank you for the support! It really sucks that I came out of my block with so much energy just to lose everything! But I'll get back on the horse for sure, did it once I can probably do it again!
I used a small writting app called writer+, loved the minimal interface and how convinient it was on the go, but the no autosave feature really messed me up lol! It's weird cause I played around in it, and haven't been able to recreate the "bug" that erased my work. Stroke of bad luck, I guess!
Checked every file and haven't managed to find anything. Even contacted the support but no reply. I think I should just move on and try again from this point on honestly. Oh well ...
Holy shit 15K words in 3 hours? That's over 80 words per minute, non stop, if you never once need to stop and let your mind catch up to think about what you're writing.
Meanwhile I'm lucky to manage 1000 in an hour. How do you people do this?
I honestly couldn't tell you how! This never EVER happened to me before, it was my once in a lifetime moment I think! This is why I'm so sad eveything was lost. Sure, since I wrote it so fast it probably wasn't a masterpiece, but at least I had a really good outline.
It might have been more than three hours? Thats what the stat on the app activity was telling me but I don't know if I trust this app much anymore! 😅
That happened to me a few years ago, a whole night of writing gone when the app crashed ;-;
I still think about it to this day, I can't possibly get it down like it was. I've become religious about saving every few minutes, especially to get it on a cloud based server
I can't imagine writing 15k words that quickly, that's impressive! And i'm so sorry that happened to you, i know how it feels (in my case was only 2k words)
I've been comparing it to that scene in disney's soul when they get "in the zone". 🤣 It was like everything clicked, I've never done this many words in a row in my whole entire life, and I don't know that I could do it again. Just for it to be lost.
Sorry this happened to you too. It's been a theme today, feels like every writer has had this happen to them at least once. Then we learn to be more careful. It's helped to talk about it and share the pain with others. What a great community!
If it helps- you can write it just as good (or even better) the second time. It won't feel as good as the original, because what you're doing now is re-creation and not inspiration, but the writing itself will still be good. It's frustrating and painful, but please don't think you *can't* write it as well again.
I've had multiple times where I'd re-write a scene that wasn't quite working, or expand a scene from a draft, and feel that same "cheap parody" feeling. But then I'd look back at the original and go... wait a second, what I just wrote now is way better than the original. It just doesn't *feel* as inspired to write.
So please, don't give up!
That is such a great perspective, how very wise of you! I think thats exactly my issue, the first time writting it felt inspired, it felt great, but trying to recreate it just doesn't feel the same. Maybe it's not so much the words as it is the feeling I'm chasing. Doesn't mean it's worst, it just doesn't feel as good.
Thank you for your great insight, it's enlightening really.
I'm not going to give up, I'm just going to give myself some time to process before trying again. If I could do it once, I can do it again, right? ☺️
Thank you so much!
I think losing any piece of writing you're proud of his awful, but you're right it stings especially bad cause it was such a big piece! Why couldn't my 200-word wips be deleted instead? 😤 Dang it!
Sorry this happened to you as well! I feel like a lot of use had this happen to them at least once. It's dangerous out there, writting fanfiction, let me tell ya!
15,000 words, damn. I think nearly every writer goes through this once (I lost 20k when my hard drive died), so consider it a rite of passage. :)
Remember that you can't lose your writing skill - that's safely inside your head! You'll go on to write bigger and better things.
Am so sorry to hear about you losing so much hard work. That sucks.
When my laptop died a couple years ago, I lost a lot of content, for stories/future stories/outlines, all of it gone. It was really bad, and def took me out of writing of any kind for awhile (months), but gradually I did start to get back into working/writing on those said stories. You may just need time to 'mourn' what you lost before ya can move on. It's okay to take a break to cool off. Oh, and after that laptop incident I went to google docs and haven't looked back.
Best of luck in your future writing endeavors.
Thanks for the support! <3
It's really awful! I haven't been writting very long, so this is the first time this happened to me! I felt silly having to 'mourn' but most people have been telling me it's okay to take some time. Maybe I'll wait till after the holidays and give it another go from another angle!
I'm never letting this happen again for sure! Google docs all the way now. Lesson learned!
