Writing Anonymously Doesn’t Have To Be Limiting
Like many writers on Medium, I don’t publish under my actual name. It’s not a pseudonym exactly, more of a variation of my name that has evolved over time.
I chose to write under a different name not because I had anything in particularl to hide, but for the freedom it gave me to write with unflinching honesty. It’s a less dramatic variation on the “write until you’re dead” approach.
I understand that it’s not watertight — if someone is determined enough to find me, there are enough crumbs to lead them there. I know from my status that many writers come across my writing through Google and Facebook shares.
But there’s enough of a buffer to keep me separated from the rest of the world. Although Medium has global reach, it is very US-centric which has been quite liberating as an Australian. In this part of the world, Medium is surprisingly little-known outside writer circles.
Anonymity has allowed me to develop as a writer
Writing under a different name safely cushioned my first tentative steps into the world of online publishing. I’ve always journaled as a way of processing my thoughts, but there was something thrilling about seeing them reflected back at me in a professional looking format.
When an idea, concern or conundrum plants itself in my mind, writing is the way I explore, wrangle and make sense of it. A user-friendly interface and full editorial control make Medium the ideal place to do it.
Writing anonymously has given me space to develop my writing chops without having to answer to anyone I know or worry about who my innermost thoughts might land with.
But I also want to be known for my writing
Three years on and a bit more writing in experience under my belt, the reasons I write for Medium have shifted. It’s no longer the repository for every thought that I want to express in written form.
It took a long time, but eventually I built the confidence and summoned the organisational skills to pitch to publications outside Medium. I’ve published mainly in the disability and neurodiversity space, echoing my topic focus on Medium.
There’s no point using a fake name if I want to build a profile as a writer. The more of a profile I have, the more receptive editors and publishers are to the ideas I pitch to them.
As much as the language makes me flinch, building a profile is about developing a brand and curating the mix of work I put out there. People need to be able to draw connections between the different things that I do and see them as a coherent whole. They need to see who I am in the world.
I’m not just a writer. I’m also a mediator and editor and participate in the community through mentoring, peer support and advocacy. My writing is part of a cluster of things that I do to sustain myself financially, as well as for creative expression and volunteer work. Writing ties it all together.
So where does Medium come into it?
I was starting to feel as though I had parallel writing careers: the one where I publish under my name and my anonymous writing on Medium. I had been putting a lot of effort into pieces I publish on Medium instead of pitching to other publications.
At times I can feel as though I’m hiding behind Medium because it’s become my comfort zone and I don’t want to limit my opportunities as a writer because I’m too scared to put myself out there.
I’d like to be able to share my work widely and it’s tempting to include a link to my Medium profile in work that I publish outside Medium, as well as various ND-related groups that I belong to. I’m just not sure if I’m ready to share a whole load of content that was written with the belief that barely anyone in the Southern Hemisphere would see it.
The two hundred or so stories I’ve published on Medium are on topics ranging across feminism, parenting and wellbeing but the majority draw on my experiences as a late diagnosed Autistic adult.
Neurodiversity is also the focus of freelance pieces that I pitch (sometimes successfully) to publications and a book I’m writing about the workplace. In the meantime, there’s enough material for a book in Medium but I haven’t exactly leveraged it.
While I can publish pieces on Medium that I have written for other publications (de-identified of course), the opposite isn’t true. And I don’t think I would want to.
How can you successfully combine Medium with other freelance writing?
I decided I need to stop duplicating my efforts by not writing the same kinds of things on Medium as I would want to have published under my own name.
The key to balancing my writing in these two distinct spaces is to be clear about what I want to achieve in each and understanding what I get from them. It’s about thinking strategically rather than making decisions based on whatever I’m feeling at the time.
Why do I want to write for Medium? What drew me to it and what keeps me coming back to it? On the other hand, what do I get out of writing for other publications?
Medium is where I process and reflect on my experiences almost in real time. There’s a sense of immediacy in being able to turn my thoughts into written work and have people read and engage with them within the same day. It’s more personal and intimate, a conversation with like-minded people.
The work I do for other publications is more research-driven and may involve case studies and interviews. The process from initial pitch to publication can take weeks — or even months — and so the writing is a step removed from my immediate experience. Although it’s grounded in my personal experience, I feel like I’m contributing to a broad conversation and body of work more than giving something of myself.
I like being able to strike a balance between instant gratification and the satisfaction of working on longer term projects; not to mention having multiple sources of income.
I also like that I can work with the same content in different ways. Medium is where I explore topics on a very personal level without limitation on the detail that I go into. I can also experiment with narrative styles and formats.
Writing for other publications is about targeting my message to a specific readership and following prescribed rules around format and style. It’s the price you pay for kudos and recognition and being able to reach a wide audience.
I’m really interested in how other writers on Medium have navigated this challenge and how you’ve been able to strike a balance with other writing work. What issues have come up for you and what have you put in place to make it work?
