Bag and Tag

The family's coming over for a civic holiday BBQ, so I've been stashing the Zombie Babies puppets and props. One thing that I learned during the production of Freaky Stories was how important it was to properly store your assets for the next season of production.

Each year when we finished the puppet shoots, the puppet crew would powder, wrap and very carefully store the puppets and their props. It seemed like a lot of work the first time I watched them do it - I would have just thrown them into boxes and been done with it. But when the next season rolled around, the puppets were in great shape and everything we needed was right where we expected it to be.

So, what does this have to do with Pitch Bibles?

They are assets. They have value - whether you've sold them or not. So store them carefully. Even if you're not actively pitching and selling, you want to know that your creations are in good shape. How do you do that?

First, register your latest or final draft with the WGA (WGC or whatever).

Next, back up your work on a disc and even print out a hard copy. To be even safer, store it "off-site" on an FTP site. You can upload the files and have access to them at any time. This way, no matter what happens - even if your house burns down and your computer is destroyed, your work will survive. As one who has survived some catastrophic computer failures - its a nice feeling to know that your work is safe.

I've actually started uploading my work to our FTP site on a daily basis - to back up the writing that I do. Its a good habit to get into.