Today's post is a lesson I had to learn not that long ago. It was a very painful lesson and I found something that will help everyone else out there function a little easier.

Not that long ago, my computer got fried (I'm sure everyone knows about that by now). However, last Friday I got a new one as well as a piece of technology that I'm never leaving home without ever again. Everyone who writes for a living, regardless of whether you have internet backup or not, needs to have one of these little things. For the price, the security is worth it.

I have a 250 GB external hard drive that doesn't require an additional power source to operate. It plugs right into your USB port on your computer and runs right off of it. Walmart has a 320 GB one as well if you need the extra space. This thing is just the coolest invention ever. I have all this space and it's about the size of my wallet. It's easy to store and easy to port around with my new laptop. It also helps that it's pink like the computer. But that was optional.

This little device makes it easy for me to protect my novels without worrying about things getting lost if something happens to my new computer. I love internet back up, but I don't have internet at home and it makes it hard for me to back up everything that way. This little device makes storing things separately from my computer a cinch.

The lesson is back your stuff up in multiple places. If you don't, you'll cry when you lose four months of work like I did.