As many of you know, I have been and eternally shall be obsessed with names and their meanings. This is just a part of my personality that has been with me for just about as long as I can remember. I've been collecting baby name books for years, and you can always tell when I'm about to start writing something (either an original story, or a fic that calls for an original character) because I will be sitting on my bed surrounded by ten naming books. I've also been known to learn about the personalities of my friends and co-worker - as well as myself - through the meaning of their names. I'm not into astrology and I could care less what your sign is, but I'm huge on knowing name meanings. Go figure.
Anyway, the latest installment in my collection is the
Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon, which is the first name book I've ever seen that specifically deals with how to name story characters rather than your children. Obviously, the vast majority of the book is comprised of names and their meanings, but her introduction was so incredibly interesting that I had to share.
Also of interest is the arrangement of names. Pretty much all of my other name books simply go in alphabetical order from A to Z, with one section for males and another for females. This book is organized by origin, and *then* subdivided alphabetically for men and women. This is to make it easier for authors who know they need a Scottish or African name, and don't have to sort through ever single letter to find them. This is highly interesting for me.
( So what else about this book is awesome? )
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