{"id":4466,"date":"2020-06-28T21:50:17","date_gmt":"2020-06-29T03:50:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=4466"},"modified":"2020-06-28T21:50:27","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T03:50:27","slug":"its-all-in-the-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=4466","title":{"rendered":"It’s All in the Name"},"content":{"rendered":"

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June 29, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you write under a pseudonym? If so, why? If not, would you ever consider it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I decided not to use my legal name for my writing back in the Dark Ages, when my focus was poetry. There were a number of reasons’ the main one being that my name was rather boring. I needed a hippie name. And so, I became Bobbi Jo Aspen, in part a tribute to the trees that give the Rocky Mountains their fall colors. I actually had a few poems published under that name, but I doubt there’s any evidence of that left except for my copies of the magazines that are stored somewhere.\"\"<\/p>\n

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At some point the Bobbi Jo name just didn’t “fit” me anymore, and I needed a new one. For more than one reason. Security had become a concern. I wanted something that sounded more mature. I’d also become aware that writers with male names tended to be taken more seriously than those with female names. So, I became P.J. MacLayne.<\/p>\n

Security is still a concern, but in a different way. We all know there’s no hiding from the gigantic database better known as the internet. Still, it doesn’t hurt to throw in a roadblock or two for someone with ill intent trying to find you.<\/p>\n

And frankly, it’s a liberating feeling to pick your own name. I wouldn’t ever want to change my legal name, but having a different name for my writing works for me. It allows me to express a different side of my personality while still keeping the one I show in real life.<\/p>\n

It’s like Harmony Duprie, my amateur sleuth. She’s been known to change her appearance and go “undercover” to do research. She explained it well.<\/p>\n

The Chief and Freddie still looked puzzled, but Drew\u2019s face cleared and he laughed. \u201cThat was you? How many personalities do you have?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOnly one.\u201d I tapped my forehead. \u201cEverything else is just a big kid\u2019s version of dress-up.\u201d Born out of desperation, not fun or playtime.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSeems like a safe way to do it,\u201d Drew said. \u201cI\u2019m having trouble switching between two.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t a game,\u201d Chief Sorenson snapped. \u201cLet\u2019s get back on track here.”<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0From The Samurai’s Inro<\/em><\/p>\n

That’s how I feel when I’m writing.<\/p>\n

Now, I know of people who use a different pseudonym for every different genre they write. I’ve chosen not to do that. My mysteries, urban fantasy, and poetry all under the same name. I could understand it if I were writing erotica, but when I start my gritty female Private Investigator series, it will still be written under the P.J. MacLayne moniker.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you’re a writer, I’d like to hear what you think about using a pseudonym. And if you’re a reader, does it make a difference to you if an author writes under a pen name? Tell us about it in the comments.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Until next time, stay safe.<\/p>\n

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You are invited to the Inlinkz<\/strong> link party!<\/p>\r\nClick here to enter<\/a><\/div><\/div>\r\n