Doesn’t it put a question mark on my credibility to be ghost-writing or writing under an anonymous name (since my present contract doesn’t allow me to write for other publications)? I’m thinking that editors aren’t exactly going to rejoice when I propose that I’ll write under a fake name because I’m already working full-time somewhere else. At least, that’s how it seems to me, which is why I didn’t pursue the thought. So I don’t know how to go about that, can you help?

First of all, I have to say this: if you’ve signed a contract with your company that forbids you from freelancing, then you can’t. Sorry. Contracts are legally binding, and in no way will I encourage that you break them. What you can do, is either quit your job and get a new one that allows you to freelance on the side, or jump into freelancing full-time. Which option you choose is obviously going to depend on your personal circumstances.

I would also really avoid pissing off your bosses at work, because most freelancers who’ve worked at magazines/newspapers usually start out by freelancing for their old bosses as they add other clients to their repertoire.

That said, there are many reasons freelancers write under pseudonyms, including but not limited to, a name change after marriage, to distinguish one kind of work from another, and to keep real life separate from literary life. While an editor will need to know your real name (unless you don’t want a check!), most don’t care a bit whether you’re writing under your name, your pet’s name, or your imaginary friend’s name. All they care is that you deliver good work. On time.

Like I’ve mentioned on this blog before, I used to write how-to articles under a pseudonym, because it brought in quick and easy money, and I didn’t want that work to turn up on the top results in Google when anyone searched for my name. I knew I wanted to give that work up as soon as possible, knew I wasn’t going to be using those clips, and didn’t really care if that work was associated with my name or not.

I know that doesn’t answer your question. I completely understand how frustrating your situation may be, having walked away from some great job offers at the beginning of my career for precisely that reason. I really would recommend talking to the editor at the publication where you work and asking if you can take on some extra articles in the subjects and areas that interest you, so that you can get some of those clips and experience.

I’m also hoping some readers can chime in with their thoughts, since I know a lot of people freelance part-time. How do you handle this problem?