Why I Write Under a Pen Name

Author Honey Badger
Jan 9
2 min read

I write under a pen name not to hide—but to hold.

There is a common assumption that truth requires exposure. That if a survivor is real, they must be visible. Named. Searchable. Available for scrutiny.

This belief is not neutral. It is a demand.

A honey badger confidently explores its grassy habitat, showcasing its distinctive black and white markings.

A Pen Name Is a Boundary, Not a Lie

A pen name does not dilute truth. It creates a container strong enough to hold it.

Writing about trauma—especially institutional violence—comes with risk. Not imagined risk. Documented risk. Retaliation, harassment, misrepresentation, and character assassination are familiar consequences for survivors who speak publicly.

Choosing a pen name is not secrecy. It is discernment.

It allows the work to stand without requiring the author to surrender their nervous system, safety, or future in exchange for credibility.

The False Bargain of Exposure

Survivors are often told—implicitly or explicitly—that to be believed, they must reveal everything:

their legal name
their body
their timeline
their composure
their willingness to be questioned

This is not truth-seeking. It is entitlement.

Authorship does not require access to my private life. Witnessing does not require my vulnerability to be consumable.

Containment Makes Truth Possible

Trauma fractures safety. Writing about it without containment can re-fracture the body that survived it.

The pen name Author Honey Badger functions as a boundary that allows truth to be spoken without collapse. It separates the work from the expectation of personal availability.

It lets the writing breathe.

Within this container, I can be precise. I can be honest. I can name systems, consequences, and lived experience without negotiating my right to exist safely afterward.

Credibility Is Not Proximity

There is a cultural fixation on proximity: the closer you can get to someone, the more “real” their story becomes.

This is false.

Truth does not require intimacy with the author. Impact does not require personal disclosure beyond consent.

The work is complete as it is offered.

What the Pen Name Protects

The pen name protects:

nervous system integrity
physical and emotional safety
the ability to continue writing
the separation between lived experience and public consumption

It also protects the work itself—from being reduced to gossip, personality, or spectacle.

Writing Without Performing Survival

I do not write to prove that what happened was bad enough.

I do not write to be liked, redeemed, or absolved.

I write because the record matters.

Writing under a pen name allows the work to exist without performance. Without pleading. Without the constant threat of being asked to give more.

Authorship Is Enough

The words are Mine.

The experience is real.

The authorship is valid.

A pen name does not weaken truth—it preserves it.

This article is original work written and published under the protected pen name Author Honey Badger. The use of a pen name constitutes a lawful authorship designation and does not diminish ownership, credibility, or rights.

Reading and sharing by direct link is permitted. Reproduction, reposting, or adaptation without written permission is not authorized.