So I'm considering writing under a pen name for two short story ideas, what should I do? Create a different SW account under that name or just let my one editor know?

I found this post interesting because I was just sitting here think of a pen name for myself. I agree totally with your list of reasons why a writer would want to use a pen name. Thanks for sharing.

I don't use a pen name, however a friend who writes sci-fi, writes under a pen name. She does so because women are less accepted/respected in that genre.

Thanks for posting the link to your essay, Jo Anne Valentine Simson. I've been working an essay myself, on the identity shifts that have accompanied my evolution from Nancy Sanders (original name) to Nancy Ross (first marriage, grad school, early career) to Nancy Ross-Flanigan (second marriage, remainder of journalism career) to Nancy Ross-Flanigan Pokerwinski (remarriage after widowhood, semi-retirement) to Nan Sanders Pokerwinski (relocation, shift from journalism to literary nonfiction, decision to claim the first name I really wanted all along).

It's true that changing names can undermine women's self esteem, especially when it's forced by society. But when it's a conscious choice, it can be freeing, and a way of celebrating new beginnings.

My real name is difficult for many people to pronounce, but my first pen name turned out to be no easier.  I'd like my debut novel to be published with a name that's unique, but easy to pronounce and remember.

I have written under Sally Farrell (maiden name) Sally Farrell Odgers (bridging name) Sally Odgers (real name), Tiffany Mandrake, Tegan James, Theo Georgiou, Sara Chen, Enward E B Cracker, Patrick Farrell, Flora May, Joseph Corella, Nicholas Flynn and a few more that escape me. I never went to college, so reunions don't apply.

I think women have a particularly difficult time with the name thing, since so many of us change ours at some time or another in our lives, and this may create an identity issue. In the midst of trying to figure out whether or not to use a pen name for some writing, I wrote an essay, "What's in a Name." It was published recently in the spring issue of Persimmon Tree.  http://www.persimmontree.org/v2/spring-2015/whats-in-a-name/

Maria,

I'm working on a suspense thriller where I won't be using my name. I know men (personally, not rumor) who won't read anything a woman writes, thinking they can't write hard core, shoot-em up, bang-bang, action thrillers. None of them shoot as well as I do or have the criminal justice background that I do, but I'm going with a pseudonym anyway.  Sort of. I was adopted so I'm going to move my adopted last name, Taylor, use it as my first name and use my birth name for my last name. So I'm really writing as the total me.

I'm using my Penny Taylor name for my mystery that's coming out. I'm also using my Penny Taylor name for a non-fiction book I'm doing, "The Sky Is Falling: Basics of Disaster Preparedness." I'm sticking with that because I was an Emergency Medical Technician for 9 years and volunteered with community emergency response teams for over fifteen years. I need my real-life credentials to back up the book.

As for websites, I'll have two author websites, plus launch pages for each book. The problem is, Penny Taylor has been taken for years, and now that it's up for auction I need to get the money together to buy my own domain name. (Please don't anyone bid against me.) My pseudonym is also taken by... get this... a brilliant father who purchased the domain for his 5-year-old daughter as an investment. Smart dad. I'm going to have to figure something out.

Having different pen names for different genre's makes sense. Even when people know that your pen names are the same person, it helps them distinguish the books they're buying.

When I sold my first book to a major publishing house years ago, two other published authors had the same name. One of them added her middle name to differentiate. I had planned to do the same but my agent dropped the ball. I didn't know until after the book cover was already printed in the company's catalog. Nothing could be done at that late stage. Back then, the computer system for tracking book sales was limited, using only first & last names of authors. But publishers still relied on those numbers. Since my debut novel had a print run significantly lower than the other authors of the same name, their "sell-through" figures mistakenly appeared drastically lower, which influences decisions about their future print-runs. Very bad for them. For me--and I suspect my then-agent knew this--my sales were exceptional for a first time author, due to the fan-base already established for the other authors. 

After that debacle, I switched to my maiden name but the fallout from family was enough to abandon that name after three published books. I took quite a while choosing my current name, only to learn a university economics instructor had published an out-of-print nonfiction book (since re-issued as an eBook). There is also an actress with the same name. Oh well. 

Despite a little bit of confusion for my friends who may refer to me by my real name on Facebook, I enjoy the anonymity of writing under a pen name.

This is my pen name - actually my other pen name - I have 2. I write in 2 genres that I want to keep very separated. Two pen names seemed the best solution.

