Thinking about the use of a pseudonym for my writing. I know some say that it is better to use just one identity, rather than confuse readers. I know an author who used a name for her early books, which were successful. Then when she had a change of life philosophy, and started writing spiritually themed fiction, she used another name. Most readers love both venues, and don't realize that it is the same author. I have also heard, more than once, about an author's gender being a deterrent to their work, so they chose a pseudonym of a different gender to release their work under. This obviously makes it difficult for personal appearances at book signings!
Some might wonder about the pseudonym I use for some of my crafting. The double word name, Abigail Jayne, that I have used since 2009, spurs my creativity. It is my way of allowing myself be more creative by 'coloring outside of the lines'.
It also spurs me to be more than I think that I am. It keeps me in remembrance of two people whom I admire. I love the story of Abigail from the Bible. She was an extremely brave and wise woman, performing incredibly, especially for the time in which she lived. You can read the story for yourself, and watch this woman perform well outside of her cultural norm. Inspiring to me!
The second name, Jayne, is representative of another woman that I admire, a contemporary one. This woman is a writer that has not published anything yet. She has had stories, even whole books, in her head from childhood and will eventually get them in print. She inspires the writer in me to keep on keeping-on and get it done!
So, as to using a pseudonym, I really don't know if it will translate over from my crafting to my writing. I like the idea, but . . . we will see.
That's an interesting idea - I never considered having a pseudonym myself.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the story behind the Abigail Jayne name! Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite authors uses a pseudonym. She writes fantasy novels under one name and non-fantasy fiction under her 'real' name. She's very open about the one being a pseudonym and says she does it to keep fans happy - there isn't always a lot of overlap in her reader base and she doesn't want someone who likes the one style to pick up the other style by accident and hate it.
I totally get this! While my abbreviated version of my name isn't actually a pseudonym, it does make me feel a lot more creative than my full name... :)
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