Don’t Let the You of tomorrow Hate the you of today

There’s nothing like thinking you've lost months of progress to remind you that you need to back up your work.

And I don’t just mean hitting save. I mean really backing things up. Whether you’re using an online writing program like Grammarly or ProWritingAid (not a sponsor), posting to a platform like AO3 or Wattpad (also not a sponsor), or just saving locally on your computer — the rule is the same:

Back up. Back up. Back up.

Not only does this protect your work from being lost, but it also helps prove ownership if anyone ever tries to claim your writing as theirs. The more copies you have, the better.

Here’s how I do it:

• One copy online (even if it’s just an email to myself).

• One copy saved directly on my computer.

• One “carry with me” copy on a thumb drive or SD card.

• And yep… one printed-on-paper copy. (Bonus points if you laminate it.)

  
  

That last one might sound old-school, but it is a total lifesaver. If someone ever tries to claim your work as theirs, a physical copy with dates is hard to argue against.

Personally, I go even further. Since I post on AO3, I also save backups of the HTML itself — which sounds extra, but it proves I had access to stuff only the original poster could. And nowadays, apps can scan paper back into digital form if you really need it. It’s nerdy, but hey, it works.

Does it take time? Yeah. Does it feel over-the-top? Definitely. But trust me: future-you will be grateful to today-you for putting in the effort.