Companions Working Out At The Gym

Charlie Hunnam On James Bond Rumors

Writing With Color – Featured Research Guides

Although WWC shares resources when we can and bring some to the table ourselves, we don’t exist to seek outside sources for one’s writing; this is ultimately the writer’s job. Even so, we’re more than happy to offer guidance on the What, Where and How of doing research for your inclusive writing. 

Take a look at some of the research help & resources complied below:

Research

Research Sources

Blogs - Recs - Resources Page

WWC Tags and Help

Research

Resources

Writer Reference

Writer Resources

More Blog Recomendations

General Research

Interviewing POC for Research 

Researching PoC and Supporting Writers of Color

Researching Racially/Ethnically Diverse Characters

Researching to write about others’ demographics or places 

What To Look Out For Aside From Poor Research

Cultural and Religious Research 

Anthropology as a Source for Cultural Data

Creating Cultures: Resources

Cultures and Religions Research

Non-Eurocentric Mythology Resources

Research of Cultural Magic

Respectful Research on Cultures

Historical Research

90s Points Of View: Researching (USA)

Black Hair, Culture and USA 1920’s 

Diversity in Group-specific Historical Event

PoC Presence & Roles in History 

Writing about a Civilization with Little Information

Writing Historical Fiction Respectfully

Fantasy Sci-Fi & Research

Racism in Future Settings

Researching PoC for Fantasy 

Name Research/Resources

Borrowing Names from other Languages by Meaning 

Finding reasonably culturally and historically accurate name

Names Selected from Different Cultures

Naming Characters After Deities And Spirits: Santeria As Example

Naming Non-European Locations

Naming people and places, avoiding coding and stereotypes

Pet Names for Characters of Color

Potentially Offensive Words as Character Names

Western Names + Characters of Color

Resources

Cultural and Religious Resources

Portraying African Cultures

Afro-Caribbean Religions: Voodoo, Santeria+ Research

Haitian Vodou and Louisiana Voodoo

Approaching Jain Temple for Research

Writing Secular American Jewish Characters

Indicating Muslim and/or Jewish Characters

Researching Native American Cultures

On Using Native American And Other Folklore

WWC Naming Resources/Guides

Black Names & Stereotypes

Chinese w/ Meanings for Names

Indian Muslim Names

Indian and other South Asian Names

Korean Naming Conventions

Korean Character Names in Fantasy

Korean Names: How to Romanize

Mexican Naming Patterns (Apellidos)

Naming Native American Characters

Non-Islamic Arabic Naming

Punjabi Indian-American Naming

Thai Last Names

–WWC

Deep Tissue - JARED LETO X READER

AUTHOR’S NOTE; Thank you for the request lovely! I swear I just posted something about this earlier. How he can climb literal mountains, vigorously hike trails and terrains but his back is killing him on tour like….Sir Leto, what are you doing to yourself?

Your arms folded across your chest as you listened to him speak and you couldn’t help the distant feeling of unease that resonated through your abdomen. You had visited Jared often to tend to the muscles and aches in his back especially when he decided to go on tour with the band. He often explained that when the band went on tour and did shows, they always made it their mission to give the fans everything they had  including blood, sweat and tears. 

“If we can’t give them all of it, then we wont do it. Period.” He finished while placing his hand out and allowing his band mates to put theirs on top of his. It seemed to be a pre-show ritual of some sort, but your eyes rolled. You understood the idea of putting passion into everything you did, but his need for your expertise was becoming more and more frequent to the point where even you started to worry. 

You were surprised when you saw them all walk towards the exit of the bus and he suddenly stopped to hang back. You pulled your satchel over your shoulder before moving that way yourself and he blocked your path. 

“Hey….” He spoke simply.

“Yep.” You answered quickly. 

“I just wanted to say thanks for being available for most of the tour.” His grateful words were genuine but for some reason you felt like there was more. 

“But….?” You question.