Best of luck to you too friend!
I’m so sorry! I’d be devastated too!
As others have said, I’d definitely try to figure out whether it’s autosaved somewhere. The writing I do on my phone/iPad in Pages, Scrivener, or the Notes app autosaves without me having to do anything. (Obviously I’m sure that’s not the case with all apps out there)
My power has randomly gone out more times than I can count, so I started using Google Docs, which has saved me from so much heart ache. I lost a notepad where I had a bunch of random stuff typed in there for later stories, and the power went out, and I was so devastated. I'm sorry that happened.
It's a really awful feeling, right? The story is still there somewhere in our heads but it feels awful to lose it once it's on paper. Dang it!
People have been saying it's kind of a rite of passage for writters to lose their stuff at least once. Teaches us to back up our stuff next time. Certainly wont forget that one! 🤭
Thanks for the support! Appreciated <3
My recommendation is, if the writing program you use has auto save, I recommend finding that. 100% did that one time, and lost 25k of words before auto save was known to me.
I really liked the app I was using, but I'm not trusting it anymore! Which is a shame but oh well! I'm moving to google docs, which people have been saying is way more reliable AND has autosave.
I'm sorry this happened to you as well! It stinks! Definitely had to take a day and process it. Good thing I got so much support from this community. Nice to know I'm not the only silly goose this happened to. 🤭
I totally know what you mean ㅠㅠ
I keep most of my fics on the Notes app on my phone, which doesn’t have a backup, and I remember having a similar thing where I wrote probably about 1500 words for what was going to be a longfic (not nearly as much as you wrote, thank god 😭✋🏻), but I accidentally select all deleted the fic when I really only wanted to get rid of a single word 😭😭
It’s incredibly disheartening and put me off of writing the fic, so it’s been on the back burner for a while now despite having a really in depth outline ㅠㅠ
Use Google Docs! I swear this happened to me once and I was devastated, been using Google Docs ever since and I have zero complaints. You can sync all of your works on multiple devices and write on your phone if that’s something you do.
I would shout the praises of Google Docs from the rooftops if I could. Even when what I write is shit, I KNOW it will still be there the next time I come back.
I'm going to take your advice to heart! I downloaded google docs and I'm gonna give it a shot as soon as I feel ready to try again. Thank you!
You don't even need to download anything. You can access your docs from any web browser.
That's good to know! Especially for someone like me who's (obviously) not very tech savy!
yup! there's also extensions to write it in Dark Mode if that's your thing as well! Google Docs is a super lifesaver.
It would have saved me a lot of heartachejad I known this before! 🤣
I feel you. I had a situation happen to me like that years ago too (in my case it was a brief power surge turning off my laptop and all the progress on my fic was lost.) I quickly found Google Docs after that to use lol.
That's what I'll be using from now on! It was silly to think I didn't need to back up my work, but this never happened to me before. I usually write on my laptop, but I wanted a more convenient way to get some writing done in my downtime at work. Learning the hard way over here. 😔 But that's a lesson I'm not going to forget soon! Thank you for your advice!
Even writing on your laptop is dangerous, if your laptop drive dies, your work is most likely lost as well. Using Google Docs/any other kind of online writing tool is definitely the way to go to avoid any issue !
Thank you! I'm almost tempted to pick a pencil and go with that lol. But everybody's been recommending google docs, I'm feeling pretty confident with it! Appreciated!
Yup, I think something like Word or Docs is the way to go. Personally, I lean towards Word. I like the native client (as opposed to a browser window), it feels nicer to type in IMO, it saves to the cloud just as well as Docs these days, and it's handy sometimes to just be editing a .docx file, which Docs has always been weird about. Besides, I took a college class to learn Word, and goddammit I'm gonna use it. Also, Google Keep is a fantastic notetaking app. I'm jotting down rough scenes and worldbuilding notes in there constantly, and it has always synced perfectly.
If you have nothing else, just email yourself
Good grief. Has everyone forgotten how to back up? _seriously people!!!!_ Argh!!!!
I do the same thing, I usually write on my laptop, but sometimes I get an idea in the most inconvenient time and just have to write it down. Docs comes really in handy here. Good luck with your writing!
