Text Generators
I finally get to write about my favorite topic: generators. I have a 6.2-kilowatt, 120/240-volt, 60-Hertz generator. Every day, I… Oh, wait. This article is about books, writing, and stuff. Hmm. I should probably dive into that topic.
A text generator combines a basic word database with a random number generator using simple rules. This tool requires significantly less programming than an AI-powered chat box like ChatGPT. The first generator I used was a National Enquirer headline generator. It contained a list of popular names, events, and situations, and combined them into titles. Here is one such site:
A text generator combines a basic word database with a random number generator using simple rules. This tool requires significantly less programming than an AI-powered chat box like ChatGPT. The first generator I used was a National Enquirer headline generator. It contained a list of popular names, events, and situations, and combined them into titles. Here is one such site:
With this site, I generated the following two headlines:
Mussolini Is Being Maintained Cryogenically for Nefarious Purposes
Incontrovertible Proof That the NSA Tried to Raise an Army of Dinosaurs
I spent hours playing with a National Enquirer headline generator on my Amiga computer in 1989. This included adding to the database and creating new rules.
When I write, I use text generators to invent character names, unusual names, and exotic science-fiction items. How does this work?
Let’s say I want a new character’s name. After developing a basic background, I then click male or female, and the site generates ten names. If one pops (meaning the name matches my mental picture), I use it. If not, I keep clicking until I find one.
How does the name “pop?” Let’s say I want a mean male character. Here are ten generated names:
Laurence Rogers
Phil Fitzgerald
Mario Jensen
Calvin Barker
Joey Diaz
Shane Phelps
Joseph Hodges
Leon Rowe
Marcus Cobb
Russell Hoffman
Hmm. Shane Phelps sounds like a jerk. Perfect for my villain. Of course, you know that a name is a name. The key is to envision the personality that a name evokes. Here is my favorite random name generator:
Mussolini Is Being Maintained Cryogenically for Nefarious Purposes
Incontrovertible Proof That the NSA Tried to Raise an Army of Dinosaurs
I spent hours playing with a National Enquirer headline generator on my Amiga computer in 1989. This included adding to the database and creating new rules.
When I write, I use text generators to invent character names, unusual names, and exotic science-fiction items. How does this work?
Let’s say I want a new character’s name. After developing a basic background, I then click male or female, and the site generates ten names. If one pops (meaning the name matches my mental picture), I use it. If not, I keep clicking until I find one.
How does the name “pop?” Let’s say I want a mean male character. Here are ten generated names:
Laurence Rogers
Phil Fitzgerald
Mario Jensen
Calvin Barker
Joey Diaz
Shane Phelps
Joseph Hodges
Leon Rowe
Marcus Cobb
Russell Hoffman
Hmm. Shane Phelps sounds like a jerk. Perfect for my villain. Of course, you know that a name is a name. The key is to envision the personality that a name evokes. Here is my favorite random name generator:
I use this site for ethnic and fantasy names:
A small part of my writing requires inventing some piece of technology that does not exist. Writers call these words technobabble, and here are three generators:
The Multisynaptic Hyper Infuser is broken. Priceless.
Here are two character-generating sites:
Here are two character-generating sites:
You can even generate an entire planet with graphics and detailed specifications:
While writing this article, I learned about idea generators, and here are three:
There are also story generators to jog one’s mind into a creative place:
Here is an old site that has over a hundred generators:
RPG Drinking Game Generator? Political Buzzword? Makes me laugh.
And another site that has many generators with links to other generators:
And another site that has many generators with links to other generators:
Writing about text generators makes me wonder if somebody is working on a book generator. I searched and couldn’t find one, but what about an article generator? That would mean you could read endless material, and I would be obsolete. I am sure glad those do not exist.
You’re the best -Bill
December 24, 2020 Updated July 17, 2024, July 05, 2025
December 24, 2020 Updated July 17, 2024, July 05, 2025
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