Throughout life, I have been Daniel. A small handful of folks have called me Dan (my wife’s grandparents mostly), and someone will jokingly call me Danny on occasion. So what’s with the K in my web address?
Well, fine readers, the K is not what you think. Unless you think it’s just my middle initial. Then you’re right. But it is not a sign of pretentiousness.
Of course, as a writer, I can’t help but be a bit pompous, as my job requires me to know how to put a few words together and it’s hard not to laugh at those who can’t. But the K wasn’t dropped in my web address to make me appear bigger than I am. I realize I am still a little person in a little world, a freelance writer and editor in Cleveland, Tennessee. Or as it is often known, the city that is a few miles north of the larger (though not that big) Chattanooga, Tennessee – home of the Chattanooga Choo-Choo.
So why the K then? To be honest, the K came out of necessity. Don’t get me wrong. I love my middle initial. With its striking first line and solid overall form, it is a formidable structure, unlike so many other letters. But if I had my druthers, the K would be out of sight. Unfortunately, there was already someone else out there who used my preferred address, danielbrantley.com. Thankfully, he’s not a writer or editor, but is a “full-service law firm,” so there is little chance of confusion.
Despite this, I struggled to accept my K as part of my web and professional presence, but I’ve gotten over it. Even kind of started to feel a bit snooty about having it on hand. Of course, it’s not quite as wonderful as an Esq. at the end of my name, but I’d rather be a freelance writer and editor. Sounds conceited, doesn’t it?