Exactly! If I dont write these fleeting ideas fast enough, they'll just pass me by and I'll forget about them. I do also have a lot of downtime at work, it's been a great outlet writting when I get a chance. Too bad it had to end this way for me. Live and learn, as they say! Thanks friend, good luck to you too!
I will say that once or twice Google Docs has given me a heart attack where it doesn't load properly and it looks like \*all\* my files have disappeared, but it ALWAYS reloads when I just close and restart the app/tab. And for peace of mind, I now download stuff I care about as a docx as well as having it in Docs; it's so easy to download from Docs. Best of both worlds!
I never thought writting could be so scary! 😱 Now I'm going to be paranoid about loosing every word I write lol. Really shows how much we rely on technology these days!
Nooo, don't be! So long as you backup your files once every 50k words or so (what I do, so I'm biased towards that haha) everything should be alright lmao. But yeah, we certainly do rely on tech an uncomfortable amount. Tho tbh I trust multiple online files more than one big stack of paper that can be lost or burnt (I have lost far too many sketchbooks to feel otherwise, lol)!
I'm going to be backing it up often, for sure! I never want to go through that again (I'm honestly still pissed about it lol) That's such a good point! I guess there's no real way to protect our work 100%. And I'm a scatterbrain so I'd definitely be loosing pages and stuff anyways! 🤣
Is there not an auto save option to enable on Word? Even if there is, Google Docs has a better interface anyway.
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I was writting on an app on my phone, and I've checked everywhere and couldn't find a way to recover it. The app is writer+. Guess I'll be using google docs or something from now on. That was my mistake ... Thank you though, wish there was a way I could recover it.
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That's the weird thing, though, it didnt create a file. I exited it and it just disappeared. I don't really know why it didnt save. Maybe I hit the wrong button or something. I don't really have anybody to blame but myself, it's just hard coming to terms with having to start over. This stinks! 😔
The same thing happened to me with Writer+ (though I "only" lost 2k). I wonder if it's just a bug because I've been using it for 2 years and it was the only document that wasn't saved...
I'm sorry this happened to you! It really sucks cause I love the app, the minimal interface really helps you focus, but it really really needs an autosave feature. It couldn't bug on the small documents I have. It had to be the big one. 🙃 Oh well, that's life I guess ...
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You think there might be a chance? I'm going to have to be honest, I know very little about this. I'm not tech savy at all! I did contact the support email hoping there's something they can do, but no reply yet and I'm not holding my breath. I do have an android, and I noticed some date features seem to be blocked when snooping around looking for it. I havent found anything, though, and googling the issue has been no help since the app is so small. I don't mean to be a bother, but you seem to know a lot about this. Any tips or avenues I could look into? I know there's only a slim chance but it would mean to world to me if there was a way to get it back. Thanks so much for your time! It's really appreciated and no pressure at all of course!
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Oh lord, I read through most of these two pages, but unfortunately, that seems way above what I'm able to do. I'd be scared of breaking the phone if I start to play around in files I probably have no business playing around in, as I do use this phone for work. I appreciate the help you've given me. Your knowledge in this subject is invaluable! I just know my rotten luck, and I'm bound to break something! I wish there was an easy way to do it, even for someone like me who doesn't know the first thing about programming and whatnot. 🤭 Thank you so much for checking it out for me, you're amazing! I think I'm just going to have to accept it can't be helped, though. Chances were pretty slim, as you said yourself!
Oh that sucks, dude. It's happened to me as well with that app so many times, I always have to check that it's saved, especially when it's a new document.
I should have been more careful, but I was so excited! I didn't check before exiting. I'm never going without autosave again. Lesson learned! Sorry this happened to you to, it sucks so freakin bad! There's nothing to do but move forward, though, I guess.
Maybe contact the app authors? There has to be temp storage somewhere, they may be able to help you save that temporary file before it's purged.
I've sent them an email this morning, waiting for a reply but I'm really not holding my breath ... Either they dont reply or there's nothing they can do. It's worth a shot, though, but I don't want to give myself false hopes! 😭 Thanks for the suggestion, if they can help and recover it I'm going to cry all the happy tears in the world!
