How much to save? A question for my fellow writers

[pbray]

As I'm in the process of PACKING ALL THE THINGS, I'm taking a hard look at my collection of file boxes. For every book I have hardcopy of all versions, from the first submission through revisions, copyedits and galleys. That's a lot of paper, and I'm wondering if it's finally time to let some of it go.

So how about you? What do you save when you're done with a project?
[Poll #1792765]

Comments

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

But I am steadily offloading all that paper to a university collection in the area where I grew up. So I don't have much at home except the current project.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I keep wondering if I'll donate my papers at some point, or if I'd rather preserve a little mystery about my writing process.

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

I don't have the storage space.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I noticed a correlation between size of living space and amount of stuff kept, with the NYC folks reporting a fondness for electronic versions over paper.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I keep the drafts -- and the pieces that got pulled to make weight, notes, and all that stuff -- electronically. But the paper? I throw away everything but the final draft when the published book hits the shelves, and I've been debating with myself if, in this day and age, I really need to keep a hardcopy of the final manuscript.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I have the electronic versions, but electronics are fragile-- the wordprocessor I used in the nineties isn't compatible with my current PC and the MS word import produces odd looking results.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Drafts get recycled for printer paper -- hey, one side of the page still works. I lack sufficient vanity to believe that anybody would be interested in them . . .

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Hypothetically it might be interesting for someone to compare the submitted version verus the version after my agent has seen it, or after the editor's revisions. But honestly? I doubt anyone would take the time.

[lagilman]

I keep drafts in a file on hard storage (off-computer). I keep author copies. I recycle/shred everything else. Why make it easy on that far-future grad student?

(also: I am by nature NOT a hoarder, and I live in a NYC apartment. Every square foot counts!)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I figured square footage of living space would influence the answers :-)

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I used to write long hand, so I'd keep the first draft, and then the final typed draft, but intermediate ones go out. SO for my academic books, I have first draft, final draft and galleys, plus the book (and all the research notes). Same goes for Living With Ghosts, except that the galleys were electronic and there are two longhand first drafts, for various reasons.

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I used to write long hand, so I'd keep the first draft, and then the final typed draft, but intermediate ones go out. SO for my academic books, I have first draft, final draft and galleys, plus the book (and all the research notes). Same goes for <i>Living With Ghosts</i>, except that the galleys were electronic and there are two longhand first drafts, for various reasons. <i.Grass King</i> exists in a first final draft, and a revised final draft on the computer, plus an out-takes file and a scrawled-on pre-final draft hard-copy.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Based on what everyone has said, I'm leaning more and more towards keeping the hard copies. Along with the electronic ones, naturally.