A couple of nights ago I was on Twitter enjoying a Guinness and the witty banter that flies around in #pubwrite. (It’s a hashtag used by a really great group of writers to chat with each other about writing, life and drinking games. If you want to know more check out R. A. Evans’ fantastic blog post about us.)
That night there were a couple of fellow pubwriters that had pictures of various things as their avatar, not one of themselves. One pubwriter in particular had his avatar set as the Twitter egg, a default avatar used when you don’t upload a picture. Unfortunately, its also used by many spam bots.
Every time he would post I thought it was spam trying to get me to click on their links. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who thought he was a spam bot in disguise, because two nights ago someone challenged him to get rid of the egg and put up a pic of himself.
He did.
That “BIG reveal” started it all; no one was safe from it. If you stopped by pubwrite that night and didn’t have a picture of yourself up, you were signaled out. I have to admit, I was adding a bit of peer pressure, but it was all in good fun.
The best part of this story is that they all revealed pictures of themselves. Lets face it, not everyone is comfortable in front of the camera, so posting a picture can be somewhat of a big deal. However, everyone who had an avatar of something other than themselves took the challenge and posted a real picture.
It got me thinking. Although I have a picture of myself up on Twitter and, well, everywhere, I am hiding behind something. My name.
In one of Savana’s earlier posts “Writer’s Identity Crisis” she mentioned that Savana Quinn (or at that time Ana Quinn) was a pen name of hers. She also mentioned that my name, Kaye Peters, is a pen name. If you missed that post….SURPRISE!
I have my reasons for using a pen name. None of them being to protect my family or that my real name is too hard to pronounce or that I write about secret sex clubs that have orgies on every third Sunday of every month while giant flowers sway around them. Or at least I don’t think I write about that.
It really started as a joke between Sparky and me. When I told him that I wanted to start writing it was about 3 am. Sleep deprived and delirious we joked about all the names I could write under, but one stuck.
Peters was my paternal grandmother’s maiden name. She was born in the East End, London and her story always fascinated me. She lived in the subways during the war and she followed “her Yank” across the pond to settle down. She died when I was 6; I hardly remember her. I never thought not knowing someone could hurt so much.
My dad doesn’t like to talk about her, he has his reasons, I’m sure, but it doesn’t make it any easier for me. So, I wanted to pay homage to a woman I really don’t know but she means the world to me just the same.
My first name, Kaye? Yeah, its the first letter of my real name. I know, so creative, right? Well, I am a writer.
So, am I going to reveal my real name? I don’t know. I guess it depends how many pubwriters read this and how much I have to drink during tonight’s #pubwrite. 😉
The truth is, I really don’t care all that much. I can call myself Sarah Sunshine of Rose Petal Valley and it doesn’t matter, what matters is my writing. Even if I have my own “BIG reveal” I’ll still probably write under Kaye Peters. I like the name. Maybe its because of my acting background that writing under this name brings something out in me. It’s not so much that I become a different person when I associate under this name, it’s more like some of my better qualities surface. I’m a more confident and optimistic person as Kaye Peters.
I am who I am, a name won’t change that. Although, my parents were thinking of naming me Wendy. Um, a redheaded Wendy…cheeseburgers, anyone? Thank God I dodged the bullet on that one!
I have no real questions to ask to spark conversation. However, I am feeling quite open so feel free to ask me anything, except my name. For that you may need to stop by #pubwrite tonight on Twitter to find out. If you don’t have any questions stick around and chat amongst yourselves. 🙂
Have Coffee... Will Write 
Personally, I think pen names are fun. I had a bunch of reasons for choosing to use one as well, but it has stuck simply because I like it. 🙂 I am to the point where if someone I have known my entire life calls me Savana, I don’t flinch. It has become as much a part of who I am as my real name.
(Of course, anyone who wants to know my real name could likely figure it out pretty quickly, since I have 2 twitter accounts, one in each name, and both are in Tweetdeck. I have a problem remembering to switch which account I am responding from, so a lot of my replies come from the real name. 🙂 )
Yeah, seriously, you confuse me when I get tweets from both of your names! But I hear ya, when I go on twitter and someone tweets “Hey, Kaye!” I immediately respond. Even when I get emails from you using my pen name, I have no problem responding. A rose by any other name, right?
