Why I Write Under a Fake Name (And No, It’s Not a Spy Thing)
"So... why the pseudonym?"
I get this question a lot. From friends. From family. From that one co-worker who cornered me at a holiday dinner.
Usually, I shrug and change the subject. But here? On my own blog, with you? I think it’s time I finally gave a real answer.
Reason #1: The Teacher Suit
Let me start here: most writers choose a pen name for practical reasons. Switching genres. Staying anonymous. But me? I can’t really stay anonymous anymore – social media saw to that. For me, it’s more about a shift in personality.
I’ve been a teacher for so long, it’s not just my job. It’s my skin. The way I stand, the way I speak, the way I’m always ready to greet a student or offer advice. That Ms... (if you know, you know) life follows me everywhere.
Back in the US, I used to drive to different cities just to shop and eat in peace. I didn’t want to run into a student while buying toothpaste or spending time with family. Summer trips to New York or anywhere else I could drive? Partly for fun, partly to be surrounded by strangers who didn’t know my name.
Now I’m in China, and somehow the same thing happened. My students here call me by my honorific surname – not my given first name, like they do with other teachers. Why? I haven’t the slightest. But I carry it. I wear it. Because that’s who I am.
Except when I write.
Reason #2: A Secret World That Needs Its Own Name
My writing? I’ve kept that quiet. There’s an old saying: "Keep it quiet until it’s done." Well, it’s finally done. And now I need to carve out a new niche in my world. I need a place to spotlight the pages of my once secret world.
These stories aren’t grammar lessons or classroom debates. They’re not philosophical musings for my students to analyze. They’re doorways into another world for readers who don’t know or care about the honorific behind the imagination.
So, I’ll keep both. One identity for teaching. Another for the stories that claw their way onto the page.
Reason #3: Love (Of Course)
And then there’s the name itself. How did I choose I.M.He?
I didn’t. It, delightfully, chose me.
It’s a combination of my husband’s name and mine. If we had married in the US, this would actually be my legal name. His surname is 贺 (sounds like "huh" with a fourth tone – yes, I know it’ll get butchered, and that’s okay). It’s my way of weaving my culture together with his.
Moving to China unlocked my writing in a way I never expected. It gave me time, space, and a whole new life. So, it feels right to step into this new era with a name that honors where I’ve landed and who I’ve landed with.
The Hope
I’ve kept my writing hidden under a rock for so long, I actually had the nerve to call it a hobby. But I hope, really hope, that this world grows as big as my teaching career someday. That I.M.He becomes as familiar to you as Ms. – well, we don’t need to say that here.
Until then, thank you for being here at the beginning.
Until next week,
I.M.He