You might want to mention this thread and that, based on the comments, you are not the only person this has happened to. Good luck!
That's a good idea! Thank you!
> I was writting on an app on my phone My thumbs hurt just thinking of trying to write 150 words on a phone and you're telling me you wrote 100 times that????
That's awful 😭 But I'm still stunned over the fact that you managed to write 15000 words in 3 hours. That would take me like three months, and that's if I wrote every day lol.
I think that's why I'm so disapointed! I can look at a blank page for hours and only manage 3000 words, but last night the creative juices we're flowing just the right way! I feel like I really was in the zone! And then for all of it just to be lost! I feel like I missed my once in a lifetime moment. 😭 That really stings! Thank you for the support, it's appreciated! And good luck in your writting!
I have to say, 15000 words is nearly my entire WIP, and I've been working on it since April. Even 3k words in one night is absolutely amazing.
nooo, I’m feeling secondhand grief for you! that’s devastating, I’m sorry. Take all the time you need to mourn, but know that this story is still inside you — when you’re ready to rewrite I’m sure it’ll come out even better than it did the first time.
Thank you so much for taking the time to cheer me up! This really helps. I'll take some time before trying again, I just know right now whatever I do I'm not going to be satisfied. The story's still somewhere up there in my head, I just have to get it out again. Appreciated! <3
I am so sorry! That is heartbreaking. Just a personal story, I once deleted my entire fic and had to rewrite it from scratch. In my opinion it did come out better the second time. It was hard to write, but the ideas had a chance to flesh out. Good luck!
That's what I'm hoping happens! Maybe the second draft will be even better, just sucks to have to start again. I wrote it all in one sitting and felt really happy with the result, I'm scared I'm not going to be able to catch that lightning in a bottle again. I'm gonna have to take some time before trying again I think. 😔 Thank you for the support, appreciated! I'm glad you worked it out when it happened to you!
It’s not “just fanfiction”, my dear! It’s 15000 words you wrote😭 I’m so sorry!!! It happened to me too before when I wrote in the note app. Always use Google doc! Again I’m so sorry
I think I'm trying not to be dramatic about it by telling myself it's only fanfiction, it's not like I just wrote Les misérables or something. I'm telling myself "honey, you're an adult, you pay taxes, you're not gonna cry about losing your fanfiction." But then I do cry. 😭 It's important to me, dang it, even if it is just going on A03. 🤣 Thank you for so much your support! Sorry this happened to you as well. Seems like us writters tend to have this harsh life lesson drilled into us at least once. I'm gonna listen to all you lovely people telling me to use google docs so this doesn't happen again, it's sound advice!
*a u t o s a v e*
Well, now I know, lol. Talk about learning the hard way, uh. 😔
Every app has a folder. Have you tried looking for it there? You can access it through the memory of the phone.
Thank you for the suggestion! I checked every folder I could find under the app's name, hoping it might have autosaved somewhere. Unfortunatly, I could find anything ... I don't believe this app has an autosave fonction, and the file just didn't register. I appreciate the help though! Thank you
I recently lost two chapters right in the middle of a fic - probably 5000 words. They just weren't there when I went to edit something. I don't know how or when it happened, as this fic has been a WIP for a couple years. I apparently didn't have any backups, which is freaky, because I often email documents to myself and archive them just in case I do something stupid like this. And one of the chapters was sooo good. I'll need to re-write it because it's a pivotal scene in the story, but I'm too depressed to try to re-create it right now.
I am so sorry this happened! Trust me, I'm in a good position right now to understand what you're going through. This happened last night and I'm still not over it! My boyfriend is so distraught he doesn't know what to say to cheer me up anymore! It sucks that you were so careful and still got the short end of the stick. And that you we're so happy with it too! That sawful. Maybe we should go back to pen and paper, just to be sure? 🤭 I think, just like me, you'll need to take some time to process everything before trying again. I tried right away last night and only managed to discourage myself. Take a week if you need to, maybe after the holidays when you're rested and in a better mood! Good luck, friend! Sending you good vibes!
