Best:
The safest way is to type the message up in Word, spellcheck it, and save it. Then, highlight [CTRL-A] it and copy [CTRL-C] it. Then go to the Mudcat message box on your browser, and paste [CTRL-V] it into the box and "Submit."
Of course, I rarely bother to do that.

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Next-best:
Now, a much easier precaution is to type your message in the mudcat box. Then, just before posting, highlight [CTRL-A] it and copy [CTRL-C] it. Then submit the Mudcat message and check to make sure it "took. If by chance it didn't, paste [CTRL-V] it into the box and "Submit" until it takes. And if you can't get it to take, paste it into a word processor document and save it for a while, then try again.
When I take that precaution, I rarely have a problem. It's like the rule that it never rains when you take an umbrella along.

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Worst-case scenario:
But if you're like me and forget to copy the message before you submit, you might be able to retrieve it by using the "back" button on your browser or going back by using the "backspace" key on your keyboard. Sometimes that works, and usually it doesn't - there are no guarantees. This is usually an act of desperation, and usually what happens is that you're screwed, and you've lost the message forever and you'll live the rest of your life regretting that you took no precautionary effort to save the message before you lost it.

-Joe-

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But Art, please type your memories up for us again. And this time, use "proper precautions." Wasn't there a famous (infamous?) Art Thieme condom thread a long, long time ago?