Changing Names/200/Top 10 Numbers I Like/Bar-Fiction
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
At times on this blog, I’ve taken liberty with a few names. For example, last week I used the name Valerie to refer to a lead character in a story I told about Ponak’s on Southwest Boulevard. Valerie is a real person, except her name is not Valerie.
I don’t know anyone named Valerie. I chose the name at random in case the subject at hand might be uncomfortable with me writing about her. This probably says something about me. I’m not sure what, but something. I felt I should clarify this in case someone asked me who Valerie was or what she meant to me. My truthful response would have been: “There is no Valerie and we mean nothing to each other. We’re just friends.” That wouldn’t have made sense to anyone but me.
I don’t see any reason why changing a name here or there would impact my credibility as a storyteller. I am writing this blog for me – for further writing practice – and maybe to land a side gig here and there. In this economy, the side gigs are either drying up or going to journalists who have lost their jobs. The pool of freelance talent available write now is pretty deep, so I’m told. I am not sure if the most talented writers out there would use real names or not. Probably so. (more…)
