Am I required to use my real name as the author of the work I create? Or is it alright to use a pen name?
3 Likes
Itās completely up to you. I released UnNatural under my pen name.
11 Likes
You can use a pen name. Mathew Bellingham (the writer of Unnatural) uses the name Sam Kabell (sorry if I butchered either of those names) as an author.
EDIT:
Lol, Ninjaād by the very guy I was mentioning.
2 Likes
Lol I just commented on this. Great timing Sam 
You know what they say about great minds
6 Likes
There actually one mind with two bodies, a bodysnatcher hive mind from another planet, or clones?
Actually Iām two bodies who share a single mind itās quite tricky let me tell you!
2 Likes
@Nocturnal_Stillness @Samuel_H_Young Thank you very much! 
I started writing as a teenager, so used a pen-name then (several, in fact). Usually Louise Curtis. I gave talks under that name, entered contests (my novel āHeart of Brassā was shortlisted in a contest, then published under a different name).
It caused endless confusion at conferences, not least because I could never remember myself who I was. Eventually I gave it up, and my life has been much simpler. It happens that my real name works pretty well - āBanksā is near the top of the alphabet (top shelf in bookshops) and easy to spell and remember (Iām a big fan of nouns as surnames) and āFelicityā makes it distinctive.
Gail Carriger (a novelist who writes fabulous steampunk fantasy tales) is branching out into stories of gay romance in the same universe, and uses āG. L. Carrigerā for them. That way, fans can find both streams of her work but people who really donāt want to read gay sex scenes can easily avoid them (and vice versa). So, pen names can be a useful distinction between genres.
Pen names can also make it slightly harder for stalkers to find you. Itās very rarely an issue, but when it becomes an issue it hits hard (Gamergateā¦).
Ignoring all common sense, I have amused myself by writing loosely-linked stories in utterly different formats. Having a consistent pen-name helps to slightly dampen the rampant confusion.
6 Likes
I rarely use my real name anywhere online. And never use my real surname unless itās a legal requirement.
I usually go by Wynne Snoe, as opposed to Kris.
Wynne= fair
Kriss= ceremonial dagger or
Kris= derivative of Chris/Chistopher meaning bearer of Christ (aaand not a fan of that meaning.)
Not to mention Iāve issues with cyber stalking in the past so. There we go. My alias became my pen name 
4 Likes
I use a pen name and I think itās something Iād generally encourage, whether to avoid stalkers or just for the fun of coming up with a name you really like. The only advice I can think to give for this would be to use a name that could easily pass as being a real name. Obviously itās up to everybody what name they want to write under, but an author who writes under the name, āKnightmare-Shadow-Wolf-666ā might not get taken particularly seriously. 
9 Likes
Iām another who uses a pen name. Iāve learned from experience that it can beā¦ better to not let some people know when youāre writing, depending on who youāre talking to.
Maybe Iāve come to be a tad bit too distrustful butā¦ there are pros to using a pen name.
Iāve been considering that myself. Mixing my real name (which I use in my line-of-work) with the stuff Iām currently writing might be a bit problematic (not being taken seriously in my line of work kinda is a serious problem). The problem is, I only come up with really strange names. So, yeah, not sure about that. Still, thanks for everyone who shared their reasons for using a pen name, it helped me decide in favor of using one, just not sure about which.
5 Likes
When in doubt, I just go through lists of baby names online. Itās the same when Iām naming characters tooā¦ Hopefully my boyfriend never goes through my browsing history and sees the amount of time I spend looking at baby names. That could be slightly misleading. 
9 Likes
Pen name, definitely, and different ones whether Iām working on interactive fiction/visual novels, mods for other games, or pen and paper rpg contributions.
1 Like
If it helps try and pick a name that has meaning to you. Thatās how I picked mine.
Sam = the name of my first child who was unfortunately stillborn
Kabell = K (my dads initial) A (one of my moms initials) BELL (first four letters of my actual surname.)
So then name is partly homage to my son and a reminder of where I came from
7 Likes
Well, Iām here to give you one fantastic name of one Eusebius Carrothers, the same pen name i recommended to Fawkes. 
2 Likes
Vaughan was my grandmotherās maiden name, and Iām pleased to have distant Welsh heritage (Tolkien was Welsh on his motherās side! 
) Alexandra was a name my parents considered for me, and I like the meaning (defender of mankind). Behind the Name is a good name website for looking for names by meaning, origin, or usage (also has a random name generator thatās pretty handy)
1 Like
I didnāt know Tolkien was Welsh on his motherās side! I always thought that part of the family hailed from Birmingham for generations. Was it a distant ancestor?
Well, I donāt have my books available to check my facts atm (most of my knowledge of Tolkienās life comes from the Carpenter biography). Itās possible my American brain was overeager to make that connection a few years ago! But I believe I recall reading a paragraph about his fascination with Welsh words as mysterious yet personally connected to him, (kind of comparing that idea with his trying to write a truly āEnglishā myth, something strange and fantastical yet familiar). But we digressā¦
Itās ok to pick up a Pen name.
Vaughan was my grandmotherās maiden name, and Iām pleased to have distant Welsh heritage (Tolkien was Welsh on his motherās side!
) Alexandra was a name my parents considered for me, and I like the meaning (defender of mankind). Behind the Name is a good name website for looking for names by meaning, origin, or usage (also has a random name generator thatās pretty handy)
Is it necessary? I think thereās no need choosing a meaningful name. Noone care but you.