What’s in a Name?
“Give a thing a name and it will somehow come to be.” -George R.R. Martin
Names have always fascinated me. The name of a foreign country can inspire awe or curiosity. A person’s name can determine how they are percieved by the world. Or, if they’re a character in a book, how the reader reacts to the person. Names can provide inspiration or inspire fear. The mere mention of Dracula or Frankenstein conjures an immediate image for most people.
Often times, when I need a bit of inspiration, I look to names. The name of a character might inspire a story. The title of a visting dignitary or scholar might suggest a plot or setting. But, where to come up with such ideas? Well, the encylopedia is a good place to start. I remember as a kid all the articles there that fueled so many flights of fancy and journeys of the imagination. But, that limits us to the real world. What if we’d like to go way beyond the known or ordinary? Well, there’s always fantasy literature and science-fiction encylopedias. But, for something newer and more original, try The Page of Name Generators. Here you’ll find a name generator for every occasion. And, it’s also the inspiration for my own Story Generator. Enjoy it! And let your creative mind run wild!!
