nom de plume
Writer's assumed identity
A nom de plume is a pen name—a fictitious name under which an author writes.
The phrase is French for "pen name," though ironically the French themselves prefer *nom de guerre*.
Mark Twain was the nom de plume of Samuel Clemens.
Writers adopt pen names for privacy, to write across genres, or to obscure their identity.
Fictitious professional name
- stage namePerformer's professional alias
- monikerInformal designation for someone
- sobriquetDescriptive informal name
- handlePart for gripping
byname · cognomen · assumed name · false name · professional name · alter ego · assumed identity
- George EliotPseudonymous Victorian novelist
- VoltaireFrench Enlightenment satirist
- MolièreTartuffe's comic creator
- O. HenryAmerican short story writer
George Orwell · Lewis Carroll · George Sand · Lemony Snicket · Dr. Seuss
Freedom from observation
- secrecyPractice of hiding information
- hidden identityConcealed true self
- disguiseIdentity-concealing alteration
- maskFace-worn concealment
veil · incognito · undisclosed · concealment · protection · obscurity · unattributed · unsigned
Creator of texts
- novelistWriter of prose narratives
- authorCreator of written works
- essayistAuthor of short prose
- poetWriter of verse
playwright · biographer · columnist · ghostwriter · scribe · literary figure · memoirist · satirist
Freedom from observation
- persecutionSystematic mistreatment of groups
- gender biasPrejudice based on sex
- marketabilityEase of selling something
- reinventionComplete self-transformation
controversy · scandal · censorship · oppression · branding · fresh start · creative freedom · experimentation
pseudonym
Fictitious professional name
- stage namePerformer's professional alias
- monikerInformal designation for someone
- sobriquetDescriptive informal name
handle · byname · cognomen · assumed name · false name · professional name · alter ego · assumed identity
Mark Twain
- George EliotPseudonymous Victorian novelist
- VoltaireFrench Enlightenment satirist
- MolièreTartuffe's comic creator
George Orwell · Lewis Carroll · George Sand · O. Henry · Lemony Snicket · Dr. Seuss
privacy
Freedom from observation
- secrecyPractice of hiding information
- hidden identityConcealed true self
- disguiseIdentity-concealing alteration
mask · veil · incognito · undisclosed · concealment · protection · obscurity · unattributed · unsigned · nameless
writer
Creator of texts
poet · playwright · biographer · columnist · ghostwriter · scribe · literary figure · memoirist · satirist · chronicler
privacy
Freedom from observation
- persecutionSystematic mistreatment of groups
- gender biasPrejudice based on sex
- marketabilityEase of selling something
reinvention · controversy · scandal · censorship · oppression · branding · fresh start · creative freedom · experimentation
- French Loanwordsa la carte, ballet, a la mode, au revoir, bon appetit
- namesgiven names, first names, names, surnames, first name
- aliasesalias, pseudonym, assumed name, code name, false name
- hidden identitiesanonymous, anonymity, pseudonym, alias, incognito
- nicknamesnickname, pet name, alias, handle, moniker
- Secret Identitiessecret identity, alias, alter ego, assumed name, pseudonym
nom de plumereal name
Actual given identity
true name · legal name · birth name · given name · proper name