The Pen (Name) is Mightier?

We are writers.

All of us, no matter what or how we write. The fact is that we are part of an enormous community of people who enjoy putting pen to paper (fingertips to keyboard) to produce something amazing/inspiring/awesome/etc. That is just who we are.

But is it?

You say, yes of course. What the heck are you talkin' about, Marie?

I'm talking about pen names. There are many schools of thought on them. Some people wouldn't dream of writing under a different name. They may want to see their name on the cover of a book when they walk into Barnes and Noble. Maybe they want to rub it in the faces of the people who scoffed their need to write. I don't know.

But other people praise the pen. I know my reasons (current job conflicts, future privacy concerns), but what are others?

Nathan Bransford talks about it here and mentions how to address your pen in your query.

When I was brainstorming my pen, I took Nathan's advice and made sure the domain was available and also googled my ideas to see what came up. My first few ideas struck less than gold, but I knew I wanted to use some part of my real name. I also wanted it to mean something, if only to me.  

So, will you use a pen when you publish (yes, I said when)? What are your reasons? Your motivations?

Don't forget about the FLY to 500 contest. It's open until the end of the month.

-Marie