I've recently started writing again seriously. I did some radio scriptwriting about 20 years ago but then got distracted by needing to support children, pay the mortgage, etc.
I am now about half way through a novel and have a couple of short stories I am polishing up for competitions. If I ever manage to get published, I want to do it under a pen name, mainly because I have an unusual name and do another completely different job, and I want to keep my writing separate from that.
I am wondering if anyone can advise how pen names work in practice? Would I submit under my own name but tell the publisher/agent/competition organiser that I would like to use a pen name, or do I submit under the pen name? If I ever get to the point of being paid for my work, how does that work if I am known by a different name?
I'm sure there are simple answers as it's not an unusual situation, but I just don't want to look too clueless.