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| Multiple Identity Disorder? |
One divorce later, I discovered that reverting to the maiden name was not a simple matter of dropping the hyphen and second surname that no longer fit. No siree. I needed an affidavit. I paid for that piece of paper (cost: $50) and went along my deluded way thinking all was well in Namesville.
Four years ago when I went to renew IDs and passport, I discovered that all was not well; I needed a deed poll (cost: $2000) because the first name I'd carried all my life was actually the third on my birth certificate. I paid up and figured my naming ordeals were over.
Fast forward to 2013 when a certain government agency advised me that my married surname (the hyphenated compound one) was still my legal name even though I have a passport, two IDs and an affidavit that say otherwise. An affidavit is not a legal instrument, they claimed, and as such their hands were tied in certain matters until I got a second deed poll (cost: another $2000) to officially revert to my own goddamned maiden name. I think I lost consciousness at that point. When I came to, I shut up and put up.
So that was the end of that, right? Alas, no. Name issues continue to haunt me. I write in several genres and I've got one name for the romance fiction persona, another for the spec fic, and yet another version that I reserve for lit fic and the long-neglected memoir. Now there's a mystery novel in the making and I'm considering a new handle for that too, but I've had it up to here with my multiple identities, not to mention the feeding and watering of various social media places that keep them all separate and tidy.
What say you? Should I just keep the ones I already have? Abandon all but my 'real' name? Let one of the existing names do double duty for the mystery? Or should I put on my big girl shorts and add yet another identity to the mix? This thing is driving me bananas and I'm tempted to wipe the slate and just go by The Writer Formerly Known As...
13 comments:
Sounds pretty darn confusing to me. :)
What a mess! I'm sorry to hear about all the problems. Thanks for the warning. IF I ever get married (doubtful), I'll KEEP MY NAME.
I don't think you should take an extra name. I'd pick amongst the ones you're using now!
Charles, it IS confusing! I need to simplify, simplify...
D.R., adopting my ex-husband's name was the WORST mistake. Divorced 22 years now and STILL having issues with it.
You're right, taking an extra pen name at this point is not the way to go. Think I'll stick with Liane Spicer for the mystery.
I like the last option you have, following the route that Prince took -- artist formerly known as. We could all do much worse than following Prince's cues!
Stick with it. You have an awesome name! You sound like a super-hero.
John, it's tempting, I tell you!
Lol, William. A superhero! Never thought of it that way before. I think I will stick with it.
That's the advantage of keeping your maiden name when you marry. I kept mine. As for writing in multiple genre, simplify your life, let one name cross over. You may get a following from that genre into your other genre.
Jewel, if I had to do it over I'd hold on to my maiden name. But hindsight is 20/20, as they say...
I think you're right about simplifying. It's decided: no new names for me!
On this point my ship has already sailed, I've used pretty much the same name in all corners of my writing life... so you can understand how this post http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/reality-check-pen-names-image-and-your-writing-career?inf_contact_key=397bdfc1a994aaa959e8b53eada9018f783863bdd38274015f67a7fda6aa57a3 read a bit like my worst nightmare of the ways that could go wrong. Depends what side of it you're coming from, I guess.
On this point my ship has already sailed, I've used pretty much the same name in all corners of my writing life... so you can understand how this post http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/reality-check-pen-names-image-and-your-writing-career?inf_contact_key=397bdfc1a994aaa959e8b53eada9018f783863bdd38274015f67a7fda6aa57a3 read a bit like my worst nightmare of the ways that could go wrong. Depends what side of it you're coming from, I guess
Joanne, I just read your link and believe me, I'm one of those privacy-obsessed writers, hence the aliases. Even for the lit fic where I use my given name, I use initials in place of a first name in the (probably vain) hope that I'll succeed in keeping my private life separate from my publishing life.
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