A few years ago, I was very close to finishing my first book. It was a massive achievement for me because I have a hard time finishing a simple short story. It was a book about vampires, a subject I loved and had a special interest in since I was a kid until Twilight came along and ruined the entire lore for me. Then I heard Crucified and it lit a fire in me. I got the idea for a new vampire story, and my love of the subject and lore came back. I had this song on repeat the entire time I wrote the story.
Then the laptop I was writing on died. I hadn't backed up the story. It was gone. 32 chapters deleted, countless hours wasted, all because I'm an idiot.
I've considered rewriting the story, but I still feel so defeated whenever the thought crosses my mind. It wouldn't have been some groundbreaking new story unlike anything anyone had written before, but it was mine, and I was proud of it.