…about the name change, and as such you are welcome to keep on voting.
Come on. Surely this has to be the most trivial of problems on your plate today and the easiest of elections in light of the BIG ones coming up in November.
Plus I am about 90% sanguine in temperament and am strongly moved by the force of a good argument.
And that, my friend, is the problem.
Maggie, just change it and see how it goes!!! You can always change it back if it does not feel right!
Loving either name!
I vote Margaret! Just being honest!
Wow. Given the first two responses here, I feel a bit pressured to “break the tie” so to speak…
🙂
I know you love Maggie, and it IS more casual, yes. But you, my dear, are a writer. A very good writer, I must say. And I think you write in such a wonderful, personable manner that you may need a bit of the formality that “Margaret” brings to the screen…
But why should you listen to me?
My screen name is Nutmeg, for heaven’s sake!
;P
Okay, Margaret/Maggie. 🙂
Here’s what the people have to say:
Most of us will happily call you whatever you want. We refrain from taking sides over such a personal issue as your name. After all, your name represents who you are and we respect your right to be you, with the right name attached.
Of those of us who expressed a genuine preference, 14 of us like Maggie to only 11 for Margaret. However, Greta, Madge and Daisy have also been tossed into the ring. I don’t know why, but I really like the name Greta. Maybe you should consider it. 🙂 I think Madge and Daisy should be thrown out the window, though, because the fellow who offered them voted for Maggie, too.
So. In summary, we love you and we don’t think that shall change, whether you are Margaret, Maggie, or Greta. But you obviously feel that you are not so much a Margaret as a Maggie, else we wouldn’t even be talking about this.
So be Maggie. We’ll all get used to it in a few months and whenever someone mentions Margaret in Minnesota, we’ll all say, “Who? Oh! You mean Maggie!”
PS: I’m stealing Greta. I need baby names. 🙂
OK, I’ve already weighed in to the effect of, whatever you like, we like, but if you are asking for an honest opinion about a formal “stage” 🙂 name, then I would have to say that Margaret, to me, sounds very elegant and sophisticated, and has a nice polysyllabic ring that matches well with Minnesota!
I think you should pray about it and ask yourself–When I the Lord calls me by name, who is He calling? When you hear the name, you will know whether to be Maggie or Margaret./ Or else you could flip a coin.
I vote Margaret. Can I vote twice? Yes, I can. So, that’s TWO votes for Margaret. I just like it better. But, I’ll call you Maggie, if you like!
I think Maggie’s a great name. In general I like it better than Margaret. I think either one works for you.
My mother is Margaret and she is Peg to some people and Marg (hard g) to her family. I think you need to pick the name you like the best.
I always secretly wished that I would have been called Ellie, although in those days, I would probably have been tormented as Ellie-Mae Clampett!
I have a long first name. It is not a popular name and it takes a long time to sign for a debit/credit card purchase. That said, I rarely hear anyone else called by my name and thus I don’t really need a last name. Consider “Margaret” like the name Cher, Madonna, Princess Di. Besides when I hear the name Margaret…I think of the dignity and wisdom of Margaret Thatcher, the warmth of my closest cousin in a time now gone by and the return to names once loved. At the playground I hear the names of my grandmothers and great, great aunts called out…here Evelyn, Grace, Caroline, Stella. These were women of great love, charm and warmth…you are too!
A Minneapolis Mama…Sherrylynne
You could compromise and go with Meg!
Pleeeeassseee stick with Margaret. It’s such a lovely name and I agree with Nutmeg about it adding a bit of formality to your wonderful writing!
~C
I’m a fan of Margaret, because it does seem to sit so nicely alongside Minnesota, but I will happily call you Maggie if you prefer it. 🙂
Margaret, definitely. Maggie sounds like a name for a toddler. Infants receive beautiful full names that are lovely to croon, toddlers get shortened nicknames that are easy to shout (I’m MAG-GIE).
I vote for Margaret. lois