Naming Names

[gnomi]

OK, so I was going to be all spiffy-like and construct a real poll about this, but I couldn't come up with any cute/catchy/snarky answers, so instead I'll do this the boring way.

I've been thinking a lot about pseudonyms and why/if people choose to use them. If I were to ever publish any of my fiction, I don't know whether or not I'd use a pseudonym. And that made me wonder - as I look around at all the writers on my friends list, and boy there are a lot of them. So, some questions:

1. Do you write?
2. If you write, do you use a pseudonym?
3. If you use a pseudonym, why?
4. If you don't use a pseudonym, why?
5. How did you choose your pseudonym?
6. Do more people know you by your pseudonym or by your real name? :-)

Curious gnomis are waiting with bated breath for your answers.

Comments

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Sort of. I use a portion of my real name. Basically because I'm told fanfic is supposed to fly under the radar -- not that my real name wouldn't be pretty easily findable by someone putting the research in, but you'd at least have to put the research in. I'd as soon not put it out there and make myself so easy to find that I'm a tempting target for anyone who wants to make an example.

If I ever publish any SF or fantasy, I'll use my real name. (I already have for the few poems I've had published).

But if I ever publish any Regency romances, I'll probably use a pseudonym -- partly because I don't want to get pigeonholed that way and unable to publish anything else, and partly because the convention of that field appears to be to write under a name as flowery and British as the heroines' -- and mine is way too Jewish to qualify. (I'll probably use my middle name as a first name and my first name as a last name, if I can't think of anything clever.)

Mer