So Who Am I ?

I finished my first interview and submitted it to the Pink Magazine Editor.  She made some revisions which were not major (yeah!). It was still my interview.  I learned from the edits which is always good.  It will help me when my next assignment comes up.

The next question I was asked was how did I want my byline to appear?

My byline?  My first byline?

I had to think about it quite a bit.

Who am I?

I was born Donna Marie Raboni.

The name Rita was added when I was confirmed.

I got married.

I became Donna Pizzolongo or Donna R Pizzolongo or Donna Raboni Pizzolongo.

The Rita part faded after Confirmation.

The Marie part fell by the wayside over 36 years ago.

Maybe if my middle name had been more meaningful, I would have used it more.

But Marie??

Donna Marie's came a dime a dozen in the Bronx in the 50's and 60's.

Donna was actually 5th on the list of most popular names in 1960.  Now, it is number 3,514 on the list and according to google is facing extinction.

About 20 years ago, a parent came up to me at Jenn's elementary school and asked me if I would meet her daughter.  I said "Sure, but why?'  She told me her daughter was named Donna and she had never met anyone else with her name.

From popular to extinction in 60 plus years.

Bottom line is, I like the name Donna and it is who I am.

Does that mean my daughter's name, Jennifer, will some day fade away along with the Kimberly's and Heather's of the 1980's-1990's??

The nice part is my daughter's middle name is unique.

It is Leimomi, my Mom's Hawaiian name.  When she was young she hated it.  As I predicted, now as an adult she likes her middle name.  She has grown into it.  It also reminds her of Nannie and the Hawaiian part of her heritage.

Although I have to agree, Jennifer Leimomi Pizzolongo is quite a name.  At her graduation  for her BA and Master's she did have to go to the table where unique names were written out phonetically.

Unlike my middle name, Marie, it doesn't really sound unique and catchy.  Plain and simple.

Would I have picked Donna as my name, probably not. I love the name Gianna and I would have thrown in a Hawaiian middle name.

When it came to whether to use just Raboni or Raboni Pizzolongo, I had to think about it for 24 hours.

I was Donna Raboni for 26 years.

I have been Donna Pizzolongo for 36 years.

Now that I am divorced, do I go back to Donna Raboni?

The answer was no, I am Donna Pizzolongo.  That is that is the name most people know me by.

Yesterday, I was at a Beach Shack Writers Workshop.  Picture being on Hilton Head Island, sitting outside on lovely porch with a great view, the smell of the ocean in the air and a slight breeze (just enough for me to throw a light jacket over my shoulders.

We did four writing prompt. One on advice to our younger selves, one about a tattoo, one about something we are good at and bad at and finally four truths and a lie.

During some breaks in our writing assignments, we talked about our work. I love hearing what others have written, I love sharing and talking about topics such as dialog.

We even talked about my struggle to figure out my  byline.

I finally emailed my editor, Donna Raboni Pizzolongo was my decision.

It works and it is me.

See you next week!