I’ve been looking for a pen name for ages, but I can never find a name that suits me. I think a pen name needs to be perfect. It’s going to be my alias for probably the rest of my life and that pressure is immense. I can’t just choose something random. My real name is perfect for me, but it doesn’t sound very good in English and it will probably cause some confusion for pronunciation.
I don’t have a first or a last name I can use and I’m at my wit’s end because I can’t find anything. I really need some help.
Maybe some info on me: My real name is [name_f]Adra[/name_f]. It’s a Spanish name and is pronounced that way. I write [name_f]Fantasy[/name_f] and I’m ±20 years old. I’m a girl, but I’m not particular about picking Girl names. I like switching gendered names around for my characters sometimes, so I think I’d be good with it, too, as long as it fits me. Not sure if I should put my appearance or personality, so feel free to ask if want to know anything for inspiration!
I really don’t know where to look next and I need help.
Any help is welcome, whether it’s name suggestions or tips on how to pick the perfect pen name.
This is my take on this. I like the name [name_f]Adra[/name_f]. I have never heard it before, but it is short and easy to pronounce and easy to remember. Thus I think it might be a sensible idea for you to keep the name [name_f]Adra[/name_f], and add a more common or English surname. That way the potential reader is drawn to your book because of the mystique surrounding your foreign-sounding name, yet they feel comfortable with your name because you have a surname they recognise.
Some names I think go with [name_f]Adra[/name_f]: [name_m]Archer[/name_m], [name_u]Avery[/name_u], [name_u]Riley[/name_u], [name_m]Dunn[/name_m]… Your names goes with almost any surname. Here (5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. | Name Census ) is a good list of surnames. Also an idea is to do research about your current surname and see if it has a meaning, then pick the English version of your surname based on its meaning. That way you change your surname, but you keep it a little personal.
I hope you find a name. If you’d like, please go and answer my question I just posted regarding a pen name. Thanks!
Thank you so much for your advice!! It’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten. It’s certainly something to think about, keeping my real name for my pen name. Your reasons why are incredibly compelling. I’m still not completely sure if I’m comfortable using my real name for my books, but I think you’ve really given me a push in the right direction nonetheless.