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[Opinions] Re: Pen name
They are all too long and wordy, and the German parts are meaningless to me because I don't speak German; if I did, I still wouldn't care about any significance they had. Unless you are revealing state secrets or doing a character assassination on someone you know in real life, or an established author writing something totally different from your usual work, I don't see any reason to have a pen name at all. Gone are the days wen published authors could reasonably expect their "secret identities" to remain secret. They've been gone for quite some time too; just ask "Anonymous" who wrote the political book "Primary Colors."Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, when you criticize him, you're a mile away and you have his shoes!
Steve Martin
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Thank you for the reply.It's perfectly reasonable to say that they are wordy, but that's partly the point. They include having two middles just because that's something I'm quite fond of in names (a feature shared by some the greatest authors). It also opens the door to more meaning possibilities.On regards on not caring about the meaning of the name; that's because you're not meant to. This is once again another thing I done because of personal tastes and need for personalization. I simply chose German because I wanted to honor my ancestry.And the reason I am making a pen name isn't to keep my identity a secret, but because my real name is somewhat common, uninspired, and rather ugly, and I feel the need to add, I don't think it fits me well.Overall, the reason for these names is sentimental.
This is in no way abating your criticisms, but I wanted to say why I chose what I chose.

This message was edited 1/30/2023, 8:37 AM

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I get wanting to honor your ancestry and I think that's pretty neat! Maybe you could also use one of your relatives surnames/maiden names, if any of them were German or have/had a good portion of German ancestry. (Say a grandparent or something. Just an idea) I saw you mentioned that you would be using initials when it comes to the middles which I think make it a little better, especially considering how there's two of them.My favorite possibility from your list would probably be Rowan S.B Voss.) seems to flow off the tongue the most. Plus it seems more easier to remember as opposed to say, "Wildgrube". Less awkward as well.
Good luck in getting your book published! Hope it all goes well. 🙂 I plan on publishing a few works myself (manuscripts) sometime in the near-ish future. Sometime after winter, or at least get the process going. I probably won't be using a pen name myself if up to me personally, but it would be fun to play around with a few names! ☺️

This message was edited 1/30/2023, 11:40 AM

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I wish you good luck on your future book ^^In regards to the name, I've actually already chosen Rowan S. B. Voss (which is 'The good and smart red fox' in name meaning).

This message was edited 1/30/2023, 12:11 PM

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