1. So, I've seen some cretinous dumbasses speculating that I am/should be the next to be punished or fired for my Twitter presence. I find that unlikely and I will tell you why in the following thread.
2. Most immediately relevantly, I don't work in media tie-in or otherwise do work-for-hire generally, so I'm not "fireable" in that regard. All of my fiction work todate is original (save Fuzzy Nation, which was adapted from a public domain work).
3. With regard to book contracts, the contractual language is such that they are severable by mutual consent -- I can't be "fired" unilaterally.
4. With other projects that I am involved in, we structure things so my involvement is contractually specified. As long as the project is moving forward, I'm attached.
5. And of course with the projects I develop and create myself, the only one who can fire me is me.
Add it all up, and my career is (intentionally) designed to let me say what I want to say on Twitter (or elsewhere!) without too much worry.
Add it all up, and my career is (intentionally) designed to let me say what I want to say on Twitter (or elsewhere!) without too much worry.
6. This DOES NOT mean that people/companies can't choose not to work with me for whatever reason, including my social media presence, or that I can't be called out for any dumb things I say or do, online or off. Just that I've designed my career in a particular way.
7. BUT ALSO: Between newspapers and the online world, I have a 30-year trail of thoughts and opinions and positions. I'm not OBSCURE. None of this should come as a surprise when hiring me for anything, and I cheerfully point out it all exists. It's generally a feature, not a bug.
8. I'm not *afraid* of my paper trail being used against me because bluntly if you're the sort of person/company who's going to fret about it, or be swayed by the possible repercussions of it, I'm not the guy for you anyway. Hire someone bland and safe! It's fine.
9. Now, be aware I'm in a position to be relatively casual about this and other people might not be -- other folks CAN be fired and do have to deal with that when they speak out. All respect for them for having to walk that tightrope in order to put bread on the table.
10. But in my particular case: Don't wait up for my Twitter feed to bring me down. It's... unlikely.
That's all. Thank you for your attention. Here is a picture of a kitten.
That's all. Thank you for your attention. Here is a picture of a kitten.
