Stay hidden or use real name as a writer?

Julie US Writer
2 min readMar 5, 2024

Not always an easy decision (external link at bottom of post)

Hello, readers. I just posted on A Life of a Writer about what happens when you’re a ghostwriter:

https://alifeofawriter.com/to-be-a-ghost-or-not-to-be-52bb6c28f75e

It examines pros and cons of not sharing your name on your content. It also explores the possibilities of composing fiction versus crafting non-fiction stories.

Photo by Kasia Derenda on Unsplash

In this piece I call “To Be a Ghost or Not ToBe” you will see a reference to Samuel Langhorne Clemems, better known as Mark Twain.

Like Mark Twain (only not nearly as popular), I went “incognito”. Most of what I wrote in more than 18 years didn’t have my “real” or “birth” name on it.

You wouldn’t even know it was me that created the content. Yet, it may be on your website somewhere. How would you even know it’s really me?

That’s the point. No one has to know except you and I. That’s what a life of a writer as a “ghost” is all about.

Well, of course, you can find a way to verify who I am. Come to think of it, claiming the work someone else wrote has to be equally as hard.

Does hiring a ghostwriter feel like a lie? You can’t reveal who the author is. I can see why it’s necessary for that writer to remain hidden though.

For instance, a celebrity personality may have to hire a biographer. They do if they don’t have time to write their own story.

Otherwise, speaking their story comes easier than writing it. All they need someone to transcribe it. Who better to transcribe it than a ghostwriter?

Https://Julieuswriter.com

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Julie US Writer

Julie's face has changed over the years, but her mission is still the same.