Guest Post: Seven Reasons to Write under a Pseudonym by Royce Leville

Seven Reasons to Write under a Pseudonym by Royce Leville

Have you ever moved to another city? Packed up the necessary stuff, thrown a lot of junk and old clothes away, and said goodbye to the important and not-so-important people in your life? It’s sad, but also liberating. In your new city, you get to start again, get to reinvent yourself. In many ways, you become a new person, and the experiences of the new city and the new people you meet contribute towards making you a new person.

I opted for a pen name because I wanted to be a new person in a new city (without having to pack boxes and throw away old clothes). And I hoped that maybe in that new city, I might actually be a decent writer.

What I hadn’t expected was this: writing not as myself led to a lot of interesting discoveries.

1. Accepting the soul-destroying truth about publishing

Some years ago, when I was an ignorant twit brandishing manuscripts, I was told by a publishing doyen that “authors are brands,” and that “authors should think of themselves as brands, because publishing is a business and it’s the brands that make money.” Utterly depressing as that is, it’s true, and it explains why bad books do well (if they have the right brand) and why most publishers are unwilling to crack open – let alone receive – the manuscripts of writers who aren’t “established brands.” So, as a more knowledgeable twit, I decided my own name shouldn’t become a brand (because I would much rather stay as a human being) and I created Royce Leville. And, I found it easier to understand and accept how very bad books could sell well and win big awards, and why originality has gone down the plughole.

2. Shutting out the distractions

When I write as Royce Leville, I wear a special black hat (see photo). When wearing this hat, I am Royce, and during that time, I don’t answer emails or waste time on the internet or allow the distractions of daily life to get in the way of writing. Royce Leville is a very productive writer.

3. Allowing art to imitate life

I wrote several books under my own name to a modicum of success; not enough to turn my name into a brand, thankfully. Every person I knew asked me, “Am I in it?” and “Is the main character you?” Writing under a pseudonym allowed me to put some of these people into the stories; to turn, for example, a real-life friend into a fictional villain or an adored sibling into a despised dog. I could also use more of my own experiences while having a far amount of distance and critical insight when writing about those experiences. So, the pseudonym was liberating for writing about myself, which was actually Royce writing about me. (I know I sound a little crazy, and that’s okay.)

4. Writing in a new style

Becoming Royce Leville was a long process. There was a lot of experimenting. Several false starts. It required a new style of writing, a new voice, a new tone, and new stories. A new person in a new city. This gave me the chance to take risks and tell stories I may not have been brave enough, or good enough, to tell using my real name. This reinvention opened up many creative pathways. It shook me to the core and got me thinking in completely different ways about plot, characters, narrative, structure and motivation.

5. Writing for the right reason

Very few writers actually make a decent living from the books they write; I’d wager about 0.1% of writers, and that’s probably a generous estimate (0.01% is perhaps closer to the truth). This comes back to the “brands” problem. If you’re writing for money, fame or prestige, or because of your own arrogance and selfishness, or your desire to impress (or perhaps hurt) people, or because you want to call yourself a writer, then you’re in it for the wrong reasons. I believe many authors (new, developing and established) write for the wrong reasons. I write as Royce simply (on only) because I have a story to tell.

6. Putting the focus on the story

Becoming Royce Leville has allowed me to evolve from a writer to a storyteller (which in itself has been liberating). Because it should all be about the story, not the writer. This fantastic tale you just have to share with the world, not the author and building his freakin’ brand. It also means that the book can be judged on the writing and the story, and not on the brand that’s splashed across the cover in huge type.

7. Blaming that other idiot and starting again

If it doesn’t work out, you can always say it was that other guy’s fault, that talentless moron Royce. Then, make up a new name, find a new city and don a new hat. Or, if it does work out and Royce Leville somehow happens to win the book lottery, then the fame will belong to him and his stories, and I can go about my business. I can also, at any time I want, pack the Royce hat away in a box, never to be worn again.

And finally, there’s nothing new about pseudonyms. Check out this list (Link to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pen_names). They’re outrageously popular. But note that most writers use pseudonyms as cloaking devices, for various reasons. A name they can hide behind, which may be cowardly (taking cheap-shots), justifiable (avoiding potential harm), or self-indulgent (dog licking its balls).

I feel pseudonyms are best used for liberation. Let the pseudonym be the storyteller.

 

 

 

Title: The Book of Names

Author: Royce Leville

Blurb: Strange situations, unsolvable problems, secret lives, redemption and revenge. 

 

 

About the Author

 

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