3 Issues With A Pen Name That’s Longer Than Your Real Name

There are 3 reasons to shorten a pen name and 4 reasons to create one.

Now, Humans, let’s make something crystal clear, my pen name is T. Nichol, but to summarize my Medium presence, I created the extended pen name, as Let’s NOT Sugarcoat It with T. Nichol.

Now, why do I love this extension of myself?

It’s a conversational piece. It creates questions; it’s a bold statement; it’s a clever way to stand out from most writers on the platform. Because what I discovered was that my pen name was the longest pen name that I have seen, by far, on Medium.

But the same reasons I love my mile-long pen name, are why I had to shorten it because I don’t need to display all those underlying details in my name. Besides, I will let my truth and my personality shine in my content.

➡️ Now, I had only three options:

⚡️Eliminate my actual pen name from the phrase, itself. For example, Let’s NOT Sugarcoat It.

⚡️Eliminate the phrase and bring the focus back to my original pen name. For example, T. Nichol.

⚡️Keep the unique name for my Medium presence, but with the future (or current) issues that could take place with my writing community.

YOU: “Tiffany, what issues are you referencing?”

Me: “Well, let’s break this down.”

➡️ Now, what problems could arise with having a long pen name (or a long name in general)?

The name appears more like an eyesore than a memorable first impression.

Take a look at this Medium header. What is wrong?

⚡️It looks unprofessional. Therefore, I had to ask myself what was more important: standing out, but for the wrong reasons, or having a clean and polished header that stated who’s content you were exploring. Of course, the latter option was the obvious choice.

⚡️A long name, on Medium makes it difficult for fellow readers to find your profile if they want to indulge solely in your creations. For instance, if you wanted to tag me in a future article or verbally mention me to a loved one, would you remember to state my full name? Or would you try to find me by searching for T. Nichol?

⚡️The name is fun and interesting, but it can also be overwhelming because I am not saving anything to the imagination by sharing that phrase and name all at once. It may have made you want to click my profile, but it could have also made you feel like I had an attitude before you had a chance to read my articles.

But of course, once you read an article of mine, you will know that I am very sarcastic and unapologetically honest. But I don’t want to scare you away before you choose to partake in some of my unique tidbits about various topics. Basically, I didn’t want you to judge me based on the cover — if you know what I mean.

Now, what I decided to do, to keep my extended pen name alive, was to add it as a clever part of my bio.

That looks better. Doesn’t it?!

Now, I said all of that to say this:

When I first created my profile, on Medium, I didn’t know anything about the platform. So, I honestly assumed that I needed to have a clever name to grab the attention of fellow readers. But to my surprise, everyone, for the most part, was using their first and last names to present themselves to the world.

Now, I’m not too fond of attention — at least when it comes to my real, everyday life because I am an introvert. But my online presence, as a writer, gives me the confidence to say what I mean and mean what I say without interruption or judgemental looks.

So, creating this alter ego of myself allowed me to create a unique voice for myself and a different way of presenting myself on Medium. But what I now know, is that simple can be as eye-catching as an over-the-top pen name.

But, again, let me be clear, I am and will always be Let’s NOT Sugarcoat It with T. Nichol, but now, I am learning that I don’t have to give you so much of myself — in every crevice of the platform.

Now, let me leave you with this:

There are numerous reasons why YOU (or other writers) may prefer a pen name over your actual government name:

1. YOUR name may be common, which means it doesn’t stand out.
2. YOUR name may be hard to pronounce or even spell.
3. YOU want to keep your online presence separate from your personal life.
4. YOU have found your voice by being under another version of yourself.

We always have to remember that a name doesn’t define our character, personality, or perspectives, no matter why we choose or don’t choose a pen name, because we bring our name to life.

Until Next Time, My Humans.

P.S. This Is One Of The Reasons That I May Not Follow YOU. Click BELOW.