More often than not, the Internet is a steaming pile of garbage. However, amongst the trash are some excellent (free) resources for inspiration and creative tools for bringing your stories to life.
I put a lot of thought (honestly, too much thought) into naming. I frequently use baby name websites in my writing process as they contain a great variety of names, as well as their meanings and languages/countries of origin. I also love a good random name generator, especially when it comes to devising place names.
The following are a handful of great naming websites to check out:
Name Generator - a great jumping-off point for names in many categories
Nameberry - an extensive website for names and their origins
Fantasy Name Generators - a fantastic source for fantasy names of all flavours
Being a very visual person, I find it helpful to see what I'm talking about. This is especially true when it comes to maps and organizing the physical spaces of the worlds I create. I have some self-taught graphic art skills, but I am no cartographer. Fortunately, the World Wide Web has my back.
Here are some map tools that I have found very handy:
Terra Incognita - this site is wonderful if you have a vague idea of what you want a world to be and need some randomly generated land masses
Inkarnate - an incredible resource for building maps
On the topic of visual representation, family trees are something that can also be beneficial to see, especially if things get, well, complicated. A tool I could easily see myself using in the future is Family Echo, a simple website that lets you add and subtract family members while including details such as married name and date of birth.
These are just a sampling of the valuable resources I have come upon on my creative journey and I'm sure I will discover many more in the years to come. Do you have any creative tools you recommend?
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