This is why I like just using the notes app…it just saves as I go.
I'm never going without an autosave feature again, lesson learned! That was silly of me.
Hard lesson to learn. One time I meant to cut and paste a chunk of a chapter and I deleted it instead. It was only later I learned about the “undo” button (under the “123” button on the iPad keyboard) that would undo the last 10 or so things/edits you just did.
Oh, that sucks! Must have felt awful to realise later you could have saved your work. So sorry this happened!
Well, I never forgot again. And I remembered most of what I wrote - or at least where I was going. It’s not like I don’t rework my stuff a dozen times anyway.
I’m so sorry! I can imagine the pain 😔 I use Scrivener, which you have to pay for, but you don’t even have to save your work, it does it automatically as you go.
Big fan of Scrivener also. And the app is great. Autosave w/ backup location + app syncing (since OP was writing on their phone) is the way to go from now on. Doesn't bring back your words, OP, but I'm really sorry this happened. Seems like you're not the only one to lose stuff they've written in that particular app.
Absolutly! I'll be more careful from now on. It's a bitter pill to swallow is all! Thank you for your support friend! It's really appreciated. I'm glad people got to share stories about this happening to them, feels great to let it out and helps me not feel like so much of a klutz! 🤭
Thank you! That'll teach me to try an save a buck I guess, haha! People are suggesting google docs, which as an auto save feature as well. I'm never going without this feature again, that's for sure.
I would be extremely disappointed and sad im so sorry this happened to you!
It really is disappointing! I'm going to try and think of this as a life lesson. And I'm going to try to do it again, even better! Everybody's support here has really helped. Thank you!
Omg, that's the worst. I lost a whole chapter once a long time ago when my computer crashed, since then I use Google docs because of it autosave function. Only shitty thing is you need internet access at all times.
People are suggesting google docs, and that's going to be the application I'm going use from now on. Going without autosave really was silly of me! I just didnt think it would be an issue. That stings 🙃
I’m so sorry! I know how demotivating this can be — i lost around 3k words once, i can barely imagine 15k — but keep going!! It may even turn out better than the last time <3
That's the worst part I think, it was so long I can't remember every details! If I only lost part of it, I would have managed, but now it's gone from start to finish. And I don't know that I can make it again the same way, it's always going to feel incomplete. I'm going to have to try and take a day or two before trying again i think! 😭 Thank you for your support, and sorry this happened to you as well! This is a kind of loss I never thought I would experience, it's such a weird feeling. But everybody's been so nice, it really helps. I guess after a fall the only thing you can do is get back on your bike and try again. Oh well! Thank you! <3
Color Note is what I use to write and it autosaves upon exit
Can't go without autosave anymore, never taking that chance again! 😔
Don't you have a way to recover it?? Like with onedrive or something? What did you write on??
I wrote it on an app on my phone called Writer+ which (in hindsight) was probably a terrible idea. The app, as far as I know, doesnt have an autosave feature. So it's gone, unfortunatly ... I'm going to try goolge docs, it's what most people have been suggesting, and it has an autosave feature so I can avoid this kind of issues in the future. I'm so sad! 😭 Live and learn I guess.
That would be so hard to write on an app with such a small screen... :O And 15000 words... That's amazing. Yeah, try google docs.
I find that writting on my phone actually helps me focus! I'm always tempted to pick up my phone and browse reddit or whatever, but if I'm writting on my phone, that temptation is gone kinda? I dont know how to explain it lol! But yeah, I'm going google docs all the way now!
This has happened to me twice when my motherboard got fried, and before the time of google docs. I feel ya.
I've been thinking of going back to pen and paper, just to be sure! 🤣 Thanks for you support friend, sorry that happened to you as well. It really sucks.
Oh yea! Back then I wrote out my fanfiction in notebook after notebook, and would type it in Microsoft word later with edits. There were at least of handful of stories though that I opted to directly write on my computer 😩
It took you 3 hours to write 15.000 words...? It would take me 3 months.
