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It is a very unique experience to have the opportunity to view your name in print. It is a testimonial to your hard work, set out for the rest of the world to see, and to ponder. The pride that comes along with your accomplishments is garnered largely in fact by seeing that lasting symbol of your heritage beaming proudly back at you, that traditional symbol of all that you are and all that you will ever be, your name.

To a writer his identity is his work. It is how he promotes himself, his creations, and his promise of future creativity. The better his reputation as a writer, than the better the likelihood that his work will be desired, purchased, and eventually net him increased monetary gains. So why would a writer choose not to use their given name to represent them? Why would a writer choose to hide their true identity, their very history and their reputation, behind a pen name? I am one such writer and how I decided to identify myself in my articles, came as a deliberate choice created to represent who, and what I now am.

I found that I could not connect myself emotionally to my legal name. My last name is one that I acquired through a marriage that went astray and somehow it was never changed back to its given form. Although at first this was an oversight, I no longer think that I would want my maiden name returned to me, as it is no longer who I am. I am a much different person than the little girl who grew up using that name to identify herself.

I thought of writing using only my first name to identify my work. It is a beautiful name and one which I am proud of, but somewhere amidst some small degree of confusion, my last name somehow managed to make an appearance. There it was, shining glaringly out at me in printed form, reminding me of a person that I no longer am. I just did not like that image. I could see no logical reason for identifying my accomplishments with a name that although mine at the current time, may not remain mine for any clearly determined point of time in the future. So carrying someone else's last name around was the problem in all this.

I am no longer a part of my ex-husband's life and so no longer consider myself any part of the history that is identified with his name. I have also already concluded that if I marry again, I will probably once again take my man's last name as my own. I would do this because I know that I would be proud to be a part of his life and all that he represents to the world. I would also be very honored

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