Yes - she writes my books for me lol Charlotte changes nappies, Anya writes. Distinguishing between the two helps me get out of Mumzone and get writing.
I use my maiden name for academic work, and used my grandmother's maiden name instead of my Turkish surname for the two short stories I've had published. It felt wrong to use my maiden name for romantic stories after seeing it on textbooks and stuff somehow :redface:
Yes, in the sense that I use it for usernames... it's such an awesome pen name, I wish I could just write a book under it, but I just can't find a viable excuse. I write fairly fantastical, feminine stuff, which my real name is perfectly adequate for, so I don't need my other self, as she would only confuse payment systems and potential readers who know the real me and who would buy my book because of it. And the only radically different genre I've departed into is edgy political thriller... for which the flowery penname I have is worse than useless. I have to come up with an icky man name, and the best I've got so far according to my strict name-picking rules is Abernethy Deason and Barney Headstone. She would not approve.
Oh I don't know -- sometimes the story spewing forth on that page/screen is such a departure from my more traditional material a clever pseudonym might be in order. Wouldn't want to confuse my target audience now would I? Cheers,
I have a very good reason. I work for a law firm. They tend to be conservative. I write science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Particularly with respect to the last genre, the firm would not be too thrilled. Also, I write non-fiction, some of which involves my area of practice (Intellectual Property) and I may take positions that my firm or its client would not agree with. Thus, a pen name is a good (though not perfect) solution.
Exactly! Plus if you write romance, horror, and science fiction, using a pen name for each style makes sure the people who read you for your romance novels don't pick up your horror novel just because it has your name on it. That's a sure path to a disappointed reader. Steerpike is right on the money, you use a pen name to insulate you from the real world and the people near you. What if you come from a conservative background but are really good at writing hot gay slash fiction? It's just protecting yourself.
I've never used a pen name for any of my short stories, magazine articles or anything like that, but I'm thinking about using one for my novel. If (and I realiize that the chance of this is about 1 in a googleplex) it ever sold well, I'd want to make sure that I could maintain as much anonymity as possible. I've never been interested in any kind of recognition, I just want to right for a living full-time.
I use my real name for everything, except when I was writing for an online magazine, where I used the screen name I was already known by in that area. With cyber-stalking getting more prevalent and easier, pen names might be more sensible these days.
I don't use a pen name, or a pseudonym, though I have in the past - mostly to hide my identity as the creator of drivel.
Well, in my case for instance, I've been blessed with three surnames that are either unreadable for the native English speaker, mean bad things, or have been changed when my grandparents immigrated to Brazil. I think I'll have no choice other than using a pen name in the future...
Natsuki is right. I think a lot of people who have surnames that are difficult to spell or pronounce (for English readers) would want to use a pen name. If I'm ever published, I'll probably use one for that reason.
I don't have a pen name... though my real name doesn't really have a "I'm a classy writer" feel to it. And as said above, most people can't pronounce my surname! Hmm... Any suggestions?
George Orwell was the pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair, and he used it as a separate personality. Eric Ian Blair was a religious man, and yet when he wrote under the name George Orwell his writings seem to reflect a more Atheistic standing. Some people use pseudonyms in this way.
I wouldn't use one personally. So what if some names are rare or unusual, it's your name. I've never understood that mentality.
I would, if I ever got published. I write religious satire, it's barely controversial, just offensive. It's also very fun to write. I would have to tone it down a bit if I ever could get published, I think. But my grandparents, aunts, and uncles (on both sides of the family) are very religious. They wouldn't want to see my name on that. My mother, who suffered with anorexia for some time when I was younger, and is now recovered, wrote an inspirational self-help/poetry book. However, during her recovery, she turned away from the Church. She won't even look into publishing while her mother and my Dad's parents are alive. And her brothers and sisters are heavily into the church too, and knowing her, I think she'd let that hold her back after my grandparents are gone. I don't want to be like that, but nor do I want to offend my family. So I'd definitely use a pseudonym, if I got the opportunity.
Even though I have three names, per se, People will be able to recognize my writing and identify the still unknown-real-name author
Very valid reasons given above; It's shrewd to make your name chime with your genre. A pseudonym I'm sure would help too if it resonated with the cover and content of the book it's printed on. There'd be a lot of intangible discord within if Zac East's book 'Yo Culture' set in the badlands of the Chicago projects was by say.. Oscar Stanley-Smyth.
I use a pen name for no particular reason other than because I want to. As a matter of fact, I often sneak in a mention of my pen name somewhere in my writing as well.