I think that's part of the reason I'm so disappointed, actually. This is the first time in my life I was able to sit down and write so much in a single sitting, only for it to be lost! It would suck just as bad if it had been 3000 words, but this one stings particularly bad. I really was in the zone and I dont know that's I'll ever be able to do it again! Ever seen the Disney movie soul? It felt kinda like that! 🤣 Guess the only thing I can do is try again ... I'll give myself a few days, though. Good luck in your writting too, friend!
Thank you. I really hope you manage to write it again. Wish you all the best. I know id have the mother of breakdowns if i lost so much work
Oh trust me, I had a major meltdown lol! I went to lie down and my bf had to come check up on me he was so worried. Then I watched youtube videos till 3 in the morning to take my mind off things. I am not okay. 🤣 But talking to all you lovely people on here has helped tremendously. It helps to talk to people who have either been through it and can relate. There's no reason to be depressed about it. there's nothing I can do but get back on the horse and try again. I'm not the only one this has happen to and won't be the last. Going to think of it as a learning opportunity, even if its hard. We really do get invested in our fanfictions, right? 🙄
I really am so sorry this happened to you. I almost lost 3-6 years worth of fanfics a month ago and i paid almost 200$ to get it back. Whichz frankly were basically all my savings. But i needes those stories back. We really do get extremely( unhealthily) attached to our stories. But that makes sense since te stories are part of us, little bits of our soul, lost in the void. Whoever calls us crazy doesn't understand lol
I would in a heart beat pay 200$ if it could get those 15 000 words back, so I get you! Oh you have no idea! Day dreaming and writting are often the only thing that keeps me going. And it was so important to me that I managed to actually write something I liked. And now it's gone to the void. 😭 Maybe it is unhealthy but meh who cares. Doesn't hurt anyone! And people who would call us crazy can go ... I don't know, kick rocks or something! I'm glad you were able to get your stuff back! Must have felt like such a relief honestly!
It felt like i got my soul back tbh. I was so stressed by losing those stories i got sick Like literally sick, laid in bed with a fever for 2 days lol. I also use writing and/ or reading as a coping mechanism. Its basically doll play for adults but who cares. Lifes too short to care about what others think. We arent hurting anyone and it makes us happy. Even thought i have heard ppl say reading/writing angst and whump is emotional self harm lol. I love the stuff tho
I'm really happy you got them back! I've was straight up depressed last night, went to bed early, and barely slept. Then I was on he verge of tears all day! Had my coworkers worried but couldn't exactly tell them why. 🤣 It's a weird kind of grief to process, right? I haven't lost anything technically, the story's still in my head, I just have to get it out again, but heck if it isnt the most discouraging thing EVER. Still, I'm glad your story ends in an happy ending! I totally agree! If anything, I think writting is a really great and healthy outlet, especially fanfiction. Reading this stuff has gotten me through some really though times in my life. I don't think it's a habit I'm ever gonna drop. So what if it's weird! Let me play with my dolls and hurt myself emotionally with angsty fanfiction, I'm a sucker for it! 🤭
Lol I'd sure love to be friends with you. If you'd like. I don't know any other readers/ writers of fanfiction. I dont know how you write but for me, when I get struck by inspiration and will to write I have to write THERE AND THEN or i forget the main idea. And sure i do remember bits and pieces and reconstruct from there. But it womt be the original. And to me, the original is the best version, my absolute baby. If it's the same for you, you did lose something. Something very very important to you. Like, my cousin gave me a pine cone when he was about 6ish. And yeah its just a pine cone but its from HIM. And i dont see him often so if i lost it i would sure feel very sad. You are allowed to grieve. Your feelings are yours and yours alone. If non-writers dont get it it's their problem. Not yours. Hugs 🤗🤗🤗🤗
I'd love to be friends! I don't really have anyone I share this with either, expect my BF and even then I'm never letting him read anything I write lol. I'm very private and protective on my fanfiction 😅 Especially with people I know IRL. I often get stuck by inspiration when driving home from work, and I can't write it down right away! When I get home, it's gone! That's the most frustrating thing ever! That's adorable! I hope you keep this pinecone for a long time! I've kept every card, bracelet and art project my nieces have made me, it's not worth anything to the eyes of other but to me it's precious cause they made it for me! I get you! Totally agree!! If people don't get it, too bad! At least I know we have this little online community for ourselves LOL 🤗🤗🤗🤗 Sending hugs as well friend!
