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Pseudonyms



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Wed Feb 29, 2012 9:32 pm
Anoia says...



How do you come up with a sensible, realistic pseudonym? Appreciate your thoughts, thanks :)
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Wed Feb 29, 2012 9:36 pm
Anoia says...



What do you think of Watson as a surname?
"What we're trying to do is to write cricket bats, so that when we throw up an idea and give it a little knock, it might...travel."
  





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Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:22 pm
crmcgill says...



Watson is a good last name! For my pseudonym, I took the name that my parents were origionally going to name me, hyphenated it with what I wish my middle name was, and stole my grandmother's maiden name. Lo and behold, I became Carmen-Rose McGill!
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Fri Mar 02, 2012 3:37 pm
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Demeter says...



I like Watson - it's simple but not boring (though maybe Martin Freeman's Watson makes me a bit biased... :P).

I also like the maiden name idea above, but in my own case I wouldn't use it. I've sometimes tried to think of pseudonyms and usually ended up using my middle name (or a variation) and a surname that I've just liked. Well, not actually using, just thinking of using.
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Fri Mar 02, 2012 5:37 pm
RacheDrache says...



Rachael Elg was the original pseudonym that I came up with. How I landed on 'Rachael' is a bit of a long story involving mistaken identity, but 'Elg' is an acronym of Elanor (an LotR tribute), Lessa (a Dragonriders of Pern tribute), and the G is another complicated long-story element.

I decided a couple months ago, though, that when I publish, I'll be wanting a different pseudonym to go under. The reasons I don't want to publish under my real name are complicated (so much complication!), but coming up with a new pseudonym is proving to be a bit hard. What I'm doing is using a lot of name generators and seeing what I like (just google 'name generators' and you'll come up with loads). But I'm also experimenting with anagrams of my own name, and pulling from family names as you did.

In the end, there's no one right way to build a pseudonym. Just remember that whatever it is might be the one that sticks, so you'd better like it!
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Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:22 pm
Anoia says...



Thanks! Well, my parents wanted to call me Alice or Hedwig (no joke) so Alice is worth looking at... :)
I might look at family names too, since I'm part way through a family tree :)
Originally I was going to go for Terri-Marie, (Terry Pratchett and my actual middle name tributes) but it's a bit... well. I'm not too convinced... So thanks for your ideas, and keep 'em coming! ;)
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Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:23 pm
Anoia says...



Demeter wrote:I like Watson - it's simple but not boring (though maybe Martin Freeman's Watson makes me a bit biased... :P).


Hehe me too :) bless him!
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Sun Mar 04, 2012 12:47 pm
Blues says...



Watson sounds good! Simple and nothing that's a bit... well. Weird xD

I've considered using either my middle name or Blues (for my surname) if I ever published. I don't know. But my surname is unpronounceable xD
  





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Fri Mar 16, 2012 6:24 pm
ShadowPrincess16 says...



Watson sounds good. It's simple and has a nice ring to it.
Myself, when I came up with my pseudonyms (I have 2 depending on what it is I'm writing) I just used the names I wish I'd been given. My own pseudonyms are kind of weird but I like them:
1. Rayne Cassandra Storme (This one is my favorite, it's the one I use for my fantasy novels.)
2. True Rayanne Adaire (I actually have a facebook under this name but I use it for my normal Romance novels and stories.)
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Sat Mar 17, 2012 5:23 pm
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Tenyo says...



Tips when it comes to choosing a pseudonym:

1) Say it ten times fast. If you get tongue tied or if the words slur together, it's too complex.

2) Keep it below seven syllables. You want your readers to be able to say 'I like dundun dunn' not 'I like... what's his name... dumdum something? I can't remember...'

4) Be prepared to be called by that name, and ask a group of immature teenagers to list ways of twisting or making fun of it.

3) Google it. Please, please, Google it! Never underestimate the chances of a famous porn start having the same name.
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Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:15 am
AlfredSymon says...



Oh, a good idea is to make an anagram (jumble all the letters) from your real name! Mine, Alfred Symon, is an anagram from my real name :)

Also, you can search some tomes and books for names with etymological meanings like Sophia which means wisdom. These kind of pseudonyms can bring out a character from you although your readers don't personally know you.

Hope I helped! :)
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Tue Mar 20, 2012 12:59 am
RoyalHighness says...



I love Watson :) reminds me of Dr. Watson from Sherlock Holmes. I figured out my pseudonym with my best friend. She and I are both writers, so we wanted the same last name. I let her figure it out- Hastings, after Spencer Hastings because she's obsessed with PLL. I chose Carmella, after my big sister's middle name. I like the anagram thing, like alfredsymon said, too. I basically just took two names that I really like and put them together! Tenyo has a bunch of good points, too. Hope this helps!
  





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Thu Mar 29, 2012 10:36 pm
tgirly says...



Watson's a nice name; easy for readers to remember and not too distracting from the book. pseudonym is Ella Twist. Ella because my middle name is Danielle, and I always liked the name DaniELLA, so yeah. And Twist because that's my great grandmother's maiden name and it works for stories. I love Tenyo's tips, LOL.
I wanted to use my real name and not have a pseudonym, but then I realized that everyone would mispronounce my name, so I came up with a pseudonym. I'm not actually sure why other people have pseudonyms though, so I was wondering that.
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Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:17 am
Caesar says...



Mine- simple, actually. 'Italian' is because I'm Italian, 'Illuminist' is because I adore that period. Also because I (hush, it's a secret) would have loved to be considered one. :D
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Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:07 pm
EmmVeePi says...



I use my first name and substituted a long dead limb of the family tree by the name Von Prince
  








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