Pseudonyms Lets You Practice Agency

I do admire people who are unapologetically themselves in public. That is a gift. If you have the courage to be authentic while showing your face, that helps widen the Overton window of weirdness. You make it less scary for others to do the same; you make the world more alive and human. But if you can’t do that, like most people can’t, if you feel ... See more

When people email me saying they want to publish their writing but feel insecure about it, this is my first suggestion: invent a character who is not afraid, one who can say all the things you can’t. Play it. See what it’s like. If you make a fool of yourself, you can erase the character and make a new one.

An interesting reply I sometimes get is th... See more

Pseudonyms are a social technology with a deep history.

Identities are interfaces. They mediate between your interiority and the outside world. Each identity provides a set of affordances—things they allow you to do. If you have access to the identity “cop,” you can do and say things that others can’t.