The Journal

November 2009
Volume 10, Issue 11

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to November!

To those of you participating in NaNoWriMo: Keep up the good work! Or, if you're having a month more like mine: Don't give up! ;-)

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!

Check to see if you have the most recent update of The Journal by clicking on the Help menu (in The Journal) and choosing Check for Update of The Journal.

Download the latest update of The Journal from here:

http://www.davidrm.com/download/jnl5setup.exe

Click here to see what's new in The Journal 5.

Click here for information about Upgrade Pricing.

Add-on Packages Available for The Journal

Writing Prompts 1 - Improve your writing skills!
Learn more about Writing Prompts 1.

Writing Prompts 2 - Prose Challenges by Mike Hommel - Stretch your mind and your writing skills!!
Learn more about Writing Prompts 2.

Devotional Prompts 1 & 2 - Keep a record of your reflections about God, yourself, and others!
Learn more about Devotional Prompts for The Journal.

MemoryGrabber - Start your autobiography or help your loved ones start theirs.
Learn more about MemoryGrabber for The Journal.

Steve Pavlina's Templates - 20 journaling exercises to help you discover your life purpose, assess your relationships, solve your problems, and more!
Learn more about Steve Pavlina's Templates for The Journal.

Extended Security - Do you need a higher level of security?
Learn more about Extended Security for The Journal.

To order the add-on packages for The Journal, or to order The Journal on CDROM:
1. Click on the Help menu in The Journal.
2. Choose "Upgrade 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 EXERCISES

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 or another The Journal-related topic, we would love to hear from you.

Submissions for the newsletter should be sent to: davidrm@davidrm.com

If you are submitting for a particulare 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.

Editor: David Michael (davidrm@davidrm.com)
Copyright © 2009 by David Michael.