We all set writing goals, especially during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Some of us fall short of meeting the 50,000 words in 30 days goal. How we handle missing writing deadlines defines how we handle our career.

Early this November, I received a phone call from my in-law’s neighbor. My mother-in-law had just had a stroke and was being taken to the hospital by ambulance. My father-in-law couldn’t take care of himself, much less cope with the crisis.

We had to pack up everything, take the cockatoo to birdy camp, and leave for an extended stay in southern California. Once we were there, we had consultations with doctors, care options and facilities to tour, and my 93 year old father-in-law to care for.

Any idea of NaNoWriMo or any writing that wasn’t related to medication schedules, doctor’s appointments, or insurance policies went out the window.

I’m disappointed that I didn’t make my NaNoWriMo goal.

However. I realize that at times I have to re-prioritize my writing. At times, your writing will have to be placed on the back burner. This year I am missing my writing deadline.

What can you do to keep from letting your guilt about not writing and missing deadlines from detracting from what you have to accomplish and derailing your writing over the long run?

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Two years ago my National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) novel flowed from my fingers. My plot had marvelous twists and turns. My characters whispered sweet dialogue in my ear.

The words flowed from my brain, through my fingers, onto my screen.

I use the AlphaSmart Dana to record my words during NaNoWriMo. However, most of the rest of the year, I write using my computer. I tend to forget the fine details of how the words actually move from the Dana to my computer.

I always (usually) create a folder where I move the day’s work after I sync it from the Dana. That year I forgot.

I had several days worth of words uploaded. I plugged in the Dana to sync the latest words of my masterpiece. Too late, I realized that the new words were overwriting the words of the previous several days. In a flash, I lost over 5,000 words.

Now, you know I’m always talking about backing up your data. It’s one of my favorite themes.

I  did not have those words backed up!

The next day I broke a personal records for most words written. However, I still didn’t write enough to make up for the lost words and the current day’s words. My spreadsheet still showed my total word count in red.

Don’t do what I did.

Here are some easy ways to keep your words safe.

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