The Journal Newsletter
Introduction
Welcome to November!
To those of you participating in NaNoWriMo (www.nanowrimo.org): Keep up the good work! Or, if you’re having a month more like mine: Don’t give up! đ
This month we have a couple tips for backing up The Journal, and a new set of writing prompts.
Thank you for using DavidRM Software’s The Journal!
Tips & Tricks
TIP: Automatically Copy The Journal’s Backup File to an External Hard Drive
External hard drives, connected via a USB port or over a network, have come down in price significantly in the past few years, with more space than ever before. These hard drives make excellent backup storage.
The Journal can automatically copy your Journal Volume backup files to an external hard drive. To set this up:
1. Click on the File menu, Maintenance sub-menu, and choose “Backup Settings…”
2. Under “Copy backup archive to these locations”, click on the “…”(browse) button.
3. Browse to the external hard drive and folder on that drive where you would like The Journal to copy your backup files.
4. Click on the “Add” button.
You can have The Journal copy your backups to as many locations as you want. In each location, The Journal will keep only the number of backups you specify in the “Keep only the nn most recent backups per Journal Volume” option.
TIP: Automatically Upload The Journal’s Backup File to an FTP/Offsite Backup
In addition to copying backup archives to other hard drives, The Journal can also upload your Journal Volumes backups to an FTP server.
To set this up:
1. Click on the File menu, Maintenance sub-menu, and choose “Backup Settings…”
2. Under “Copy backup archive to these locations”, type in the FTP server information in this format:
ftp://userLogin:userPassword@ftp.host.com/remote/path/
NOTE: The link will display in the list with your password hidden.
It’s also possible to upload with FTPS (a more secure form of FTP), but only if your server supports FTPS. To do that, you have to use this format instead:
ftps://userLogin:userPassword@ftp.host.com/remote/path/
3. After you’ve typed in the FTP link, click on the “Add” button.
You can have The Journal upload your backups to as many locations as you want.
NOTE: The “Keep only the nn most recent backups per Journal Volume” option does not apply to FTP uploads. You will need to manage the number of backups yourself.
Writing Prompts
Free Writing Prompt – Write for 20 minutes using the following as your starter: “Excuses Ready”
Journaling Prompt – What do you think are your blind spots about yourself (or about anything)? What do you think other people think are your blind spots? What do other people tell you are your blind spots?
Memoir Prompt – Have you ever been robbed? What kind of robbery was it? How did it change your life (or did it have no lasting impact)?
Submission Information
If you would like to contribute to the “How I Use The Journal”, “Writing Exercises”, or “Tips & Tricks” sections, or would like to submit an article about journaling, writing, or another The Journal-related topic, we would love to hear from you.
Submissions for the newsletter should be sent to: support@davidrm.com
If you are submitting for a particular section, please indicate which one. Try to limit your submissions to 500-1000 words. Submissions may be edited for length and content.
If you prefer to remain anonymous, please state this in the email. Otherwise your name (but not your email) will be used in the article heading.
As always, if you have any suggestions for, or bug reports about, The Journal, please feel free to email them. Both are always welcome.