Don't Write Your Book On Company Time

[Yeratel]

There's a blurb in the news about a woman who got fired for working on her novel at work, on the company PC, while she was on the clock: http://www.kcci.com/news/14918070/detail.html  Since she was fired "for cause", she was denied unemployment benefits, too. A lesson for all you aspiring novelists with day jobs - until your blockbuster gets published and the royalty checks exceed your advance, keep your masterpiece away from the company PC, and do your writing at home nights and weekends.

[3by2]

if she was a programmer working on her own thing on company pc, the program itself would have been deemed to be the property of the company.  not sure if that would translate to a case like this one, but basically keep things that you don't want to lose OFF the company property. 

even aside from getting caught working on her own stuff, had she been released for any reason whatsoever she may not be given opportunity to retrieve her work from the pc.  if she didn't have a backup online or on her own machine she'd be SOL.

[meg_evonne]

I'm an insurance agent and could never write at work---too many distractions.  I do understand that Tom Clancy is an insurance agent and wrote all his novels at work.  I'm willing to bet he owned a huge agency and hired all his staff to handle day to day activities.  Don't see how he could have done it other wise!

[Murphy's Stunt Double]

Yeah - Tom Clancy doesn't strike me as the "clerk answering phones" type.

I'll bet he has (d) staff.

[Yeratel]

As I recall, before he got published, Steven King started out writing while he was working as a night watchman. He was lucky not to have anyone looking over his shoulder wondering what he was doing scribbling in a notebook all night.

[novium]

perhaps at that point, it was merely an idle exercise to stave off boredom. I mean, don't people in those positions- especially when it's not so much of an active job as simply being a human deterrent by your presence- watch mini-tvs, read magazines and books, play solitaire, that sort of thing?

[Cold Revenge]

Hmm....I'm a night watchman. Maybe I should write a book.  Then, after I'm famous, you can all be like "I used to post on forums with that guy" and people will be like 'Wow, really? What was he like?' and you can tell them "He was an asshole."

[Cold Revenge]

perhaps at that point, it was merely an idle exercise to stave off boredom. I mean, don't people in those positions- especially when it's not so much of an active job as simply being a human deterrent by your presence- watch mini-tvs, read magazines and books, play solitaire, that sort of thing?

Or post on their favorite forums, check facebook, among other things the system admin hasn't had time to block yet.

[blgarver]

perhaps at that point, it was merely an idle exercise to stave off boredom. I mean, don't people in those positions- especially when it's not so much of an active job as simply being a human deterrent by your presence- watch mini-tvs, read magazines and books, play solitaire, that sort of thing?

Yep, my friend used to be a night watchman.  He read a lot and I think scribbled some notes for his novels.

[MonaLS]

Hmm....I'm a night watchman. Maybe I should write a book.  Then, after I'm famous, you can all be like "I used to post on forums with that guy" and people will be like 'Wow, really? What was he like?' and you can tell them "He was an asshole."

Working security allowed me time to study when I was going through college. Not all places will let you read, study, whatever - but when you are stuck in a tiny little guard shack (set several feet above the ground) in the middle of freaking no where in the middle of the night at a gate no one has used in recent memory - they let you do lots of things! I brought homework, sewing (made a side-laced gown one evening - including setting grommets with a hammer), readings, etc. One guy brought a portable computer (one of those one piece Apples) and worked on that. Thank goodness for that job, it made getting through college easier.

[Yeratel]

Yeah, I finished my last two years of my undergraduate degree working the 11pm-7am shift, and finished a lot of papers using their wordprocessor and Laserjet printer. At the time, all I had at home was a manual typewriter and a Commodore 64.

[THETA]

Tough luck.  Unless your occupation officially reads AUTHOR/WRITER then you should only work on your writing at home.  At work you can always just daydream.  As far as i know, a company can't control your thoughts.  It isn't 1984 yet. 

[Bibliopro]

I work on my own writings while at work.  Hell, I'm at work right now, posting here.  I think as long as I get my other work done and aren't goofing around, they shouldn't really say anything.