Emerging authors sometimes ask about the pros and cons of writing under a pen name. For me, going the whole nine yards with an alter ego has always been a dream.
Maybe I just watched too much Hannah Montana growing up. In any case, it’s an adventure that’s just getting started. Having a pen name and developing an online presence completely outside my regular life has allowed me to push myself as a writer, get outside my comfort zone with networking, and build a brand from the ground up.
Not only does this give me the freedom to express myself creatively in new ways, but it also helps me get into a headspace to be more productive! It’s easier to establish a writing flow when I’m treating it as a totally different life. I find this fun, empowering, and whimsical in a way that inspires even more work.
That being said, there are definitely some complications and drawbacks to writing under a pen name. Social media is a lot more complicated. Maintaining my online presence (website, querying, submitting, etc.) is a lot more work through the lens of a second skin. It’s a lot to keep track of! I do some writing under my real name too, so separating the portfolios takes more organization and planning than I’m used to.
Plus, there’s always the question of how “private” is private? How much of my pen name is related to the real me? Am I even a person at all? Who knows? At least I’ll leave a trail of beautiful words in my wake… and those, I can assure you, are always real.
Love, Claire💜
Claire Evans, Author 
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