I didn’t realize you both used pen names but how fun. 🙂 I thought of changing my name but Amy Cavenaugh is my real name. I hope to find out your real names at some point. Perhaps at #pubwrite! Great blog. I love all of your blogs! So glad we found each other. 😉 Awwww…
Maybe I will jump into #pubwrite tonight under my real name. It is a different picture. I wonder how long it would take for people to figure it out?
You’re awesome, Amy! Thanks for stopping by and thank goodness for #pubwrite, right? It’s nice to have such a great group of people to talk with at the end of a day.
Thanks! I think y’all are pretty awesome too. #pubwrite is a lot of fun! 🙂
Savana, I look forward to the challenge of figuring out who you are in #pubwrite under your real name. 😉
I won’t add eggs. Period.
They belong in breakfast sandwiches, not in my twitter feed!
Great post on the benefits of adhering to Twitter etiquette and how you can do so without feeling too vulnerable.
“I won’t add eggs. Period.
They belong in breakfast sandwiches, not in my twitter feed! ”
Ha! Love it! (And agree completely.)
Thanks, Michael! I’m hesitant to add an egg, but I always look at their twitter feed and what they’re tweeting to decide if they’re spam or not. So, I’m willing to take a chance, but I do some research first. Besides, if he wasn’t an egg then I wouldn’t have had anything to write for today’s post and I was drawing a big blank when it came to ideas. 🙂
:O I thought I KNEW you! ***sputter…gasp***
I thought about writing under a pen name but I get so many compliments on my real one 🙂
I use artwork from my book trailer hoping to get curious people to check out my Twitter and that they may turn into potential readers. But I use my own picture a lot on FB and it’s in the back of the paperback book so people can see what I really look like 😀
I know, I know! I’m a fraud. Please still be my friend. *whimper*
People without pictures of themselves don’t bother me at all, just the egg ones. I totally get using your book cover for your avatar, I’m just jealous that I don’t have one 😉
And, your name totally rocks, by the way. I’m very jealous!
I have my husband to thank 😉 My maiden name is West…not nearly as awesome sounding
Ohhh man…this is BIG news!!! I’ve got my shovel in hand, to do some diggin’ tonite. You two had better start drinkin’ now. 😉
It’s on, brother. I’m ready for ya!
Out to dinner now, but we are ready for you. As I said earlier, I have a twitter account in my “real” name. I may just pop in and see in anyone (other than Kaye) realizes it. 🙂
I write under a pen name, too. I have a (small) presence on the Internet under my real name. I didn’t want Googling readers to think of me as doing anything other than writing.
Your reason makes sense to me!
I had no idea, you fit your pen name very well. I don’t know what that means, exactly, but its how I feel. I guess its because I know you as Everett Powers and to think of you as anything else is weird.
Which is good. I want everyone to know me as Everett Powers.
I carefully researched the name. It’s distinctive and almost no one else is named Everett Powers. Google the name and I’m #3 and 4 already. After 2 months.
That’s great! Now I’m curious about mine…
…well, the first one isn’t me. I knew that there was an actual person on Facebook with my pen name. (See, I should have researched a little more) But I am 2nd, so that’s not so bad. I must come up with a plan to overthrow the other KP for top spot in Google. Hmmm.
I love the name Kaye Peters, and I love the other names you have. I am fascinated by names – lineages.. once there was always a member of the community who could recite all the lineages and it was very important. Pen names are also intriguing… By the way, what is the Scottish name in your family?
The egg night reveal at #pubwrite was hilarious. It was a really fun time and I think it also got those eggs thinking about themselves in a different way!
My great-grandmother’s name was Isabella Cockburn. Even though its not pronounced the way its spelled (pronounced coh-burn), you can see why I didn’t choose that surname to adopt 😉
Family history is something that has always interested me; most likely because I don’t know my father’s side of the family that well.
I love listening to my mom’s parent’s stories about what it was like to grow up during the Depression, how my grandfather would hop the train up to New York to be a boxer and bring in some extra money. I wish I could know stories about my dad’s side.
One of his cousins from England got in contact with us a few years back and I still occasionally talk with her. It’s a great feeling to have that connection.
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