That RH's behaviour meritited outing doesn't mean there's anything wrong with using a pseudonym in general. As you say "I haven't said or done anything that would cause me great shame, certainly nothing that anyone could hold over me by threatening to "out" me." As long as people behave decently under all their identities, I don't see why they shouldn't be allowed to have as many as they like.
Writing under a pseudonym has a tradition much older than the internet. Most fanfiction authors use them, so why shouldn't you?
I have only this one name (in several variations depending on what the sites allowed when I created my accounts) on the internet, but it's still a pseudonym - one that is known to my family and friends, but not to former co-workers, possible future employers (the current one knows, but you never know whether you mightn't someday apply for a job with someone that's prejudiced against fanfic or writers or adults who like 'children's books' like Harry Potter) and most of all the classmates that bullied me in school (not that I think they'd still come after me after all this time, but I'm still more comfortable knowing that they can't stumble over me at some site one day and know it's me).
A friend of mine uses a pseudonym, because she once could have gotten a book published except there was fanfiction online under her name and that publisher, like many in her home country, refuses to publish people who write fanfiction.
On the other hand of course when you do get published the fans of your fanfiction are probably the first people who'll buy your book.
If you want to out yourself, because you want us to buy your books, or because you feel better if we call you by your reall name, do it, but don't do it just because somebody else abused her pseudonyms to hurt others.
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Writing under a pseudonym has a tradition much older than the internet. Most fanfiction authors use them, so why shouldn't you?
I have only this one name (in several variations depending on what the sites allowed when I created my accounts) on the internet, but it's still a pseudonym - one that is known to my family and friends, but not to former co-workers, possible future employers (the current one knows, but you never know whether you mightn't someday apply for a job with someone that's prejudiced against fanfic or writers or adults who like 'children's books' like Harry Potter) and most of all the classmates that bullied me in school (not that I think they'd still come after me after all this time, but I'm still more comfortable knowing that they can't stumble over me at some site one day and know it's me).
A friend of mine uses a pseudonym, because she once could have gotten a book published except there was fanfiction online under her name and that publisher, like many in her home country, refuses to publish people who write fanfiction.
On the other hand of course when you do get published the fans of your fanfiction are probably the first people who'll buy your book.
If you want to out yourself, because you want us to buy your books, or because you feel better if we call you by your reall name, do it, but don't do it just because somebody else abused her pseudonyms to hurt others.