I’m one of those writers that really needs to have the character names down before I can start writing. And if I don’t have it write, nothing quite “works” (I’m battling a character right now who has the wrong name but won’t tell me the right one).

Anyway, to try to solve the problem of “what should I name my character” I do what all writers do and visit babyname websites. Specifically, I visit BabyNames.com.

This site is the most horrible place in the universe. The site itself looks like it may be very helpful if you were having a baby, it’s got a bunch of crap that I don’t know what the hell it is. And the name part - where you can search by meaning and stuff is pretty helpful.

No, hell comes in the form of the babynames bulliten boards. And for some reason, I can’t stay away (please note, it’s not like I go there often, just when I’m searching for character names).

Apparently, these people sit and think up names all day. And then, they ask other people about them. And “what goes” with the other kids names. And then they take a perfectly ordinary name and spell it odd ways so that it looks like someone just pounded letters on the keyboard. XTLFUXK pronounced “Sarah.” (Note: if that were the case, there’d be a long discussion about whether or not Sarah should or should not have an H.)

I waste a whole lot of time at this place every time at this place every time I need a character name. And why are there so many people in the world who are perfectly okay with naming a child “FransicBoygen Dingle’Berry DakotaAshlyn Smith”

Oh, and I’m not the only one with this love hate relationsip. Check out: Baby’s Named a Bad Bad Thing. WARNING: Absolutely hilarious BUT a huge time waster.