Last week we asked for brave volunteers to tell us their stories about writing at work on company time—be it at a becubicled office, a busy restaurant or bar, a factory, what have you—for a new series called “Writers at Work at Work.” I expected a small handful of
responses, but instead, I'm scrambling to keep up with all of the wonderful worker-writers willing to share with us.
If you care to be one of them, drop us a line and we’ll get you started.
Our first writer at work at work has asked that we call him “Raymundo.” Raymundo recently left a state agency in the South where for 13 years he worked in IT; “an unhealthy situation,” he tells us, where his “growing contempt for that workplace was vented in creative
writing.”
Imagine how much great writing there would be if more frustrated workers used creative writing at work as an outlet.
Raymundo was kind enough to answer some questions about his experiences writing at work, which he told me ended up being a therapeutic exercise. I’m glad of that, because his responses, while often amusing, definitely hint at lots of workplace dissatisfaction, a feeling shared by many
millions of workers.
Raymundo
WBN: Please describe your work setting: do you have privacy in which to write, or are you out in the open? An inspiring view of nature, or cubicle walls?
Raymundo: I was a supervisor so I had a corner office (buffered by a large storage/work area) with a commanding view of the city center. The view was inspiring at times, but mostly from the standpoint of prompting my longing to be anywhere else. That feeling came out in a number of blog entries and in a short story that was published by a local arts magazine.
WBN: Have you ever been caught writing at work?
Raymundo: No, although there was always that risk. Management there loved to catch people working other jobs on agency time and I know of at least two firings for it. But as I said, I was overlooked and stuck in a corner so I didn’t arouse suspicion. Boredom and resentment pushed me to take the risk.
