Idea: 59
Saturday, 28 February 2015
By. Vidame Hellcat

Pseudonym

— Anonymous writing circle

Cheeky
Cheeky
Jul 27, 2017 · 2 min read

I asked Vidame Hellcat recently if I could read her writing. She said that she hasn’t publishing anything yet, but if she did, she would do so under a pseudonym. “Why!?”, I asked. She replied:

“The Problem”
— Need for anonymity in creative writing. Anonymity allows for complete creative freedom. Either through authentic self-expression or radical departure from identity.
— Need for a safe space for creative writing. Creative writing is vulnerable. When the harsh critics show up, nobody feels safe talking about their feelings.
— Need for encouragement and feedback. Community culture should = positive encouragement with subtle and soft suggestions.
— Need for curation. Quality is important, as is knowing that everyone was vetted before admission.

To which I said: “Oh, Vidame Hellcat, this sounds like a horrible problem! What should we do about it?” She replied:

“The Solution”
+ Pseudonym is a curated yet anonymous writing circle
+ To join, please apply. There is a vetting process.
+ Once accepted as a member, select a pseudonym.
+ Even community managers don’t know who belongs to which pseudonym.
+ Publishing and discussions take place over e-mail (for now)
+ Once tested over e-mail we can think about building software

I was amazed. “Vidame Hellcat, you’re a genius! Where do poets and writers hang out on the internet today?”

“The Market”
X https://newhive.com (NewHive = blank canvas + social network for wild and weird creative expression. But here’s a link to my profile, full of embarrassing examples of creative writing… why I wish pseudonym existed)
X http://www.poets.org (more of an organization for traditional/dead poets than an online community)
X Haven’t yet found anything else significant, mostly 1990s-style websites (see below)

Representative examples of non-relevance:
X http://poetsonline.org
X http://www.poetry.com
X http://allpoetry.com

Questions Vidame Hellcat and I have for the Cheeky community:
? Do you know other places where poets hang out on the internet?
? If you do creative writing, would this appeal to you?
? Can you think of any pseudonyms? (Don’t tell us yours!)
? What’s your favorite historical pseudonym?

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