Elle, I admire your courage in raising the topic in an insightful and honest way. You could have easily continued under your nom de plume and we would be none the wiser. As with many things, I think it is about what we are comfortable with and personal choice.

For me, I write under my real name and so far I have chosen the topics and drawn the lines where I am comfortable to write. But it is an area that I constantly wrestle with for the reasons you outline such as the impact on me as well as others. I have not given it too much thought about using a pen name or who does but I think if this translates to freedom and honesty in writing then surely that is a good thing! Under any name, we can always choose to be accountable and I think ultimately that’s what matters knowing the impact our words and writing can have on others.

Now I am thinking, maybe I should give myself the freedom and choose a name for myself but oh what to write and what name to choose!