Keeping Your Work Close

This is a personal writing tip.

Keep your work close to you at all times!

Why should you do this? Well, I found that keeping my manuscript close to me at all hours of the day solved a few issues for me.

1. Having a physical copy of the manuscript in my messenger bag whenever I am out somewhere gives me a sense of urgency to not forget that it needs my attention. This works great for someone like me who is a notorious slacker when it comes to writing regularly.
2. Keep a copy of all documents - Word, Scrivener, .mobi, etc. on a thumb drive that I wear around my neck, giving me security that unless I die a horrific death somewhere during the day, that if the house burns down with my computer in it, or, heaven forbid, my laptop is stolen, I will still have a copy of all my files safe and sound.
3. And lastly, for someone like me who forgets something crucial perhaps every morning before I dash out to my two day jobs, keep both of these above mentioned items either on your night stand or at the foot of your bed so that there's no possible way to forget them when you are running around like a chicken with its head cut off. 

There are a ton of distractions each day that try to keep us from working on our writing. I know that when I get to the end of my work day I sometimes almost fall asleep at the idea of even cracking open my manuscript to edit or even add a new section. But, this must be conquered!

Just having my book always around me is enough to get my attention, to constantly keep me focused on what I want to do. Even when I'm driving, I'm reminded of the bigger picture. Even when I'm working at my other job, I can feel the thumb drive around my neck and remember that I need to find time for my craft when I'm on my own time that day.

It's just a good habit. It's also a good backup in case of natural disaster!