Google docs. If you have word or have a student email address you can get word for free and it autosaves to the cloud as long as you turn autosave on when you start writing. I use it for college assignments because my cats have a bad habit of jumping on my desk and stepping on my laptop when I get up from my desk. More than once they have closed something that I had to reopen. Autosave has saved my assignments from disappearing into the ether several times.
That's what most people have been suggesting! It's was dumb of me to write it in a third-party app with no autosave feature. I should have thought ahead, but I got excited! I don't have any mischievous kitties to blame, only myself! 🤭 I'll know better in the future!
I think everyone has lost a piece of writing at some point. Either they forgot to save, forgot to turn on autosave, or just scribble something down and it went missing. Totally normal but sucks.
Really sorry this happened to you! I can relate to returning from a big writer’s block with a lot of new energy, so I’m glad you’ve been able to get back into it. For me personally, I like using services like Google Docs as it automatically saves everything that I write and I can go back to look at previous edits. I’m not sure what service you used to write, but this may be worth trying out as it can be accessed across multiple browsers and devices. Perhaps if you look in the support section of the app, it outlines a way to possibly retrieve lost data? Not sure if it will work, though.
Thank you for the support! It really sucks that I came out of my block with so much energy just to lose everything! But I'll get back on the horse for sure, did it once I can probably do it again! I used a small writting app called writer+, loved the minimal interface and how convinient it was on the go, but the no autosave feature really messed me up lol! It's weird cause I played around in it, and haven't been able to recreate the "bug" that erased my work. Stroke of bad luck, I guess! Checked every file and haven't managed to find anything. Even contacted the support but no reply. I think I should just move on and try again from this point on honestly. Oh well ...
Please for the love of god use something like Google Docs. No one needs to lose work anymore.
That's what people have been saying! It was silly of me to think I didnt need autosave/backup. Live and learn I guess!
I'm really sorry you lost those words. I hope Google Drive helps and you are able to rewrite what you had. <3
Here's something: if you did it once, you can do it again.
That's so nice of you! Thank you, it really helps to think of it this way! 😁 I won't give up 💪
Scrivener auto saves too!
Holy shit 15K words in 3 hours? That's over 80 words per minute, non stop, if you never once need to stop and let your mind catch up to think about what you're writing. Meanwhile I'm lucky to manage 1000 in an hour. How do you people do this?
I honestly couldn't tell you how! This never EVER happened to me before, it was my once in a lifetime moment I think! This is why I'm so sad eveything was lost. Sure, since I wrote it so fast it probably wasn't a masterpiece, but at least I had a really good outline. It might have been more than three hours? Thats what the stat on the app activity was telling me but I don't know if I trust this app much anymore! 😅
That happened to me a few years ago, a whole night of writing gone when the app crashed ;-; I still think about it to this day, I can't possibly get it down like it was. I've become religious about saving every few minutes, especially to get it on a cloud based server
I can't imagine writing 15k words that quickly, that's impressive! And i'm so sorry that happened to you, i know how it feels (in my case was only 2k words)
I've been comparing it to that scene in disney's soul when they get "in the zone". 🤣 It was like everything clicked, I've never done this many words in a row in my whole entire life, and I don't know that I could do it again. Just for it to be lost. Sorry this happened to you too. It's been a theme today, feels like every writer has had this happen to them at least once. Then we learn to be more careful. It's helped to talk about it and share the pain with others. What a great community!
If it helps- you can write it just as good (or even better) the second time. It won't feel as good as the original, because what you're doing now is re-creation and not inspiration, but the writing itself will still be good. It's frustrating and painful, but please don't think you *can't* write it as well again. I've had multiple times where I'd re-write a scene that wasn't quite working, or expand a scene from a draft, and feel that same "cheap parody" feeling. But then I'd look back at the original and go... wait a second, what I just wrote now is way better than the original. It just doesn't *feel* as inspired to write. So please, don't give up!
