It is my pleasure to participate in the AW October Blog Chain. The theme is: Masquerade.
Diane Dooley is not my real name, you know. I have to have a separate name/ identity from my professional name/identity. It’s true – I am living a masquerade.
Maybe it’s because I’m gutless, but it’s more likely that I just don’t want my co-workers to know exactly the depths to which I sink in my fiction. I mean, how could I get away with delivering a stern lecture to someone I supervise if they’re sitting there in full knowledge that I’ve written a cannibalization scene? It’s not something you really want to know about your supervisor, is it? That she thinks of such things?
Or how about trying to deliver a rousing address to the poor beleaguered workers while one of them is snickering in memory of one of those absolutely filthy sex scenes I wrote. Doesn’t quite work, does it?
How do I seriously advise someone on their problems when, just last night, I was gleefully obliterating half of humanity? How could they possibly consider me kind enough to care about their problems?
So I live a masquerade. Consummate professional by day; murderous slut by night. As long as I don’t get confused between my identities, I think it’ll work out OK.
The Chain:
Auburn Assassin http://clairegillian.wordpress.com/ and direct link to her post
Hillary Jacques http://hillaryjacques.blogspot.com and direct link to her post
Aimee Laine www.aimeelaine.com/writing/blog and direct link to her post
Ralph Pines http://thewonderingswordsman.wordpress.com/ and direct link to his post
Veinglory http://erecsite.blogspot.com/ and direct link to her post
Laffarsmith http://www.craftingfiction.com and direct link to her post
PASeaholtz http://paseasholtz.com/ and direct link to his post
Madelein.Eirwen http://madeleineirwen.blogspot.com/ and direct link to her post
Amy Doodle www.mindovermullis.com and direct link to her post
CScottMorris CScottMorrisBooks.com and direct link to his post
Orion_mk3 http://nonexistentbooks.wordpress.com/ and direct link to his post
FreshHell http://freshhell.wordpress.com and direct link to her post
IrishAnnie http://superpenpower.blogspot.com/ and direct link to her post
You Are Here
Aidan Watson-Morris http://mangaka-tales.blogspot.com/ and direct link to his post
WildScribe http://polyspace.wordpress.com and direct link to her post
Hayley E. Lavik http://hayleyelavik.com/ and direct link to her post
Bettedra http://bettedra.wordpress.com/ and direct link to her post
Aheila http://thewriteaholicblog.wordpress.com/ and direct link to her post
dianedooley.wordpress.com 
I also hide behind a pen name masquerade online. Although I am not ashamed of anything I have done or have written, but I am also a professional freelancer and it would not do for my magazine editors to run across certain personal information that could taint their opinions of me or my work.
Ah, a woman of my own heart! Yeah, I think my employees might raise a few brows if they read some of my stuff hence my masquerade behind a pen name as well.
(And I loved your cannibalism piece, btw).
Frankly, I would be more apt to listen carefully to my supervisor if I knew she was capable of such things. Very, very carefully.
Love the picture of the mask!
This was a great read! Both entertaining AND intellectual.
I’m curious. What if – out of nowhere – you were given the opportunity to become a full-time writer? (Disregard the financial aspects of this ;P) What would you do then?
I’d probably be even sluttier and more murderous.
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What Hillary said! I’m usually surrounded by people who barely read, much less write, and it would be nice to have a supervisor who did both! Regardless of the subject matter.
I second the awesome flavor of your cannibalism scene.
So what led you to come up with your current “mask” name?
I’ve toyed around with the idea of a pseudonym but always liked to have i linked to my real name in some way, either as an anagram or a phonetic reversal or subtle in-joke.
Well, my pen name IS linked to my real name. It’s only a little mask – y’know, one that just covers part of the face. *grin*
Yep, I agree with Hillary. I would be a top-notch employee for anybody that gave me a long, hard stare and mentioned an interest in cannibalism!
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I guess I never thought about it this way before, but seeing how “offended” some people can become over any perceived difference of opinion or point of view, I can see how the day job might be adversely impacted by the night job. Sure be nice not to have to hide behind these masks lest we get branded though. Might make for a better and more civil discourse if we all just took off the masks and forced everyone to accept the whole of our person.
I think pen names are great. I use one too! It gives you freedom. There’s no need to censor yourself.
Now I’m tempted to write a cannibalism piece and have it laying around for family and coworkers to stumble upon… just to see their reaction. 🙂
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