Okay so you must be wondering what in the name of Hell’s Graffiti Wall has BAME got to do with writing, and you are probably asking what is BAME? You’re probably asking what has Freddy Mercury have to do with the world of writing?
Let me write this by using the 10% of my knowledge while finding 90% of my screen time trying to explain it in better words to you. Alright, alright, I’ll let you rate it by the time you reach the end…
So why did Freddy Mercury change his name? The large assumption and the way the story goes, it’s clear that being different and having a creative passion in the arts are two very compatible recipes to brew up success, but for some reason race is still a label in this world. BAME stands for Black, Asian, Minority and Ethnic, it is a term that originated in the 1970s in the United Kingdom, unfortunately, it is very much alive in our current world.
Why did Freddy Mercury change his name? Why do we have the term BAME? I am sincerely trying to not make this article controversial. God, if Muslim and Hindu – Pakistan and India were not at war even back then, then Farouk Balsara would have at least had a chance to be seen as a Parsi when someone had to read his name without seeing his face, but even being a Parsi living in the United Kingdom back in the 1950s was difficult, alright, alright, I wasn’t born in that era but to still have Apartheid dominate South African lives in the 1970s and from learning about history back then is where I get this very strong assumption.
So, the reason why I decided to write about Why did Freddy Mercury change his name? Why do we have the term BAME? in today’s writing tips is because I want to get your thoughts rolling on whether you are planning to use your own name as the author or are you going to be using a pseudonym/pen name when you sign off as the author of your book, blog post, or whatever the piece of content is? Whatever you choose, please do not say, “T. Dench Patel, why didn’t you warn me? I am being rejected left, right and centre especially when I submit my manuscripts.” Just in case you come across the words nom de plume note that it refers to pseudonym/pen name as well.
A content writer about to start out may well be thinking, actually does cross off this point in the very beginning on whether they would want to use their identity or if they would like to use a nom de plume. There are several reasons why one will consider this before they go out on their strategic plan towards their goal in writing.
I have my thoughts on BAME today, especially in the future of our world where there are a large number of mixed-race marriages and children born into those families every single day speaking perfect English, Spanish … you name it. BAME to me is like daylight robbery. Oops, my hand just went freehand there… Just go and see how many bestselling BAME book writers are on the list every year, say for the last decade. You will get your answer on whether you should publish under your own name or a pseudonym/pen name. Hey, for the sake of humanity COVID could end up killing the word BAME, or maybe it already did.
Why did Freddy Mercury change his name? Maybe because his stage name was easier to pronounce or easily acceptable.
Let’s look further…
Why should I use a pen name?
- Conceals a person’s identity.
- Allows the author to explore something new
- Prevents an author from being identified to previous works
- Women writers that have a pseudonym/pen name which is that of a male feel they could get a better chance to be published according to audible.
- Male writers that have a pseudonym/pen name which is that of a female may wish to get published in a genre that is dominated by females according to audible.
- Writers who do not want repercussions for their political stance according to audible.
- To protect an author or others from a story that could compromise others especially if it is true, yet the author believes in the value and the lesson that it will provide to society.
- To protect a person transitioning from one career to another without their employer knowing about it.
- To not face social injustice.
Why shouldn’t I use a pen name?
- It’s difficult when it comes to concealing your true identity.
- It complicates social gatherings.
- The author would like to be recognised for their work.
- The author already has a following and other notable works.
- It makes it less complicated when it comes to legal issues.
But then again, nothing really mattered to Freddy Mercury or Farouk Balsara in the end … just like COVID it doesn’t distinguish itself from race, being wealthy, poor, … whatever… we just move on and another one bites the dust…
Why did Freddy Mercury change his name? Why do we have the term BAME? I mean let’s face it, in today’s world there is more diversity than back then, I really do not know of any musician who made it on his/her own being the “A” in BAME, or as big as Queen, no one, not in that time, especially if the context I am speaking in is where one doesn’t follow the crowd, just the beat of their drum. The combination of having two Brits and an Indian singer and songwriter with such great ambition and talent really changed our world to the diversity we have today. I mean heritage can be seen, straightforward, but it doesn’t decipher if you can speak pure English especially if one has lived that long in Great Britain yet till this day to get published as an English writer or even qualified to write no matter how good one can be in English still is a question no matter how much one can prove it, you still have to prove it to the gatekeeper. I wonder if the gates of heaven are divided by BAME? Anyways to put oneself out there is a very courageous thing to do, I mean it comes with judgement and critics, all of it. Here is another reason on Why did Freddy Mercury change his name. Why do we have the term BAME? Maybe, back then Freddy’s real name was hard to pronounce.
Using one’s own name has a lot of advantages as I’ve mentioned above, here’s one more, look at the expertise one can directly put on their work, and even more on their brand, now imagine what credentials it leaves you with, in the end? It directly correlates to the author, their work and their background. It’s easier to manage in terms of logistics.
A little story
Perhaps if you are a heterosexual male, you might find yourself swirling around the idea of choosing a pen name/pseudonym/nom de plume forever but come on what about women who had to change their maiden names when they got married? Isn’t that complicated enough ladies? Like what about that business and all that has been and is still tied to your maiden name, all the subscriptions? … Oooo dear! Imagine if you remain unmarried for even longer than whatever one calls the norm these days? Then to top it off with a pen name/pseudonym/nom de plume? Oh, and let’s not go to the topic of divorce…
Oh, sweet Jesus! You have no idea how many stories I have under my belt on the social entanglements I had with T. Dench Patel come on people trench wasn’t sounding optimistic, wrench sounded like a one-way exit, French isn’t English, bench sounded like I’ll be sitting stuck at that chapter forever, so Dench was better off being left as Dench.
Either way, there are many reasons why people change their names in real life such as having to move on from a very distasteful past compared to Why did Freddy Mercury change his name? Why do we have the term BAME?
Hope this article helps you choose your options better.
In the next article I will be telling you what no writer has ever told you when writing a non-fiction story, short story, memoir or biography.
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You can also have a look at Why did Freddy Mercury change his name? What is BAME? short video.
Yours sincerely,
T. Dench Patel
