What sort of a name is Glawdan?
Say it like you would Jordan. Don’t pronounce the “i” in Scrivan as “ee”, pretend the “a” is silent.
OK, you got me. Glawdan Scrivan is not my real name, and no Glawdan is not a real name either, I made it up. I researched words from Old English and made slight alterations to some that I liked. When I say research, actually I just looked up information on the internet, and didn’t fact check it. In these days of AI slop, my info might all be hallucinated. But does that really matter?
To me it doesn’t matter, the goal was to invent a new name, and that goal has been fulfilled. I also enjoy the secret aspects of the name, one being that it contains my own nickname. Another being that my family tree has branches with the surname of Scrivener. So this pen name nods to that while also maintaining that writer connection.
My potentially inaccurate research suggests that the Old English word “glæw” means bright, shining or radiant, and is similar to the German “glühen” or the Dutch “gloeien” for glow. Scrivener possibly comes from the Latin “scriba”, via perhaps the Italian “scrivano”, or French “escrivain”.
Why do you need a pseudonym, are you even famous?
I don’t need a pseudonym, I am not trying to obfuscate my identity or hide anything. Writing does not feel natural to me, it requires a particular mindset. The purpose of my pen name is to create a persona that I can wear to put myself into the right mindset for writing. I think of Glawdan Scrivan as a different person, someone that is good at writing. When I become Glawdan I am making a conscious effort to think and act like a writer does, or at least my perception of that.
Of course it also can act a shield against criticism too, at least while I am still beginning my writing journey. This whole website is my risk free playground. I can publish anything I want here and not have to worry about unwanted feedback.