I'm horrible at naming things. For a writer, that's a problem. Especially in fantasy. I can name minor characters and unimportant towns, but when it comes to the big weighty things: main characters, kingdoms, etc., I take forever.
I rearrange nice-sounding syllables. I take obscure cities in the Czech Republic and twist the letters up. I play with scrabble tiles. And I browse online name generators.
If you've never been to Seventh Sanctum, you should try it out. I don't think I've ever actually used a name from there, but I've used permutations and combinations and variations. It's a great way to stimulate your linguistic imagination.
There are various online name generators out there, but Seventh Sanctum is unique in that it has special generators for magic items, corporations, spells, science fiction university course titles, etc. It also categorizes types of names. Need a dragon character? Anime superhero? Dark Minion? Pirate ship? Angel? You can also generate quick story starters, detailed character descriptions, types of magic, etc.
Some are more comically suited to Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett, but they're fun. (Need to stun an enemy with the Lawful Fish's Dart of the Undead, for example?) Some aren't even grammatical, but it's just a trove of inspiration, and some of the treasures generated could go right into the pages of your epic fantasy or sci fi thriller.
And even if you have have the knack of naming, Seventh Sanctum is still a fun way to procrastinate.
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