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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Writing Craft » Page 7

Writing Craft

What Do You Do When Your Technology Fails?

By Steve Laubeon March 25, 2024
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Today, I tell the story of an author’s tragedy. We had a client who lost their entire manuscript the day of their deadline. Poof. It was gone. Their thumb drive malfunctioned too; it was empty.

Because they had borrowed a laptop, the author didn’t know it was programmed to empty the trash each time it was rebooted. The author had moved the manuscript to the trash after emailing it to the publisher because they needed to return the laptop. Unfortunately, the file that went to the publisher was not the final version but an earlier version containing only 20% of the manuscript. (In addition, the file was not backed up to the cloud.)

The tragedy of this story is that the publisher had to declare the author in breach of contract and cancel the project because this was the last of three deadline extensions granted to the author by the publisher. There was no more leeway.

Technology failed. Sure, in this case, there was human error involved; but the human thought their technology had their back.

We all know we are supposed to back things up. I have even had clients email me their manuscripts, saying, “Don’t look at it; just archive it so I know of another place where it is stored.” (I don’t recommend this, necessarily; but there is a method to the madness of trusting a work colleague with backup.) Are you diligent in your fervor to back up your work? I hope so.

What about the “cloud”? Do you unyieldingly trust your cloud? Or trust the service you use? What if your wi-fi service goes down and your cell phone can’t create a hotspot? How do you access your cloud? This happened to me while traveling. The wi-fi wouldn’t work in our final location, and our cell provider was out of range. I didn’t have access to my “cloud” for many days.

Maybe you use a third-party backup like Carbonite.com. Have you checked those files lately? Years ago, I discovered my offsite backup wasn’t actually backing up anything. A few clicks later, all was well. But it meant that my safety net had holes in it for quite some time.

In December last year, the software subscription to send this blog post out every morning expired without notification. Thus, we had three days without blog posts being mailed. I had an annual subscription, but it failed us without warning.

Or you unwittingly click a bad link, and your hard drive is held hostage by a crook asking for ransom to unlock it (aka Ransomware)?

What about other tech? Is your website feeling its age and no longer reflects your professional demeanor? Or your phone isn’t “smart.” Or your computer is starting to act sluggish? Or your favorite writing software was upgraded, and now your memorized keystrokes no longer work. (Thanks, Microsoft Word … circa 2023.)

What do you do?

Share in the comments below. Maybe our community of writers can help one another survive and thrive a little bit better.

 

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Category: Book Business, Career, Technology, The Writing LifeTag: Book Business, Career, Technology, The Writing Life

When You Are on the Bench

By Steve Laubeon March 18, 2024
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The NCAA Basketball Tournament is upon us, with lots of drama accompanying March Madness. As you watch a game, of any team sport, the focus is on the players in the contest. The camera follows the stars and their every move. What you rarely do is watch the bench or the players on the sidelines. I find this to be a fascinating metaphor for the writing and publishing “game.” There are …

Read moreWhen You Are on the Bench
Category: Book Business, Career, Encouragement, Writing CraftTag: Career

A Writer’s Lorica

By Bob Hostetleron March 14, 2024
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Today is St. Patrick’s Day, which tradition marks as the day of his death. Some mark the day with parades, drinking, and other festivities. I think it’s a great day for prayer, especially for writers, since the famous prayer known as “St. Patrick’s Lorica” (or “breastplate”) is attributed to him. I’ve adapted the prayer numerous times (for my children, grandchildren, etc.), so here is “A Writer’s …

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Category: Creativity, The Writing Life, Theology

Story Structure Part #8

By Lynette Easonon March 13, 2024
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Welcome back to Story Structure. We’re still using our story we’re creating with Oliver and Sophia; and we’ve come to the beginning of Act 3, which includes the climax, falling action, and resolution. Let’s talk about the climax of the story. The climax is the moment of greatest emotional intensity, conflict, or suspense in the story. It’s a pivotal point where the main conflict reaches its …

Read moreStory Structure Part #8
Category: Writing Craft

Story Structure Part #7

By Lynette Easonon February 27, 2024
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Welcome back to Story Structure. We’re still using the story we’re creating with Oliver and Sophia, and we’ve come to Plot Point #2. Plot Point #2 comes after the dark moment (that I talked about last time) and just before the climax. Plot Point #2, according to Larry Brooks, is defined as “the final injection of new information into the story, after which no new expository information may …

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Category: Writing Craft

Only the Rich Get Published (?)

By Steve Laubeon February 26, 2024
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The title of today’s blog came in a question that was much less confrontational but significant nonetheless. In the context of describing the extremely limited amount of money they could spend on writers conferences, online classes, training materials, etc., the writer summarized by asking, “How can an unknown writer with very limited resources expect to get their writing published?” This is a …

Read moreOnly the Rich Get Published (?)
Category: Career, Conferences, Get Published, The Writing LifeTag: Get Published

Presidential Quotes on President’s Day

By Steve Laubeon February 19, 2024
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Today is President’s Day in the U.S. Originally established in 1885 as a recognition of George Washington’s birthday (February 22), it was later expanded to include Abraham Lincoln and all other U.S. presidents. Some of the words of these leaders have stood the test of time. For example, from Abraham Lincoln: “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” “And in …

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Category: Craft, Historical, Inspiration, TheologyTag: Inspiration, Writing Craft

Defusing Contract Landmines

By Steve Laubeon February 12, 2024
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It is crucial that every author knows that if they sign a contract, they are legally bound by the terms within that contract. Even if it is to their disadvantage. Our agency is often approached with a phrase like “I signed a bad book contract and want out of it. Can you help?” Usually, the answer is “Unfortunately, no.” After so many years of running into landmines buried …

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Category: Book Business, Contracts, Legal IssuesTag: Book Business, Contracts, Legal

Story Structure Part #6: The Dark Moment/Black Moment

By Lynette Easonon February 8, 2024
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Hey, everyone, welcome back. If this is your first time here on the blog, I encourage you to go back to the first post in this series and work your way to this one. Otherwise, you might find yourself a little confused. And now, onto the next part. In our story structure series, we’ve arrived at our Dark Moment, also known as the Black Moment. This is where everything seems to be lost. Everything …

Read moreStory Structure Part #6: The Dark Moment/Black Moment
Category: Writing Craft

For Authors With an LLC

By Steve Laubeon February 5, 2024
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If you have ever read Franz Kafka’s novel The Castle, you know the frustration of the main character trying to cut through the endless bureaucracy of the local village. There are times when we, in America, feel the same about our government’s endless need to generate new laws and paperwork. I have recommended that authors who are generating income and also need to write off expenses …

Read moreFor Authors With an LLC
Category: Book Business, The Writing Life
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