Are you ever worried that someone might steal your work? I know I was, and I still am since I have a strong online presence now. So what are ways you can prove your work is your own without actually getting a government copyright?

This is what I always did, when I was younger and really shouldn't have feared thieves. 

I first opened a blank document, then I wrote at the top of the document what the date was. Once that was put in place, I wrote which folder I was going into. For example, "Books Being Worked On" is the usual folder I've got for the stories I'm currently writing. That would always be the first folder I'd go into, as it was the most important.

I then go into that folder, and I take inventory of what's in that folder. I write that there are three more folders, of whatever books I'm working on (such as "M.R." or "The Fire Phoenix"). I then make a note on the document that I'm going into the "M.R." folder, and comment on what's in there. Three documents, two images, another folder, and I name those, too. 

And so you just continue like that, going into each folder and saying what's in there. From character sheets to the book document itself to even the cover images. I also like to add the last date and time that I had modified anything in that folder, or when the folder was first created. This gives more proof that you've had it for a while.

After you're done with the document, save it to a safe place. I personally keep everything backed up on my Google Drive, which includes my books and any other art I might be working on. ALWAYS back up your work! I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone lose everything (like whole animations) due to not backing up their stuff.

Back on topic, if you keep doing these every few months (I would say every six months or at least once a year), you can also keep track of how long you've had that folder. Within a year, I'd probably have many more folders in the "M.R." folder, to show that I have worked on the rest of the series. Or maybe the "M.R." folder is in my other big folder, "Completed Books" instead of "Books Being Worked On" if it's already done.

The point is that you keep track of when your folders and documents were created and how far along you were. Yet this isn't keeping track of what the documents or say or what the images truly look like.

If you're trying to do that, then I say upload snippets here and there online, and screenshot the writing/images with the date/time. Upload these screenshots to the same thing you use to back up your work, like Google Drive. That way, you have proof that it's your work uploaded on that certain date. 

Of course, you can do both options. Or, if you have a DeviantArt or YouTube, the date will already be on file without any way that you could have altered it yourself. This again proves that it was your work first, if someone tries to steal it and post it on a later date.

I do most of the above, though I don't screenshot. I also get a government copyright for my books before publishing them, which costs $45 or $55, just depending. The copyright takes a while to come in, but you don't need to wait for the copyright in order to publish your book. Just ensure that the copyright (c) symbol is in your book with the famous statement that warns thieves away. 

Most of the time, people don't actually end up stealing your work. They are much more likely to steal art like drawings over writing (in which case you need to be careful with your cover art or any character references you might have posted). Yet if you have proof that it's your own work, you can definitely confront the thief about it and threaten legal action if they do not take it down.

What are some ways that you copyright yourself? Have you ever considered copyright before? Let me know in the comments!