Rosalind - 12:10 am on Dec 14, 2004 (gmt 0)

There can be some really good reasons to use a pen name, but be aware that if you do you may be lumping yourself together with those who use a pen name for less honorable reasons. Hide your identity and you could be sacrificing a certain amount of trust. But, it all depends on your reasons. Not everybody is out to con other people, and if you just want to have a pen name to distinguish different styles and genres of writing then most people find that acceptable.

Using a pen name for articles to make a one-person operation appear to be bigger than it is isn't all that uncommon. But can you make your writing style distinct enough to convince your readers? If not, being unmasked could be embarrassing.