Currently co-writing a TV show (having otherwise written more for stage) and I’m wondering whether pseudonyms are still used/legitimate/not silly/effective now we have the internet and it’s so easy to find people’s real identities?
I’m considering using my middle name plus husband’s last name just to keep my writing separate to my day job and work-related publications. I also have a family member who is funny about my sharing any details about our family indirectly via my writing - so maybe this could help create that privacy and psych space?
Anyway, just wondered if you guys use other names for your writing and how that has played out with press, contracts, royalties etc, and even on a less formal note, with sharing that name with friends and family? And have you stuck with one or decided it wasn’t worth it?
As a writer, I use a pen name to give myself the psych space to write. I don’t mind people finding out my real name, but it helps me be confident in marketing, writing etc to have a different name and “identity.” [name_f]Kinda[/name_f] like a mind trick, since I’m introverted and private by nature
Using your middle name and your husband’s last name sounds really smart! I personally like pen names that are a little tongue-in-cheek; for example, mine is K. E. Neth, because my first name is just [name_m]Kenneth[/name_m].
I plan to use a pen name mainly because no one can pronounce my last name correctly. It sounds pretty similar to my actual name, but it’s much more common. I also know that libraries usually put the first three letters of the author’s name on the spines of their books, and I much prefer those of my pen name. [name_f]My[/name_f] pen first name is almost the same as my actual first name–it’s [name_m]Kit[/name_m] instead of [name_f]Kate[/name_f], which I sometimes go by anyway. I use it because 1, it sounds a bit more modern, and 2, it’s gender-neutral.
