Hi All!
I've just joined CC and am preparing to write my first submission (woo-hoo!). In an extremely good effort to procrastonate, I have come up with a few questions, the first of which is about pen names. I have used my real name to join CC, but have been wondering what the advantages/disadvantages of this might be, or is it purely a matter of personal choice? I'm hoping that some of you may be able to advise me. Thanks in advance!
I like a pen name for several reasons.
1. I have a crazy ex-boyfriend (still obsessed with me after 25 years) that I'd rather not find me online.
2. I like the freedom of writing whatever I want without worrying about it ruining my "brand" - eventually I'd like to publish a young adult novel and the thought of articles about viagra or some other touchy subject coming up when younger readers Google my name is a little offputting.
3. I tend to take more risks as my alter ego than as myself. It's very freeing
The downside is that it's a bit awkward at times being known by different names.
If you decide to use a pen name remember that, if you submit anything here for usage rights only because it has already been published elsewhere, it must be reconisable as yours, ie authored by your real name or the pen name you use here.
I use my gamer name as my pen name. LOL I'm a lot less paranoid than I used to be, but I've also run into some really annoying people online who I can avoid with my very generic pen name. LOL
I am trying to build up a blog and working on my backlink campaign. I made the mistake of writing something for this guy and mentioning that I am a Google TC. Now I can't get rid of him and all he does is comment on my SEO content with completely bad advice. And, Google has my real name, so I don't want to be associated with this guy at all. It's really annoying, but I can slip into the shadows with my pen name without him identifying who I am IRL. My pen name is really generic, so I make it a little harder to find me IRL.
I also had someone threaten me to Suite101 staff, and that company makes you use a real name. Suite101 told me about it, and warned me that she claimed to have my real life info. Luckily, she is not in the country, but still, she's the crazy lady who would blow up buildings in the name of Allah if she could. It's the one place I used my real name, and TWO complete psychos have not only threatened me, but told me they have pictures of me. Of course, Suite101 lets anything go, so apparently you can threaten someone and still work there. :-/ But, anyway, the pen name shields me from them finding my other work.
I inadvertently started writing under a pen name. In essence, I do all my content or ghostwriting under my pen, but I have a website where I can be found for more visible writing work, like copywriting or my blog, and hopefully eventually my novel. It helps me keep things organized. I have a separate gmail and file storage for my pen name projects.
