Writing

No to Self-Branding — Why I Write Under a Pseudonym

I am not hiding. Quite the opposite.

Photo by on

“Alice Kent” is not my birth name.

When I decided to write here on Medium, I spent considerable time debating whether to use a pseudonym. Can you create authentic content under a fictitious identity?

In an age when our names have become brands, I strongly felt the pull to embrace the flow. As a compromise, I opened an account under my first name. Then nothing.

I read dozens of articles on how to write on Medium, find ideas, etc. To no avail. All my creative energy kept disappearing as soon as I saw that name.

Then, I created this account. Half an hour later, I had drafted my first article. And then another (this one).

Using a pseudonym is a licence to be myself

“Alice Kent” — through that invocation, a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Using a pseudonym, I no longer have to evaluate whether every sentence I write fits with the persona I have created for myself in the ‘real’ world. Would ‘she’ say this? Does it correspond with the expectations of those around her? Is it ‘on brand’?

Alice Kent doesn’t have to worry about this. About any labels, any niches, or corporate…