My last week’s EdTech weekly reflection post was all about the weight of digital footprints and the importance of discretion for educators in online spaces. An unexpected result of this class: has me reconsidering my long-held stance against pseudonyms.
Perhaps stance is a bit extreme given that I haven’t thought much about pseudonyms beyond a sparkling of interest based on how others’ use them, but in the context of my own writing, I’ve always given the idea of them a hard pass. What is the point of investing the time and effort into writing a story if you’re not even going to claim it as your own?
After our class last week, with guest speaker Jesse Miller of Mediated Reality, I began to understand on a more personal level why others have elected to use pseudonyms in their writing. As an educator, whose online presence will be heavily scrutinized, I am understanding this idea in a whole new way.
The Pros and Cons
This is not to say that pseudonyms are the right fit for all writers. Check out the video below about some of the important pros and cons to keep in mind if you’re considering using a pseudonym for your work:
What has this process looked like?
I’ve been brainstorming pseudonyms this week. It’s been a fun process, like coming up with a character names, only with a lot more weight behind the process. I’ve been bouncing ideas off with my Mom, whose been really supportive with my writing process for a long time. I’d share some of the names here, but that would defeat the purpose of making a pseudonym in the first place, wouldn’t it?
I don’t think I’ll be using pseudonyms for everything. There is some work I’ve done that I wouldn’t mind others associating with me, and as mentioned, part of the enjoyment of writing for me is getting to slap my name on it once I’ve finished.
Have you used pseudonyms before? Do you have any advice to share with me? Drop me a comment below!
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