Comments on: In Case of Emergency

By: Sue P

Sue P — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 17:22:03 +0000

My FIL had one of these types of binders and it was a Godsend when he was killed in a car accident. In one place we found every important paper and directive he had. My husband came home and immediately created one for our family. I never thought about doing it for writing, but it makes sense. OTOH, my husband would have access to my work email and my calendar of work hangs on my wall. But he should know my various memberships and others he should contact. Just another thing to add to the stuff I should do list . . .

By: Katherine Waters-Clark

Katherine Waters-Clark — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 02:37:48 +0000

A few years ago when my children were very young, my husband was heading to Japan for a three-week work trip. In our house, since he’s in charge of the bills, the wills, the insurance, etc. (I know, I know….). I couldn’t tell you where everything was. Plus, a lot of his “system” was also (like Linda) in his head. Before he left, I had him write it all down on one page: account numbers, balances, etc. so that in the event that God forbid something happened to him on his trip, I could literally turn the page over to my sister to take care of while I took care of the kids. He came back just fine, but I am still glad to have that sheet of paper. Regarding identity theft, couldn’t you leave the list in a safe deposit box at the bank? That’s where I keep that list now.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:19:53 +0000

A few years ago at the magazine where I work, one of best our regular writers failed to submit a story, and attempts to get in touch with her didn’t work. It was really frustrating not knowing what had happened. Months later, we found out she had had a brain tumor. We never learned whether she recovered from that…really sad. But a good lesson to be learned in why it’s important for somebody to contact your editors if something were to happen. If we hadn’t learned of her illness we may never have gotten past thinking of her as just another writer who went MIA.

By: cal

cal — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:22:59 +0000

Really mixed feelings about this — I can see why this would be a good idea but from what I understand, most ID theft comes from paper trails (not online use) & this strikes me as a really easy mark.
Granted, how many people are going to have access to it in your home & how many have nasty intentions greatly reduce the risk. Something to think about, though.

By: alicia

alicia — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 13:14:10 +0000

I haven’t but it’s a brilliant idea. And hey, if something productive and useful comes out of procrastination, it doesn’t matter how “creative” it is, haha.

By: Ginny

Ginny — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 18:05:42 +0000

This is a really good idea, though in my house I’d need my husband to do it. One thing we both have done is put important numbers in our cell phone (like my hubby’s work and cell phone #s) under the title “ICE” – In Case of Emergency – so if we are out and about somewhere and are in an accident, emergency personnel can look in our address book and know who to contact.

By: Heather Larson

Heather Larson — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:47:38 +0000

I haven’t created an emergency binder for writing but I think it’s a fabulous idea. You should pitch it to The Writer or Writer’s Digest. Fiction writers should have an emergency plan, too.
This is what I call a “fresh” idea.
Heather