On using a pseudonym

I thought for a long time before submitting my first poem using a pseudonym. In the end I chose to, although it's the transparent sort that anyone who knows me well will see through.

One reason I chose to was branding. I also write fiction under my own name, but not being literary fiction it''s likely to confuse if I suddenly start announcing poetry publications.

The main reason is because I have a feeling that people think poetry is truer than prose. Possibly this is because prose is divided into obvious categories - fiction, non-fiction, creative non-fiction. Poetry is just poetry. Unless you're writing something unambiguously made-up, say "The Owl and the Pussycat" or "The Hunting of the Snark", there's the risk people will see what you write as autobiographical. It might be - the submission call for Stories of Music asked for true stories, as do the Chicken Soup for the Soul books - but equally it might not. A poem might be inspired by something in the news, or overheard, or a response to another poem.

If fiction suffers from the friends and family of the writer looking for themselves in stories, I think this affect is probably magnified in the shorter form of a poem. If you write about your terrible relationship with your stepmother it can only be about that, rather than a retelling of Snow White.

I want to explore, to write without the worry of who's looking over my shoulder, judging me. It's something I've lost with fiction because of my active online presence. It's why I'm using a pen name, and not posting anything on my personal social media accounts. It's also why, if I ever decide to start writing erotica, I'll be writing that under a pseudonym too!