[Benthic]

I just wrote a nice little piece, a Raymond Chandler-ish noir sf thing, which seemed to be going somewhere. Then I go for a cup of tea, and when I get back my crappy computer has crashed. I hadn't saved it of course, and I don't have the motivation to try and rewrite it.
Well, you could say I won't do that again, I mean not saving it. For the next two weeks or so.
Damn.

[Holbrook]

Been there done that :D

It's a pain.... I once had a major crash and had to piece half a manuscript together from floppy discs and sections I had e.mailed to friends....

Not nice and it does break the flow.

This reminds me I must save the piece I am working on at the moment. a very, very nasty dark fairie story.....

[Miriamele]

Few things are worse than losing all your work and having to start again. Somehow, it never sounds the same second time around.

I feel your pain. :(

[Alucard]

I once spent seven hours editing, then had my computer freeze up before I could save. Another time, I wrote an entire short story, some 15,000 words, and had the same thing happen. So I know where you are coming from. I've become a "save as" nazi ever since. I reccomend you pick the habit as well.

[enazwo]

Tis one of the most emotionally futile rending lessons I have ever learned. Ah... wait a minute that was the second most emotional and depressing moment. The first one was the time I slow roasted in rock salt an awesome prime rib for this gorgeous gal that I had met at this mall in Anchorage (Dimond Center) and when I took the work of art out of the oven I slipped on a beer I had spill. During my fall I shrieked like a little girl because I thought I was going to scalded by the hot grease. So when I flailed the prime rib got launched into my roommates kitty litter box. The gal thought it was hilarious and couldn't quit laughing at me for at least an hour. I was SOOOOOOOOOO DEPRESSED. I had been toiling over that all day and was drooling, salivating, tummy rumbling hungry for some prime rib. Oh well you live and learn. So I'm always saving my stuff.

[milamber_reborn]

I use Word 97, set to 1 minute autosaves. The computer crashes and I start it up again and open up the autosave file.

[Bardos]

Write a sentance, hit Ctrl + S, write another sentace hit Ctr + S, write another sentace, hit Ctrl + S, and so on.

Hope this helps. :D

[Benthic]

I've started rewriting it. You're right Miriamele, it doesn't seem to be the same this time around. But well, close enough. It'll have to be revised anyway when it's finished.

[Duarh]

I ALWAYS use autosave. And I click on save every other minute, almost ;). I have also had such nastiness as you're describing happen to me in the past