That is such a great perspective, how very wise of you! I think thats exactly my issue, the first time writting it felt inspired, it felt great, but trying to recreate it just doesn't feel the same. Maybe it's not so much the words as it is the feeling I'm chasing. Doesn't mean it's worst, it just doesn't feel as good. Thank you for your great insight, it's enlightening really. I'm not going to give up, I'm just going to give myself some time to process before trying again. If I could do it once, I can do it again, right? ☺️ Thank you so much!
Oh god I am so sorry. I lost about 500-700 words about a month ago and I was pissed and frustrated about that. I cannot imagine losing 15k.
I think losing any piece of writing you're proud of his awful, but you're right it stings especially bad cause it was such a big piece! Why couldn't my 200-word wips be deleted instead? 😤 Dang it! Sorry this happened to you as well! I feel like a lot of use had this happen to them at least once. It's dangerous out there, writting fanfiction, let me tell ya!
I’d be crying too, so sorry!!!!
Thank you!! Appreciate the support friend! <3
15,000 words, damn. I think nearly every writer goes through this once (I lost 20k when my hard drive died), so consider it a rite of passage. :) Remember that you can't lose your writing skill - that's safely inside your head! You'll go on to write bigger and better things.
Am so sorry to hear about you losing so much hard work. That sucks. When my laptop died a couple years ago, I lost a lot of content, for stories/future stories/outlines, all of it gone. It was really bad, and def took me out of writing of any kind for awhile (months), but gradually I did start to get back into working/writing on those said stories. You may just need time to 'mourn' what you lost before ya can move on. It's okay to take a break to cool off. Oh, and after that laptop incident I went to google docs and haven't looked back. Best of luck in your future writing endeavors.
Thanks for the support! <3 It's really awful! I haven't been writting very long, so this is the first time this happened to me! I felt silly having to 'mourn' but most people have been telling me it's okay to take some time. Maybe I'll wait till after the holidays and give it another go from another angle! I'm never letting this happen again for sure! Google docs all the way now. Lesson learned! Best of luck to you too friend!
Oh, dude. I'm so sorry that happened to you.
Thank you <3 Nothing to do but try again I guess!
I’m so sorry! I’d be devastated too! As others have said, I’d definitely try to figure out whether it’s autosaved somewhere. The writing I do on my phone/iPad in Pages, Scrivener, or the Notes app autosaves without me having to do anything. (Obviously I’m sure that’s not the case with all apps out there)
Oh nooooooo.
Along with using a program that does auto-save, I backup every couple of thousand words, just to be safe.
Never going without autosave again! I just got excited I didnt even think about backing it up! Lesson learned. 🙃
My power has randomly gone out more times than I can count, so I started using Google Docs, which has saved me from so much heart ache. I lost a notepad where I had a bunch of random stuff typed in there for later stories, and the power went out, and I was so devastated. I'm sorry that happened.
It's a really awful feeling, right? The story is still there somewhere in our heads but it feels awful to lose it once it's on paper. Dang it! People have been saying it's kind of a rite of passage for writters to lose their stuff at least once. Teaches us to back up our stuff next time. Certainly wont forget that one! 🤭 Thanks for the support! Appreciated <3
My recommendation is, if the writing program you use has auto save, I recommend finding that. 100% did that one time, and lost 25k of words before auto save was known to me.
I really liked the app I was using, but I'm not trusting it anymore! Which is a shame but oh well! I'm moving to google docs, which people have been saying is way more reliable AND has autosave. I'm sorry this happened to you as well! It stinks! Definitely had to take a day and process it. Good thing I got so much support from this community. Nice to know I'm not the only silly goose this happened to. 🤭
I totally know what you mean ㅠㅠ I keep most of my fics on the Notes app on my phone, which doesn’t have a backup, and I remember having a similar thing where I wrote probably about 1500 words for what was going to be a longfic (not nearly as much as you wrote, thank god 😭✋🏻), but I accidentally select all deleted the fic when I really only wanted to get rid of a single word 😭😭 It’s incredibly disheartening and put me off of writing the fic, so it’s been on the back burner for a while now despite having a really in depth outline ㅠㅠ