Muse Names
Jul 24, 2008 in Software review, Teresa Bodwell
What’s in a name?
Every writer knows that having the right name for your characters is crucial. But how do you find that name? Sometimes a name just comes to me. It sounds right. It fits the character. But often I have to search.
I’ve used various baby books with some success. These can help you decide if the meaning of the name works and they often give you some idea of ethnicity. I finally found the The Writer’s Digest Character Naming Sourceook by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I love the book. It is sorted by ethnic origin and very detailed in its definitions. But it is a book and searching is somewhat limited. I wanted a searchable database.
Enter Muse Names from Muse Creations Software. I’ve been using this software for several months now and I love it. You can enter a name and find the meaning, ethnic origin, numerology and “soul urge.” You can also look up a name by meaning. Want a male name that means powerful? Enter “powerful” in the meaning blank, click mail and “Go!”. You’ve hit 146 names. You can limit these to the 17 that contain the letter “k” or th 14 that begin with the letter “m”. Or you can find the 2 Danish or 9 Teutpnic names that mean “powerful.” You get the idea. It’s a database, so there are lots of ways to search.
Often when I’m searching for just the right name, I find other names I like that don’t fit the character I have in mind. The software allows you to create a “Favorites” list. I use this list to store those names I think I may want to use in the future.
Download a free trial of Muse Names at: http://www.musecreations.com/software.html