“I think I’m good tonight. If you want to get some rest or go get something to eat with the rest of the crew, you can.” His eyes leveled with your and he nodded. 

“Glad t’know you’re not a slave driver……I think I might just take you up on that though.” You answered. Truth be told, you always had a good time with everyone, but the idea of a hot bath and being left alone for their nearly 4 hour show intrigued you more than anything else. You couldn’t stop the smile that spread across your face at the idea, but you tried to control it because you didn’t want him to get the idea that you didn’t like being around. 

“Try to contain your excitement.” He chuckled out. You pulled up your hand for a high five, but he hugged you instead. Everyone was a hugger, and even though you weren’t really into it, you hugged back. 

“Knock em dead.” You encouraged. You skipped down the stairs of the busses exit door happily but paused when he called for you.

“What are you going to do, anyways. You got a date or something?” He questioned and his curiosity was genuine. 

“Yeah with a real bath tub.” You admitted. There was a hotel just up the street with oval bathtubs, like the ones made for a queen. You couldn’t miss out on it. You weren’t surprised when he shrugged in response, but you made sure to move fast before he changed his mind. The thing about Jared that you learned quickly was that if you didn’t act fast, you’d regret it. When he was nice, he was nice, but when he wasn’t, you’d better prepare yourself. A perfectionist at best, and a control freak at worst. You never truly minded it because you were nearly the same way except less controlled and more solution / goal oriented. 

“Be back by 12, that’s when we should be heading back.” He ordered. 

“Sure thing Daddy-O!” You yelled back throwing up the peace sign behind you as you walked away without turning to look at him. You were mildly aware of his sexual kinks, but they held no interest to you. You had seen enough pieces of him to overlook most of his intimate parts, plus he was never one to really hide them either. He was the direct definition of shameless. 

You could tell when the show started because you picked a hotel close to the concert and the booming of the music resonated through the floors of your hotel room. It as like you hadn’t left work at all. The time passed slowly and you were eternally grateful for this fact because you found yourself doing a lot more than you had originally panned. 

You went to a restaurant to eat real food. With Jared being a vegitarian you usually found yourself snacking on whatever he had in an effort to keep a low profile, but the time had finally come for you to really eat. You ordered spaghetti, you admired the view, you listened to the music and even decided to go for a job. It was literally the perfect night and there was only one thing left to do; bathe. 

Your clothes peeled away from your body reluctantly and the sweat that clung to your skin only made it even more difficult to get undressed. The sound of Halsey blasted in the distance from your phone and the echo of it off the bathroom walls nearly made you fall in love with her all over again. 

You slipped into the heat slowly not wanting to get burned and sighed a breath of relief as you found yourself submerged. The bubbles surrounded you in a cascade of cloudy goodness as you felt your aches melt away. The deep curve in the base of the tub only gave you more room to sink as you thought of nothing but peaceful places. 

You nearly jumped from your skin when you heard Halsey’s voice cease and the sound of your phone ring and buzz against the countertop. It couldn’t have been 12 already? Cinderella hadn’t even begun to truly enjoy her porcelain prince just yet. You did the unthinkable at first, and ignored it, allowing it to go to voicemail because you knew it couldn’t have been Jared. He was a stickler about time and when he said 12 he meant 12. However, when it rang again you knew all too well that if you didn’t answer this time he would surely kill you. 

Your frame leaned over the side of the tub elegantly and gripped the phone in your hand. It was the young conquistador himself. Your eyes grazed the time and it was only 11. An entire hour early?

The facetime feature was lit up but you declined it. In declining you called back normally. 

“You seriously declined my call?” He asked. The slight outrage in his voice was clear.

“I’m…..not decent. When I said I had a date with a tub, I was being literal.” you explained. 

“I need you. I need you to come back now. Where are you?” His voice was panicked and you were slightly confused. 

“I’m ….in a bathtub Mr. Leto.” You answered in an attempt to be professional. 

“We’re coming that way, which one is it. Is it the Driskill?” He questioned. 

