How to create a nickname generator

 Here are the five basic steps to creating your own nickname generator.

1. Choose the subject.
2. Research names related to the subject.
3. Sort names into groups.
4. Get feedback.
5. Publish your nickname generator.

Example: Boxing Nickname Generator.

1. I was writing a book on boxing. One day I didn't want to write, but I wanted to be working on the book, so I decided I needed a nickname generator for people so they could get into the spirit of the book.

2. I googled boxer's names and nicknames. I looked up names in all my research books. I came up with a huge list. This makes it more authentic. The names generated sound like boxing names because they all came from real boxer's nicknames.

3. I sorted them into describer (adjective) and item (noun) lists. Blue Thunder. Ice Spike. I made a list for the describers and the items, A to Z (for people's initials) and assigned the words. I moved them around so some of the better words were with letters that I thought would be used more... and the "not as strong" words were with the letters that would probably be used less. I admit that I made sure my own nickname would be awesome.

4. I showed the list to friends to see how they reacted. Based on that, I moved a few words around. I also replaced some words with better ones my friends came up with.

5. I started a blog, gave it a good name, and published it. You could also just put it out on FaceBook or email it around. I like the Blog because it keeps track of how many people have checked it out.

Have fun!


Paula Schumacher is the author of Beginner's Guide to Office Boxing: The How-To's of Work Place Self-Defense (2012). The Beginner's Guide to Office Boxing is a genuinely helpful guide to office politics.

Paula Schumacher is a graduate of the University of Kansas with journalism and MBA degrees. She is an experienced business consultant in the government and private business sectors. For over 10 years she has worked with psychologists, workers, and managers in the analysis of personality disordered people in the work force and their impacts on co-workers.

Liberty Press August 2012
Book Review
By Sheryl LeSage and William N Proctor-Artz

This deceptively thin paperback is a genuinely helpful guide to office politics. I know what you're thinking: you're thinking that you hate office politics. And of course you do. You're a decent human being, who just wants to get your work done with a minimum of drama and as few meetings as possible. But we both know that you work with some folks who need to have their meds adjusted, right? And those people? Those people love office politics and they play those games better than you ever have. Until now.

Now you have a trainer in your corner and will be able to defend yourself, to see attacks before they can hurt you, and to put yourself in a beneficial position (without breaking any laws, even!).

The book might seem lightweight because it takes a lighthearted approach to its subject matter, but it seems pretty well-grounded in behavioral science, and addresses a topic most of us would prefer to never know anything about. But you can't ignore the worlds' narcissists, passive-aggressive backbiters, or control freaks. This book allows you to keep them contained and to not let them destroy your professional life. Recommended.

2012 Fall Tour: Minnesota and Northern Michigan

I have decided to travel up to Minnesota and Northern Michigan (the UP) at the end of September this year. I'll pop in on family and see if I can't schedule in some book signings and/or presentations. If you have any leads, let me know!

First Book Signing Event

You are cordially invited to my first book signing for Beginner's Guide to Office Boxing: The How-To's of Workplace Self-Defense. The event is during Lawrence's Final Friday's (artwalk) on Friday, June 29 from 6:00-8:00 pm. The location is at Do's Deluxe, 416 East 9th Street, Lawrence, KS. My book release/signing is in conjunction with an art reception for Jennifer Joie Webster and Marty Olson. (Marty did all the inside artwork on my book.)

Come on by and check out the art (written, painted, printed, etc.)! If you can't make it (or would like leave a comment for others online), please visit Amazon, CreateSpace, Smashwords, or my blog.

Woot woot! We're now available on Amazon.com! Check it out (use the link on the right side of this page).

We're live! The paperback version of Office Boxing is now available at CreateSpace (take the link on the right). It will soon be available at Amazon.com -- and I'm working to make it avaible at some real live book stores.

What Boxer Am I?

I have wondered what people would ask me the most about Office Boxing. So far it is: “What boxer do you think I am?” It’s a tough question. Really, there is no immediate answer unless I know you well. And, of course, there is a high probability that you are none of the boxers; your idiosyncrasies—odd or endearing as they may be—aren’t the stuff (or enough of the stuff) to make you personality disordered.

The boxers in the book are archetypes: models, standards, epitomes of a personality disorder. Most people will have a trait here or there in common with one of the boxers. The more traits you have in common, the more apt you are to be that type of boxer. I have found that people will often dislike the description of the boxer with whom they most closely resemble. But… be careful! During my research I took on each and every boxer profile and thought “that’s me!”