What's in a Name?

Shakespeare said, "A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet." In Anne of Green Gables, Anne said something like, "I've never thought that was true. After all, I couldn't imagine it smelling just as sweet if it were called a skunk cabbage." And that is pretty much the way I feel about it.

Sometimes good people have horrible names. And sometimes people with sweet names can do horrible things.

I'm an author, and I place great weight on the naming of my characters. After all, who wants to pick up a book and read about a dynamic villain named Phil (or a static one, for that matter)? Names are important, and we should make sure we are worthy of the names people call us. I am called a Christian, and I am always striving to be worthy of that name. I wish everyone had good names and aspired to fit them.