Real Name vs. Pen Name

I've used my real name up until now. I'm thinking of using a pen name which would be simply be switching my first and middle name. Jene Kelly. With the iconic Gene Kelly, I thought it might make an interesting name that would catch the eye.

2007 - Food for Jackals - Win 62k!
2008 - Paper Cuts & Coffee Stains - Win 51k!
2009 - Shadow Walker - Win! 101k! Biggest Win Yet!

I don't know what it'll be yet but I will absotively, posilutely use a pen name. I write non-fiction under my real name and I have ALWAYS--in gigantic red flashing letters--regretted making that choice. Too much loss of privacy. ;-)

Full time writer; first time at NaNoWriMo. Wish me luck.

I agree.
I don't think I would ever use my real name. I want some privacy!! :-p

http://writethingwritetime.blogspot.com/

I'm using my real name (Ok, I like the idea of people knowing who I am ),
but the main thing I'm not sure on is how to put it.

Tirzah Jael Duncan?
Tirzah Duncan?
Tirzah J Duncan?
TJ Duncan?

SO many choices XD

I'll prolly use my pen name ("Omnomnom de Plume" if they has a problem with "RPJesus"

"Ha. Sanity? What would I do with something as useless as that? Lucky for me, I never had any such thing." - Kenpachi Zaraki

I pretty much just stick with Daqu, although if anyone cares to notice, my novel cover has my actual name on it.

It's pronounced "dack" -- All my stories are autobiographies. Some are just a little more shameless than others!

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I always use a pen name.

I use a pen name for my more scandalous things, or anything based on myself or people I know. If my 2007 NaNo ever gets published (incredibly doubtful), I would publish under a pen name because I don't want the stuff in it to follow me or my professional life.

The more innocuous stuff though, like YA books, I would publish under my real name because I'm a glory hound.

NaNoWriMo '09: The Ally of Patient Time (must not fail!)
NaNoWriMo '08: The Mortal Gem (failed! - 4126 words)
ScriptFrenzy '08: Lilywhite (failed! - 70 pages)
NaNoWriMo '07: Ugly Things (won! - 50,035 words)

I used my real name until I got married. Now it's my pen name. :)

I always said if I ever had a book published I'd use my maiden name. It's alliterative and just rolls off the tongue.

Though when doing fanworks, I go by "Cyanna" everywhere else on the internet.

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For Nano I use the name I use for most of my social networking, Patti804. My name is Patti and 804 is for August 4th. If I get a book published I might use my maiden name hyphenated with my married but I don't see any reason to use a pen name. Patti

My username is a pen name. If I was going to publish, I'd probably use my real first and middle name and pick something else for my last name, because I don't like my last name and it's hard to spell and pronounce.

2004 - Pushed from Grace
2005 - 1500 words of epic fail
2006 - Embers
2007 - The Last Guardian
2008 - Plain Sight, The 400 Block , and The Island Dozen
2009 - Immersion, Hand of Winter, and (Untitled)

I think I'll ultimately use a pen name, because my surname is a little awkward on the tongue and easy to misspell. I've noticed several authors using different pen names for different styles/genres also, and I kind of like that idea so that you can write something way off your usual course without being pre-judged on existing work.

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Two of my first names, making a name out of those. Michael Katsuro, it'll be. Katsuro isn't my last name, it's my middle name.

I'll probably try to publish this year's NaNo under my screenname, because I don't actually view this book as my debut and don't want it to be seen as such. I do, however, want to hold this pretty little book in my own two hands! Failing that, I'll make up a name that matches naming traditions within the novel and make it look like someone from that culture actually wrote the book. Erane Troost is the name I go by on my mixed sorority/fraternity plus the official family name of my 'family' there. It's a lot more internationally pronounceable (or at the very least, the English version of pronouncing it bothers me significantly less) and it doesn't have those annoying inbetween-words stuck in the middle.

So yeah, saving my real name for a book I want to tie my reputation to, rather than an unproportionally large tribute.

I'm using my real name for the first time on the internet. (woohoo XD) I always used the name Sky-mist before that. Why? Because that was the name of one of my first Transformer OC's.

"Live to Write, Write to Live!" - Me

I want to use my real name when I write, but there's a book out there right now written by somebody who has my exact same name. I may add a middle initial to my name, but a part of me thinks I should just come up with a pen name just to avoid the whole confusion.

It all depends on what I'm writing. One of my current projects is quite controversial and I don't want to cause any trouble for anyone. Fiction, yes, but still dodgy if the wrong people read it. So I need a new name for that one, a moniker that can't be linked back to my real name in any way.

Otherwise, for my '100% fiction' efforts, I'll probably use my real name. Why not? Apart from anything else, it'll be a two-finger salute to anyone who ever thought I 'would never do it'. And by 'it', I mean 'anything'. I have my flaws, same as everyone else, but one thing I can do and do well is write. I'm proud of that fact, so I want to scream it from the highest rooftop when (not if, you notice) my work is published. Especially if that's the first of the trilogy, because it means there's more to give the publisher!

Kung fu changed my life

I use a pen name... I don't like the idea of my family members finding me. So most of my stuff online uses a pen name.

I'll probably use my real name, but change the spelling of my first name. Jacqui is somewhat hard to pronounce for some people. Jacky is probably my best bet. I don't want people mispronouncing my name lol. But my novel is pretty appropriate and non-controversial, so there isn't much in there I wouldn't want to associate myself with. Sure, the story makes me sound like I was in the middle of an acid trip when I was writing, but hey, as long as I know that I'm sober, whatever. XD

Ok, now this is something I've been wondering about myself. I've read everyone's postings now and I am still no closer to deciding what I should do...

Maybe I'll talk it over with my agent/publisher. When I get one. By then, I'll be so over the moon I might not even care!

Real name. I want people to know who I was when I'm dead.

To tell you the truth, I'd use my pen name (Aurore leKray) and have it purposefully leaked. I've been trying for publication, and one sent to a higher level for review. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Anywhere on the internet, I tend to go with my penname, Mireekian.

If I ever get published (which I will - I still have time! - cross your fingers), I will probably use my real name. Sometimes, having both unique initials and a commonplace surname really comes in handy!

It would be:

KQ Smith

Mireekian*~ Home is behind, the world ahead...

I had a great idea for a pseudonym, but I ended up liking it so much that it now belongs to one of my characters. :/

2. My Penname, but my Penname is acctually really close to my real name.

If I ever get published, I will have to use a penname, since nowadays I write only in English, but my surname is Finnish, and it is IMPOSSIBLE for a solely-English-speaker to pronounce, and people misspell it entirely too often. The only problem is coming up with one that doesn't sound too outrageous or annoying...

Where all the spastic panicking about plot monsters is done.

My real name.

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There are only three rules for writing a novel. The problem is no one knows what they are.

Number 2. A Pen Name, definitely. My pen name is Autumn Harper.

I use a pen name cuz someone with my real name beat me to the published punch. So since I'd rather not be confused with her (rather mediocre) writing I have a pen name.

Nano '05 - Shepherd's Angel (Romance) - Winner!
Nano '06 - Not Like Me (Young Adult) - Winner!
Nano '07 - Dept. of Reclamation (Mystery / Sci-Fi ) Winner!
Nano '08 - But I Don't Want To Be A Vampire (Young Adult) Winner - but I don't like i

I prefer a pen name.
As in Thekherham.

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