It’s happened to all of us. Files lost in some cyber-nightmare. Computers. We rely on them for our composition, but must always remember the words of the Prophet Mohammed: “Tie Your Camel.” You know what I’m talking about here. “Oh, I’ll get to it soon,” are famous last words. Regular back up is a necessity while working on anything using computers, which, like all things in this world, are subject to entropy and degradation. Back up is just a normal part of your work flow.
A close client has just lost 4 months of valuable work, nada, gone, kaput. Just like that. And not because she didn’t back up. She did, or the person who does her tech support did it for her. The issue was with file names: two files with the same name in different areas. He backed up the older one, not the most recent. Then the most recent was trashed. Regular back up would have lessened the gap between those versions of the project. File naming the different versions also helps. All this is totally visible in hindsight.
Word to the wise: back up your work!
And by the way, I also keep all the older original versions in case I need to go back at any time. Even when a project is “completed” I keep them for a time, just to be sure. Anal? Probably. But it has come in handy more than once.
CAROL SILL 
Alas, I’ve learned this the hard way. Read my recent post for details. Sigh…
HI C
How sweet you called me a “close client”
Back it up… pu ti kcaB
All of my blue and red houses
my killer spelling bee’s
the crossing of my eyes and dottings of my t’s
No last right no good bye just taken out like a Benedict spy
Like in every death there was denial and then mourning
My entire world was hit with out a single warning
Although I have begun to rebuild and start a new
I am still beside myself because I know that
Backing up is some thing you should do