I'd like to second Zetta and Cate's lucid posts. I've been reading up about Harper Lee. There's a section in her unauthorized autobio that talks about one journalist who flat out bragged about stalking her, for years, doing his best, literally, to be obnoxious. This, to a seventy or eighty-year-old woman.

Cate's also right that a masculine pen name will gain someone more serious literary consideration--look at the critical response to The Corrections. Nobody ignored or took Franzen to task for writing a novel about "domestic" issues.

I also hear what you have to say about the difficulties of publicity. I guess, with a pen name, you have to physically attend those reunions and alumni functions. Sounds like fun.

I have six YA books under my real name and 2 published as my pen name, with additional books on the way for both, I'm okay to develop a 'voice' for each.  I don't think it's confused anyone yet!  (Great topic).

I went with a pen name. My blog turned into something of a cross-cultural romance memoir and:

1) I want to stay married.

2) I don't want certain relatives to take out a hit on me.

3) Certain blog posts also make fun of the entertainment industry. Hollywood often lacks a sense of humor.

I gave a lot of thought to this when I decided to start using a different name for my creative nonfiction/memoir writing than for my journalism. The new name isn't exactly a pen name, I actually did change my name about the time I made the shift in writing emphasis (remarriage, a move to a different part of the state and other factors made me decide the new name was a better fit for both me and my current writing). But it does get complicated sometimes because I want readers to know I'm still the same person!

I used a pen name for fiction when I was working as an academic in the biomedical sciences. A few short stories were published with that pen name, V. Pascoe - a combination of my maiden name and my mother's maiden name. Now I would like to put together a short-story collection and don't know which name to use.

I use a pen name but it's actually a variation of my first name along with my maiden name. No one can pronounce my married name!  I have no issue with people having pen names. 

Great post! Like you, I made the decision to write using my own name and I've never regretted that decision, even though my mother insisted that "Gligor" was too hard for people to pronounce or remember. I've made it simple: Gligor rhymes with tiger. LOL 

I am currently working on my first novel and plan to use a pen name. I could care less about strangers reading my book. But I'd be mortified if a family member or the church pastor or whoever close to me comes across it. I started my culinary blog in 2013. I started blogging anonymously at first because I wanted to write about raw, unfiltered, often controversial stories. At the time, I just hoped that people I knew wouldn't come across it. As time went on, my blog took a bit of a more neutral tone. I even started showing my face as I was getting comfortable with my audience. The name of my blog is behgopa (meaning "hungry" in Korean). I have been toying with the idea of using just "behgopa", just one name like Cher and Madonna.

oh wow, I had to chime in... and (insert a roar here) @Cate on that #2. "do not wish to reconnect with those people on social media." --hahaha

Ironically, zipping over Cate's spiel on connecting with people on social media is one hiccup I've experienced. I can't believe how many are stumped by the pen name. Once when I put my real name on my "hello" badge, I was told to use my pen name so people would recognize me. So, in that respect it does take effort to let people know 'hey, it's me...' although I only do the wave when trying to connect for the social part through one of my media sites.

The good in using a pen name (as listed) is that it does keep me separate from my writing. I like that a whole lot, a big blessing in disguise, even if I didn't chose a pen name for that reason. The name was adopted for me because my real name was so darn long. 

Funny story... when my last book was published, the publisher spelled my name wrong in ALL OF THE ONLINE LISTINGS AROUND THE WORLD. (For the record, there is no 'r' in Caven, not even a silent one.) 

So when I was googling "Kristen Craven" (please do not let this stick in your brain; my name is Kristen Caven and it rhymes with "cabin"), I found a writer named Kristen Craven! I wrote her for laughs and said, "So you're getting a lot of free publicity now, until they fix this..." She wrote back and told me Kristen Craven is her pen name!

Why would ANYONE choose that as a pen name? I will try not to judge... but I wish she would at least spell her first name with an "i" — (you know, the WRONG way...)!

I wish I published my book under a pen name because it's an erotic romance and I do want to keep my writing "hat" separate from my editing "hat." I've recently started writing under a pen name and I love it. The important thing is that you still need to be yourself. You can't (or shouldn't) fake it. You'll drive yourself crazy.

Also, I think it's important to preserve privacy. Of course, if you're writing a memoir or something, this is a moot topic. But in my opinion, the Age of Social Media has practically obliterated personal privacy. I don't think this generation and those that follow will ever truly appreciate the need for privacy. More often than not people act as if they're entitled to know all of your business, and if you try to discourage it politely, they label you as being mean or anti-social.