"Dig this: The so-called "writing life" is basically sitting on your ass."

After giving alot of thought to the subject, and trying on a few names that just didn't seem to click, I've finally decided on a pen name that I feel good about.  If you'll recall, I had considered using my initials R.L., but, I found when I did searches there were too many other writers with some sort of initial combination and the last name Montgomery, so it might be a bit confusing.

I decided to go with the phonetic pronunciation of my initials: Aurel Montgomery

The name is completely original for writers in any genre, and the name is more often masculine, so it has that gender neutral appeal I was looking for.  On the bonus side, when I looked up the meaning of the name Aurel the allusion to philosophical writing seemed to be a good omen.   It is a variation on the Roman Aurelius:

I'm sitting here in my "office," which horrifically consists of me, sideways in my bed, back against the wall, laptop on my lap, and at least a dozen books spread haphazardly around me.  There's a cozy couch staring at me from the other side of the room, but for some reason, it seems more complicated than sleeping on a mound of books.  It also lacks the added charm of my claimed space; an over laden bookshelf within arms reach.  I find the stacks of books inspiring and, more importantly, I have a space to set my iced tea and cell-phone. 

A few talismans sit there: a ceramic "cat-fish" (an orange tabby with a goldfish tail) holding a black pearl and gazing up at me sweetly.  An offering. A pearl of wisdom.  I feel obliged to make the most of this extraordinarily generous gift. 

A tiny elephant, carved out of ivory, it's tusks long ago broken and lost, stands proud, reminding me of the gift of irony and the importance of hard work.

Photos stare down at me as well:  My four year old self, with fingernails painted a pale shade of pink, who still has all the world in front of her.   She prompts me, precociously, that I am no different today.  The world is at my feet.  I must simply reach down and pick it up. 

My favorite picture is a tiny, framed shot of my sister and I, kissing my mother on the cheek.  Her expression defies words.  But she seems suddenly like a child.  Laughing, surprised by life, and in love with the newness of the world.  I am silently challenged to see the world through new eyes.

Nearly a hundred books tower stacked on top of the bookcase, nearing the ceiling.  I can read the titles, see their colorfully designed covers, but they are far out of my reach. Unless, I stand up on my bed and stretch for them.  A reminder that nothing is really out of my reach, it only appears that way.

All of this, and I somehow feel ready to write.  The chaos swirling until it envelops me and gently squeezes words onto the page.  My "office" becomes my conduit, my shelter and my muse. Urging me forward, step by step into the unknown, until my steps become surer and I realize I am happily lost in my words, unaware of my surroundings and have stepped through the looking glass into wonderland.

  "Must a name mean something?" Alice asked doubtfully.

"Of course it must," Humpty Dumpty said, with a short laugh. "My name means the shape I am and a good handsome shape it is, too. With a name like yours, you might be any shape."

                                                                               - Lewis Carroll

I never planned on using a pen name as part of my writing career.  It's not that I find them distasteful in anyway, I just happen to be one of the few people I know who actually likes her name.  (Thanks Mom and Dad!) I know many famous writers have used pseudonyms to great success.  Just look at Mark Twain and Lewis Carroll.  Even J.K. Rowling preferred adopting her grandmothers' middle initial over using her given name Joanne.  Ray Bradbury had over 17 different noms de plume!  And, there are lesser known writers with as many as 60 aliases used in publishing their works.  Sometimes it is wise or necessary for an author to take a pseudonym;  in cases where they may write for extremely different genres, or when their name is simply long or hard to remember. 

However, I feel strongly that a writer should be willing to take credit for anything she writes, no matter how well it is received or panned by the public.  There is an accountability to signing your name to a piece, sending it out into the world and owning a portion of its fruits, sweet or sour.

That said, I find myself with a dilemma.  There is already an established author and public speaker by the name of Rebekah Montgomery.  She has the website rebekahmontgomery.com, and is very well known within the Christian writing world.  She is also a freelance writer who has written many magazine articles under the name.  

My middle name, Lynn Montgomery is not an option if I plan on continuing to write screenplays, (and I do), because there is another screenwriter by that name, and the WGA will not allow two different people to be credited under the same name to avoid confusion.

My full name is still an option, but I wonder if it is still too similar to the aforementioned author, or too long.  At eight syllables: Rebekah Lynn Montgomery, may be a mouthful.  And then, there's the spelling caveat.  Most people looking for me would assume my name is Rebecca. 

I've considered adopting my grandmother's middle name Mae, but think it might read a bit old fashioned. My initials, R.L. Montgomery, (commonly how I sign my name), seem to me, to not give enough information about who I am.  However, that could be a good thing:

"Studies show that sexism is still a strong force in the book market. Readers, especially boys and young men, tend to choose a male author's name over a female author's name. Fortunately, the studies also show that these sexist readers tend to assume that any gender-neutral name is male (this is why the author of the Harry Potter books uses initials instead of her first name- her publisher wanted her to avoid the sexual bias so common in boys)."

 - Jamie Hall, How to Choose a Pen Name

The L would most likely give away my female status though, just as easily knowing that there are few male names that start with an L. 

The advice for writers searching for pen names is patchy at best, some suggest choosing a gender neutral name, others laud choosing a name from the first half of the alphabet as likely to get more premium bookstore shelf placement as opposed to those poor souls surnamed Zachary who will find themselves in the hunchbacks corner at the bottom of store shelves.  Other sage advice offered is to try and choose a name that will place you nearby other best-selling authors on the shelves; sandwiched between Stephen King and Dean Koontz for example. 

It's definitely an issue that will take some more internal debate.  Though it all may seem like a moot point at the moment,  as I have nothing about to be published, I have been working on several articles, and sending queries out to publishers requires me to be somewhat resolved of my identity crisis.

I'm open to suggestions, so feel free to drop me any ideas you may have that wouldn't be better suited to rap artists (thanks Kev!), wrestlers, or comic book heroes.