Choosing a Pen Name!

General Name Discussion
1

So I’m writing a children’s book and I don’t know if I should use a pen name! I always thought I would, but now I’m not sure. I’m doing it with my husband and he’s going to use his real name, so I was thinking maybe I could just change my first and keep my last so it’s the same as him… or maybe it doesn’t matter if we have the same last name. Or maybe I should just keep my first name! I don’t know!

[name]Chris[/name] [name]Becker[/name] is his name. My real name is [name]Lyndsay[/name]. See the problem is that [name]Chris[/name] and [name]Lyndsay[/name] [name]Becker[/name] sound nice together, I think. Still…

[name]Scarlett[/name] - I always wanted to change my name to this
[name]Scarlett[/name] [name]Becker[/name]. [name]Chris[/name] and [name]Scarlett[/name]. [name]Chris[/name] and [name]Scarlett[/name] [name]Becker[/name]

Lulette [name]Becker[/name] - after my great-grandmother
[name]Lulu[/name] [name]Becker[/name] - after said gg, but also since some of my family calls me [name]Lou[/name], or [name]Lyndsay[/name] [name]Lou[/name]. [name]Chris[/name] and [name]Lulu[/name] [name]Becker[/name]?

Jenness (my middle name) [name]Becker[/name]. [name]Jenny[/name] [name]Becker[/name]. [name]Chris[/name] and [name]Jenny[/name] [name]Becker[/name] is nice but oh so common. [name]Jenna[/name] [name]Becker[/name].

[name]Linny[/name] [name]Becker[/name]. [name]Chris[/name] and [name]Linny[/name] [name]Becker[/name], nicknamey but does it matter? [name]Chris[/name] [name]Becker[/name] and [name]Linny[/name] [name]Bee[/name]?

[name]Gemma[/name] [name]Becker[/name]? [name]Chris[/name] and [name]Gemma[/name] [name]Becker[/name]. I just love [name]Gemma[/name], and it’s sort of like Jenness, haha, but not really at all.

[name]Elizabeth[/name] [name]Becker[/name], [name]Lizzy[/name] [name]Becker[/name], [name]Libby[/name] [name]Becker[/name], [name]Betsey[/name] [name]Becker[/name]. [name]Chris[/name] and [name]Betsey[/name] [name]Becker[/name] is kinda cute, no? [name]Elizabeth[/name] is what my mom wanted to name me.

And I like when authors use middle names, too!
[name]Scarlett[/name] [name]Ann[/name] I like, [name]Scarlett[/name] [name]Ann[/name] [name]Becker[/name]
Elizabetth [name]Ann[/name] [name]Becker[/name]
[name]Betsey[/name] [name]Ann[/name] [name]Becker[/name]
[name]Mary[/name] [name]Scarlett[/name] [name]Becker[/name] - [name]Chris[/name] and [name]Mary[/name] [name]Scarlett[/name] [name]Becker[/name]?

What do you say? Should I take this opportunity to pick a new name that I love? Or keep my real one?

2

[name]Lyndsay[/name],

Personally, I think [name]Lyndsay[/name] and [name]Chris[/name] sounds best together, but if you are feeling a bit more creative, I’d choose [name]Gemma[/name]. It’s the best with [name]Chris[/name] out of your choices, and it sounds youthful, feminine, and fun - perfect for a children’s book author, right?

I love the double name trend with authors, too (a la [name]Pamela[/name] [name]Redmond[/name] Satran!), so maybe you could play that up! What about [name]Gemma[/name] Jenness? To semi-alliterative for you? I also think [name]Lucy[/name] would be perfect for you, as it is almost like Lulette. [name]Chris[/name] and [name]Lucy[/name] is fantastic! [name]Lucy[/name] [name]Gemma[/name] Jenness? [name]Lucy[/name] Jenness [name]Becker[/name]?

This is tough!

[name]Lemon[/name] :slight_smile:

3

Oh I do love [name]Lucy[/name]. [name]Chris[/name] and [name]Lucy[/name] [name]Becker[/name] is nice! But I don’t think [name]Lucy[/name] is the right name for me, sadly. Though it’s more similar to [name]Lyndsay[/name] than I’d realized, but with the [name]Lou[/name] part first, [name]Lou[/name]-say - [name]Lucy[/name]! Hmm, I’ll have to think about [name]Lucy[/name] some more. [name]Lucy[/name] [name]Becker[/name] is cute!

I thought of [name]Nixie[/name], since I love it but would never name a child that. It also honors my grandmother’s mother’s maiden name, which sounds really distant, I know, but she was important and I hear stories about her ALL the time still. [name]Nixie[/name] [name]Becker[/name] is cute, I think. [name]Chris[/name] and [name]Nixie[/name] [name]Becker[/name] works for me. I think he thinks I should keep [name]Lyndsay[/name] though so that people will realize it’s us! Oh I also love [name]Dixie[/name], but [name]Nixie[/name] has more meaning for me.

4

I think a pen name would be so much fun! And I don’t think that it matters that your husband is not using one. Personally, I love [name]Lulu[/name] and [name]Betsey[/name] for the family connection, the nickname quality (matches [name]Chris[/name] nicely), and the fact that they are such sweet names - perfect for a children’s writer. Good luck with the book :slight_smile:

5

What about Greenleaf as a surname? Or Darling or [name]Bliss[/name]?

[name]Eliza[/name] Greenleaf is my fave at the moment
[name]Olive[/name] Darling (one of the streets I grew up on is [name]Olive[/name]), there’s something wrong with this.
[name]Nixie[/name] Greenleaf- something wrong with this too

[name]Eliza[/name] [name]May[/name] Greenleaf
[name]Rosalie[/name] Greenleaf
[name]Chris[/name] and [name]Rose[/name] [name]Becker[/name] - no
[name]Rosalie[/name] [name]Becker[/name]
[name]Chris[/name] and [name]Goldie[/name] [name]Becker[/name] - no

Written by: [name]Eliza[/name] [name]May[/name] Greenleaf
Illustrated by: [name]Chris[/name] [name]Becker[/name]

6

[name]How[/name] about an anagram?

[name]Kerys[/name] B. [name]Delancey[/name]
[name]Cybel[/name] Andresky
[name]Sydney[/name] Labreck
= [name]Lyndsay[/name] [name]Becker[/name]

– [name]Nephele[/name]