Naming Characters with Baby Names

Just found something interesting today that made me smile. It was an example of someone modifying a website designed for one purpose to suit another, and I thought that it was great.

I don't know about the rest of the writing population, but often when I'm stumped for character names I turn to the wonderful Baby Names website. (Heaven forbid my boyfriend catches me on the site without an explanation!) Anyway, it's a great tool that can be used many ways. For example, you can simply browse through the lists of names for inspiration. Or you can use the advanced search function, which allows you to search for names by gender, meaning, origin, and more.

Nanowrimo Novel Progress... and Sequel!

I didn't want to say anything before, in case I jinxed my progress. Now that I've been going strong for more than a month, I think it's about time that I talk about what I've been up to.

After I finished my Nanowrimo novel, I decided to let it 'settle' for at least a month. Okay, so let's be honest: the thought of editing terrifies me. I proved to myself writing The Hidden Land of Gre that I could write a novel-length first draft. But I've always gotten snagged when it comes to taking that tangled collection of duds and gems and spinning it into something beautiful.