
It
is nothing new for a writer to choose to publish a book under another name or a
pseudonym. I guess the first one most children learn about is Mark Twain, with
his given name being Samuel Clemens. As a kid, I remember being told that Mark
Twain was not his ‘real name’ and was told that it served as his ‘pen name.’ I
never learned the actual meaning of his chosen name was Mark (measure) Twain
(two) meant two fathoms deep. I just thought he didn’t want people to know that
he wrote Tom Sawyer.
In
my own case, when thinking about writing my personal story in Leave Him? I, at first, thought it would
be nice to hide behind some other name of my choosing. That way no one would
connect me with the story I would tell. I could call myself something like
Daisy Diary, implying my most personal thoughts would be conveyed with a floral
flair, but I knew that I could not go that far. I had to claim my story.
Anything less would be cowardice.
During
the time of writing my book, I was planning to own it completely with my
current name printed on the cover. It was only at the time of publishing that I
decided on a compromise. By using my name from before, Denise Reid, I could own
my story and maintain a little bit of distance at the same time —a compromise
of sorts.
There
were several reasons for this need for a bit of space. One reason, and perhaps
the most important, was the need to keep the educator, Denise Johnson, and the
writer, Denise Reid separate. Another reason was that I could decide if I
wanted the association with my writing, it wouldn’t be automatic.
I
knew that my choosing my old married name of Denise Reid might seem weird to my
husband, so we talked about the advantages and disadvantages. If Dave had
voiced a concern, I would not have chosen a pseudonym. He understood and
supported my decision completely.
Using
that name does not mean I am wanting to go back in any form. The past needs to
be explored to be made sense of and what better way to do that than through
memoir. BUT the past is not meant to be wallowed in. We have all heard of
people who get so stuck looking back that they cannot go forward. What a waste
of the precious moments we have left.
Denise
Reid may not have some hidden meaning like two fathoms, but I think it sounds a
little more credible than Daisy Diary, don’t you?
If
you haven’t done so, check out my book Leave
Him? available on Amazon.
No comments:
Post a Comment