The Real Yana Please Stand Up

The Secret Behind My Name is a mix of sugar and spice with a dollop of naughty

After being tagged by my friend Trisha Faye to participate in the “Pen Name? Or no pen name?” challenge, I decided to give it a go.

Here are my responses to the two questions posed in the challenge.

Question 1: Is your Medium Name REAL or PENNED?

My answer to this question would be yes and yes.

Didn’t expect that, didja? 😉

Some may think there was a deliberate pondering process involved in my choosing this name to write under, however, the story of how Bostongirl came into being borders on the cringe side.

I could take advantage of this challenge and lie in order to appear cool but truth be told, I came up with Yana Bostongirl — which is equal parts my name (Juliyana) and the city I’m from, in a matter of seconds.

It was conjured for the initial purpose of creating a separate email account for a popular dating app (not to be confused with a catfishing🐟 exercise).

Didn’t expect that one either, didja?😀

Question 2: Why did you choose to write under it?

I think Yana BG is a lucky real/penname because I not only met Mr. Right but also chanced upon Medium at the same time. So, I thought why not use it since it was not only handy but sounded sexy and mysterious as well?

✨Win-win or what?

I have talked to other writers on this platform who regret using their real names because it is constraining in the sense that they are worried that friends, family, colleagues, or employers may chance upon a post where they’ve written something that is really on their mind.

So, they stick to writing about unicorns and rainbows.

I mean if that’s what they enjoy doing then more power to them.

However, I can’t and won’t waste away my second chance at life by not writing about exactly what is on my mind and my experiences.

And no, I don’t put on rose-colored lenses either when I write, pretending that all is well with the world.

That is bull crap in my opinion.

So, why the hell not use a pen name and let it rip? By that I mean to stretch the boundaries of your creativity without getting all caught up in a ‘what will people think’ mindset.

Having said this, I must add the one time I shared my Medium profile with a date, he ghosted me because he was terrified I would write about him, both the good and the bad.

Lol.

His loss and yea, I scored a viral article writing about that debacle😜

3 advantages of using a pen name

Keeping my writing life separate from my personal life

I love the way Francis B. describes me: “Enigmatic Yana Bostongirl’s not afraid to bare her soul. If you asked her why she’s so open about her life she might just say…“It’s my Life”!

It is wonderful how he has captured my writing persona so beautifully. Yes, I share about my life including messy breakups and passionate make-ups but at the same time, there is a limit to what I share.

Although I made the decision about how this is going to be early on, I did not expect it to benefit my writing career as people are constantly intrigued by the person behind the mask.

In other words, being a masked writer with a pen name rocks😁

No, you don’t need to know my ethnicity

I have heard about (and seen some writers on this platform) using white-sounding names probably because they feel that will help them get established faster or fit in better.

Some of you may know by now that I do not appreciate being asked about my ethnicity. There is a reason for it and in fact, I scored a viral article (unintended) talking about why.

I also wrote a humor-style article about all the hilarious assumptions people have about me which also became quite popular.

For me, the meaning of the name Yana is ‘God is gracious.’ It has no race, ethnicity, or borders.

My writer persona is my brand

To say those of you who have had conversations with me didn’t ( in a million years) expect this completely different personality would be an understatement.

I am shy, an introvert with probably the softest spoken voice you’ve ever heard — shout out to Kristina God 👋 who wasn’t quite expecting a little girl's voice when we had a Zoom call last year.

That is Juli. She is constantly in awe of Yana who is a go-getter, extroverted, and who can come across as intimidating at times.

I guess Yana was always around but never got a chance to fully exert herself due to well, life. In a way, writing about those experiences helped pull back those layers, revealing a strength of character and willpower that I never knew I had.

I am currently working towards embracing both halves of my personality. It continues to be a work in progress.

The original challenge by the amazing Toni the Talker is linked below. Sandy Maximus, Michele Maize, and B.R. Shenoy, you’re it!