I am current close to finishing a story that is about an escort-client relationship. The escort does not use her real name when seeing clients, but has a "work name" (ie. pseudonym, a common practice in the trade from what I have seen).
As currently written, I use her real name in the narrative and passages that are internal to her but a few times in dialogue the man she is seeing calls her by the work name (since he does not know the real name). I do introduce the work name the first time it is used so I think it is fairly clear why he is calling her by a different name. I prefer this approach because the work name is really a "persona" that she keeps separate from the "real her" as part of keeping her sex work separate from her everyday life so she would not think of herself as being "that person".
Anyone dealt with a situation like this before and done it differently? Is my approach potentially confusing?
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Characters with a pseudonym
Quote by Cyndy
Is there a way of stating her real name and that she is using a pseudonym in the story? I think it is always best to consider that readers need things to be more simple than we write... all the time! I am not sure how to express that without sounding condescending...
That's kind of what I've done, just not directly. I introduce her under her real name, then the first time that the work name is used by the man, there's a quick (1 short sentence) bit of exposition explaining the discrepancy in names.
Active Ink Slinger
Depending on how experienced she is in this life, she could look/be startled when he uses her pseudonym, and then remember that that's what she told him to call her. Maybe she uses a different pseudonym with each client and had temporarily forgotten what she told him. I prefer exposition in fiction through dialog or internal dialog instead of with an explanatory sentence.
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Quote by Charlotte_
Depending on how experienced she is in this life, she could look/be startled when he uses her pseudonym, and then remember that that's what she told him to call her. Maybe she uses a different pseudonym with each client and had temporarily forgotten what she told him. I prefer exposition in fiction through dialog or internal dialog instead of with an explanatory sentence.
As do I. In the latest draft, I've worked it more into the story. She's starting to fall for the guy (a no-no in her world but it's a world she's starting to ease out of anyway) and there's a couple passages where she wrestles with whether to give him her real name. The name is one she has used for a few years (she's early twenties and has been in the sex trade, both in porn and escorting, since she was 17 or 18) and is more or less a mask she wears so dropping that mask isn't easy for her.
Head Penguin
There's no reason why it should be confusing if you do it right. If nothing else, you could merely write the alternate name in italics, once the reader is au fait with the distinction.
As an aside, if she was escorting and doing porn at 17, she was a victim of abuse, so I assume you are dealing with that in story?
Danny xx
As an aside, if she was escorting and doing porn at 17, she was a victim of abuse, so I assume you are dealing with that in story?
Danny xx
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Quote by DanielleX
As an aside, if she was escorting and doing porn at 17, she was a victim of abuse, so I assume you are dealing with that in story?
Not really, though it's clear in the story she wants out. This story is set in the period just before she leaves the sex trade and is an independent escort so the worst of it is behind her. It is pretty tightly focussed on one event and doesn't go into much background. The age isn't even mentioned (though she'd be about 22 based on the story line I have in mind).
Her back story is actually covered more in the already published April's Secret (see sig) to which the new story is a prequel.
I think that it can be a little bit confusing... and I think the ways of clearing it up must be done within the thoughts of your narrator (if you are writing from the girl's POV)
EXAMPLE:
"Jamie," I hesitate before answering the call. I really must get used to my work name.
OR:
No, Kelly would never do this sort of thing, letting a man take my ass... a little to kinky for her. I'm not Kelly today though, not on the job, today I am Jamie and right now, I couldn't want anything more.
EXAMPLE:
"Jamie," I hesitate before answering the call. I really must get used to my work name.
OR:
No, Kelly would never do this sort of thing, letting a man take my ass... a little to kinky for her. I'm not Kelly today though, not on the job, today I am Jamie and right now, I couldn't want anything more.
Active Ink Slinger
I would tend to allow her to almost make a mistake when stating her non de plume, catching herself and fixing it.
As in, "Hello, I'm Sh..." Shirley paused, then continued, "I'm sure happy to meet you, my name is Wendy."
As in, "Hello, I'm Sh..." Shirley paused, then continued, "I'm sure happy to meet you, my name is Wendy."
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