[Stylist] Methods for writing and saving work

Sat Nov 7 12:34:53 UTC 2020

Vejas,  and all...

I write using  ZoomText and the speech reader on it.
I do everything in a Word document.

I save writings in several places, such as copies of the files in different
folders.
I use one folder that I work from every day - I keep that one on my desktop
for easy access.  
At the end of the day, when I've completed my updates or revisions, I save
that file on the desktop  folder. 
Once saved in that main folder, I also do the "Save As" function to several
other folders  in different locations.
Those would be my back-up copies in an emergency.

I also save them to Dropbox and on a flash drive. But, I don't use the flash
drive a lot - I get them mixed up and then I don't know where the latest
copies are.
Plus, my dog chewed up one of them.  I don't deal well with fussy little
things like flash drives - that is just me!

Here is something else I think is important to safe:
Works published are also in a physical archive that  I  began in 1985. I
started keeping the published work when I was earning my BFA degree.  I
continue this practice to this day. 

In that archive,
I store hard copies of each book and literary journal where one of my
writings appeared.  I keep the hard copies in my office for easy access. I
can locate any of those publications when needed. It is not unusual to have
to consult them many times during the year.  My earliest writings are
archived in the books that published my academic essays presented at
conferences, as well as newspapers and literary magazines while doing 3
degrees over a 12-year period.  The archive includes  my  published  thesis
project which is a book.   These early publications are consulted at times
when I need to trace back to the beginnings of ideas in my work.

Once any of my  writings is published, I keep a hard copy of the book or
periodical in one place.  You will be amazed at how often, in time, you must
go into that archive to check on something printed long ago.  Recently, an
editor wanted me to give some examples in an essay she wants to print - and
I spent two days searching through my archives to respond. I could trace
back through those works to find the historical context to support my
thoughts. Because of my archived work, I found the answers I needed. 

 In addition, I print out a paper copy of everything at specific points so
that if everything cyber went south, I'd at least have a hard copy.
I keep a print copy in a folder labelled with the title of the particular
book. 
When my draft is complete, I run out a final copy and save it in that
folder.  
I hope this is helpful to all who are in various stages of writing.  

My best tip is to be organized in a way that works for you.  
Lynda

 *****

-----Original Message-----
From: Stylist <stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Vejas Vasiliauskas
via Stylist
Sent: Friday, November 6, 2020 9:07 PM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Cc: Vejas Vasiliauskas <alpineimagination at gmail.com>
Subject: [Stylist] Methods for writing

Hi, 
I hope you are all doing well. I have a question for this listserv in
general. 
I've written pretty much all my stories on my Braillenote, starting with the
classic Braillenote BT when I was 8, and now the Apex. I like how the
braillenote's word processor responds easily to quick typing. As an added
bonus, the documents are in KWB (keyword Braille) format, and are only
readable to most people if I save them in a more standard format such as
Microsoft Word, so I have always appreciated the privacy this has given me. 
I will probably soon be "graduating" to the Braille Sense Polaris. The word
processor on it seems pretty good, but I wanted to ask you all which devices
you use to write, and also which applications you find work best. I have
tried Pages on the iPhone, which is decent but not always as quick as I
would like. 
As an added question, how do you ensure your writing is private before you
feel ready to give others access? 
Thank you so much, 
Vejas
_______________________________________________
Writers Division web site
http://writers.nfb.org/
Stylist mailing list
Stylist at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Stylist:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/llambert%40zoominternet
.net