SHOULD WE DROP OUR PSEUDONYMS?

The ferryman spake: "Harbarth am I and seldom I hide my name." Thor spake: "Why shouldst thou hide thy name, if quarrel thou hast not?" Quotation from the Poem of Harbarth in the Poetic Edda Henry Adams Bellows (Trans. 1936).

This quote that appears so innocent and perhaps not at all interesting, hides significance within its brevity. When I first began to write I used a pseudonym. I did so quite deliberately to project a persona, to create a brand-name that would be easily recognised. I also chose a 'nom de plume' to hide my Pagan activities from my professional environment.

Today decades after first seeing my pen-name in print, I am less inclined to hide behind the mask of a pseudonym. Indeed I can go further, I don't actually mind if people dislike what I do, what I write or what I say, within the bounds of not wishing to cause deliberate offence naturally. I would prefer to have a positive reaction obviously but some negative reaction cannot be avoided. It is all part of the game.

I have grown in confidence. I feel that I am able to defend my position better than in the past and that my opinion may have some small worth. The risk of being judged opinionated, the risk of becoming the target of criticism; obviously increases with time. I can shoulder that burden. There is always going to be an element of 'tall poppy syndrome' at play and sometimes criticism is made purely for the sake of criticism. It would be a lie to say that criticism does not hurt and that it is not always constructive, yet is all part of the game.

The use of a pseudonym raises questions of what exactly are we hiding from and why? What is the need or desire for a pen-name? The use of a 'nom de plume' is hardly a new fashion. Many artists, writers, actors and entertainers, adopt a pen-name, a stage name or a pseudonym of some nature. It is common practice and has been throughout history. Sometimes the given name is simply unsuitable for the chosen career and it doesn't roll of the tongue.

There may also be a degree of social etiquette but that expectation has we hope, changed over time. None of the Bronte sisters wrote under their own names, Charlotte, Emily and Anne used the male pseudonyms of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. In Victorian times women did not write books of that 'genre' and it was advisable to avoid scandal. Mary Ann Evans wrote as George Eliot and going further back in time, Jane Austin wrote anonymously as 'A Lady' but probably for very different reasons.

Today a woman writing under a male or an ambiguous pseudonym, is not doing so to conform to Victorian manners. Rather it is common for writers of both genders, to use one pen-name for a particular style of writing or genre; then switch to another style under another name. J.K. Rowling has done this. Edith Mary Pargeter not only wrote under her own name, she wrote as Ellis Peters, John Redfern, Jolyon Carr and as Peter Benedict. A remarkable variety of 'nom de plumes' from a remarkably diverse author.

There are valid, sensible reasons for not writing under one's own name but there are also issues of inappropriate anonymity. To hide behind the dubious veil of anonymity, to deliberately cause hurt, controversy or trouble in any form; is very often the act of a coward. People have been known to use a pseudonym to remain anonymous and send harassing messages on social media, to write to newspapers and we have all heard of the physical poison pen letter. Such activity is beneath contempt. If one holds an opinion and that opinion is of worth, then one should have the courage stand up for that opinion in public.

For my own part, although I still associate myself with the 'brand' Chattering Magpie; I am increasingly using my chosen name as a standalone identity. It is noticeable that many publishers decline to use these 'fancy' these pen-names today. Many editors are of the opinion that they lack credibility, may reflect poorly upon the publication itself and lacking professionalism, are unsuitable for more serious works.

Are pseudonyms outgrown over time? Is it conceivable that as we mature as individuals, as artists and as writers; we no longer feel the need to hide behind a mask? As our confidence grows, our professionalism and our abilities, we are increasingly able to stand up as who we are. We no longer need a mask.