JK Rowling. George Orwell. Lewis Carroll. All of these authors have something in common: they are all accomplished, successful writers who wrote under a pseudonym. They chose a fake name under which they published their works. They remained anonymous for a significant amount of time and let their works speak for themselves. This, in my opinion at least, is the most pure and true form of writing. These are some of the most successful and well-known authors throughout history, and yet they were just writing for writing’s sake.
Writing is a form of art. It is a beautiful way to sort out emotions, express opinions or ideas and to entertain. Even the majority of successful, published authors say that their purpose is expression. It can be a form of therapy, a release from the real world and also a way to help others. Authors write for the same reason painters paint or runners run—to express their thoughts in a way that is beautiful and to sort out the ideas in their minds. Ernest Hemingway (who published his works under his own name) said, “There is nothing to writing. All you have to do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." Writing, whether for fun or as an occupation, is and always has been a form of art. This is why I think it is admirable when authors publish their works under a pseudonym. They are not publishing for the recognition, but purely for the sake of writing. They let their words speak for themselves.
One of my favorite poets, who goes by the name Atticus, takes this to an extreme. Not only does he/she publish their works under a fake name (and doesn’t let anyone know who they really are), but they also only publish the poems on social media platforms; so they make virtually no profit off of their writing. As one of the most successful writers/poets that is alive today, Atticus affects many people through writing and is fairly well-known. And yet, they are continuing to write purely for writing’s sake, as a way to express their feelings and emotions to anyone who is willing to read them.
C.S. Lewis said, “We read to know we are not alone," and this is also the reason for writing. Being able to express an emotion and know that other people can understand something you have thought to yourself, or have experienced, is a way to form universal connections and recognize that you are not the only person who has ever thought such things. Using a pseudonym is a simple way to be able to express yourself and publish all different types of works with a true and genuine purpose. Writing provides an escape for the person writing, as well as the person reading. It should not be done solely for recognition, but rather, it should be done simply to let the words speak for themselves—to create a work of art.
