Nom de Plume

Using a pseudonym, for me, was an obvious decision. In anonymity, you gain a freedom that allows you to experiment and take risks that you might not otherwise consider. Though using a pseudonym was the easiest choice I have made, it has also forced me to learn lessons that would not have emerged had I opted to use my legal name. The impact of my nom de plume will show up regularly throughout this blog.

My Top 6 Reasons for Remaining Anonymous

1. As I have already said, my only reasons for not publishing were built on a foundation of fear. If Leigh Fischer crashes and burns miserably in a flaming ball of excrement, no one really has to know. 

2. I have a day job. It's dull and painful but it pays the bills and allows me room to dream. My employers are a bit conservative and might misunderstand my style and interests.

3. Everyone assumes you are writing about them. I do not need my supervisor seeing himself in my antagonists (especially if he might be there). 

4. When I was in middle school I found myself in quite a lot of trouble for writing things that were sexual in nature and/or suicidal. In reality, I was neither. It was the cool thing to do and it was an outlet for me to be a stupid kid. However, I have no desire to repeat that experience. Twisted creatures roll around in my head and sometimes they do naughty things. I do not need people confusing me with my characters. Having a twisted imagination does not make me a twisted fuck. 

5. I admit that zombies might not work out for me. I am a fan, but they are not everyone's cup of tea. Furthermore, my interest in zombies generally diverges from most zom fans. I love developing characters and the zombie apocalypse offers so many fabulous ways to experiment with the human response to stress (at some point I'm sure I will dedicate at least an entire post to the subject). Many zom fans prefer what I call the 3Gs (Guts, Gore, and Guns). My work contains the 3Gs but only as a means to the end, they are not my focus. 

6. Closely related to Number 5, non zombie fans shy away from the genre and I may need to put Leigh Fischer in a closet when my other friends come over to play. Who knows? Maybe someday, I will want to write a legit biography about Ronald Reagan.