Writer's Block

The Internet can be lots of fun. You can blog. You can read other people's blogs. You can Google. And, you can find lots of handy resources like this one.

Say you are writing a short story. I know, you do that all the time. You get stuck trying to come up with names for all your characters. You think of all your friends names, but you can't really copy a name because then someone might think you were actually writing about that person and you would get sued.

What to do you ask. There is always the random opening of the phone book for a last name and combining it with the first name of a friend. Or, there is the above link.

I'm told (read it on a blog of someone I don't know so it must be true) that this site will create names at random based on the U. S. Census. Every time you refresh, you get some more names till you come up with one you like.

For example, I currently can choose from Barney Olguin and Cliff Williams for guys.
Or, Jacque Ono and Nicole Bennett for the ladies. Nicole Bennett. That sounds very Jane Austinish, doesn't it.

Let me refresh and see what I get.

Guys: Lane Ruiz and Billy Roberts
Gals: Jacqui Newburn and Jo Joahua
No, those just won't do. I need to refresh.

Mel Renninger and Billy Taylor.
Karyn Pascual and Daphne Mitchell.
Better.

One last time.
Oh, my. Fausto Court and Randall Thomas. Or, Nancy Grundy and Jessica Williams.

Hmmmm.

Here goes.

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

The door opened and in walked Fausto Court and Mel Renninger drenched to the bone and longing wistfully for the days when they were once greeted longingly by Nicole Bennett and Daphne Mitchell. But, alas, the only one present was an angry and bitter Nancy Grundy.

Hmmm, I think I'm on to something....