Is my real name Angel Harrt?

Hi, welcome to the world of a writer.

A name is just a name, or is it?

There are many struggles writers encounter. Some daily, others sporadically. Struggles vary from word usage to topics to cover. From book covers to pricing. It’s a struggle and one that isn’t easily recommended. If you don’t mind internalizing your thoughts and writing from a place of pain with the occasional struggles, and fighting with yourself, then by all means. Indulge. Make the choice to become a writer. It’s not all glam and glitter but you do feel accomplished when your work is seen in black and white, or between fingers. Many went years before being acknowledged. Others had to wait on death for their names to be spoken in homes and teaching institutions. Some have had instant success.
One of the main things writers are faced with is an alias. They are always wondering if they should use their own name or use a fake name. They struggle with pros and cons of real verses alias. Question is how can you know when to do the same? When is it ‘okay’ to use the name on your birth certificate, or when you should use a fake name? This decision isn’t an easy one. For some they over think it’s purpose, for others they settle on their instincts. Sometimes instincts works, other times, not so much.
So many writers have placed their names in books and became household names. Stephen King, J.K.Rowlings, even Stephen Hawkins and a Trinidad writer Hazel-Ann McLean. With Hawkins and McLean they wrote memoirs or semi-biographies. King and Rowlings wrote fantasies. See a pattern?
But we have a name like Nora Roberts who has written under at least two pseudo. J.D.Robb and Jill March. She has written a few romances and even books considered erotica. What does this tell you?
Yes, you got that right. Romance and erotica would be books that ideally have pseudo, while fantasies, memoirs and true stories would quicker have the author’s real name. Fictional characters equate to a fictional name tag, while non-fiction would be acceptable and relatable to your personal identity.

For obvious reasons one would quicker place an alias against an erotica. For me it’s a matter of security, others would be acceptance. Erotica isn’t easily published even though we have ‘Fifty Shades’ as both book and movie. (Movie steering away from proper erotica but I digress). Romance stories can also include some sex scenes. Some authors do not want to be only known for erotic, sexual books. Understandable, right?

Memoirs are not fictional. They are real accounts. A story someone lived and thought it worth sharing with the world. (Ms. McLean gave her true life account of being the first female at an all boys secondary school in Trinidad & Tobago. Historic account and one she has learned and evolved from. Her book  ‘A Sparkle of Royal Blue’ can be found on amazon and Barnes& Nobles. Mini plug.)
Would it matter what name you choose though? To some it would. Some do it to protect themselves. Others feel much more confident in their alias. Some may even say it’s their ‘alter ego’. Having another persona isn’t a bad thing. Some of us live our fantasies in the fictional characters we create. Some use personal interaction to create these characters. (Beyonce did it by being Sacha Fierce so I’m sure you can as well). Crushes can end up being an object of desire, or killed. It’s all up to the writer, right?
You do have the occasion where writers use real names for romance stories and vice versa but the majority rules in this instance.
This however, is a personal choice. One you can change during your writing career. instance

A writer’s versatility to change and evolve and grow is endless. They have no boundaries. Words and worlds can be created. Writers have created their own languages and readers have adapted to it. Even learnt the language and some fans speak it in their daily duties. This fluency writers have, nothing can box them in.

You have a choice. It’s always up to the individual. Choose your name wisely. We’ll talk about choosing a genre another time. Again not limiting yourself to one specific area. So what is your name? Is it real or fake?

Hi, my name is Angel Harrt, but is it real or fake? What do you think?