“….Yeah, I……I mean I can come to you J it’s no problem.” You answered, but he answered before you could truly finish your suggestion. 

“No, i’m already half way there. What room?” He questioned. 

“217.” You answered. 

“Yeah.” He answered before immediately hanging up. You looked down at the ended call on your phone and swore. 

“Dammit Jared. I can’t even take a fucking bath, really? I say i’m naked and you don’t even give a shit. I’d hate to see the day i’m on fucking fire or dying.” You grumbled while scrambling from the bath tub and rolling into a near by towel.  “You’ll never have a relationship, god forbid.” you continue hustling to your room and throwing your fresh clothes on your body. The sound of the draining tub was nothing compared to the loud banging on your door. 

You had just pieced together your shirt when you slid to the door to be greeted by a nearly slumped over Jared Leto. His lower half was slightly damp, and his body leaned mostly on Shannon as he stood in the door way. A deep breath rippled through you and hot air escaped your lips while your free hand fell to your side. Your eyes leveled with his and you narrowed yours.

“What. The fuck. Did you do?” You questioned. Most people didn’t understand that a massager’s work was like a painting on an empty canvas. They attempt to perform art and turn pain into a masterpiece of relief when complete, but when someone cancels out that work in a SINGLE night, it invokes a sense of rage. 

“Everything.” Shannon spoke matching your facial expression perfectly while glancing down at his younger brother. You opened the door wider to allow them entry only to mentally kick yourself at the idea of really thinking you’d have a night off. You should’ve known better. Jared wasn’t exactly a man with a plan. 

“Just lay him on the floor, right there.” You answer, pointing to an empty spot on the floor in front of the bed. Shannon let him down softly but the sound of Jared’s groaned announced his discomfort with the idea. You closed the door behind you and pulled your oversized shirt up on your shoulders.

“Not the bed?” He questioned. You tilted your head to the side in disagreement. 

“You’ve been here less than 5 minutes and you’re already trying to weasel your way into my bed? I’m shocked at you Sir.” You answered with artificial outrage while Shannon laughed. 

“Should he be on the bed?” Shannon questioned now serious. 

“No, he needs something flat and hard to straighten him out.” You nearly chuckled when Shannon’s eyes locked with yours and he smirked. 

“You know what I mean.” You shook your head while letting your smile fade. You knew that if Jared was in pain he wouldn’t indulge in the joke. 

“Lay face down on the floor and just …..don’t move anymore.” 

“Yeah, she likes em to lye still.” Shannon joked while rolling Jared’s body over slightly as if to help. Jared groaned a groan of annoyance, but Shannon laughed anyways. Shannon wasn’t afraid of timing nor was he intimidated in the slightest by his brother’s warnings. He would get in his pun, regardless of how anyone felt about it especially if it was a good one. 

“Be honest now….how bad does it hurt?” You question finally lowering yourself to your knees next to him. He only groaned and sighed. Your eyes lowered to his legs and you couldn’t stop yourself from touching them. 

“Did you put yourself in ice water?” You question and the sound of annoyance slipped through your tone before you could catch it. He was your boss and respect was a necessary ingredient in your relationship, but once more, you wouldn’t tolerate him taring himself apart. Shannon’s face looked away from yours confirming that it was indeed true and you were anything but pleased. 

“I told you that trick wouldn’t work again, you actually have to go through days of healing before that actually helps. You could make it worse.” You urged. His hand waved in your direction and you frowned. 

“Don’t you shoo me.” You ordered flicking at his ear with your fingers. 

“OW!” He answered finally turning to look at you.

“You mean to tell me that you can climb literal mountains, vigorously hike trails in the middle of no where and skillfully rock climb for days, but you can’t perform without nearly destroying yourself? One of these days I swear, you’ll listen when I advise you to do something.” You shrugged. His eyes narrowed and you inched to your right slightly while pressing your lips together.

“You mad?” You question sarcastically. He spoke your name with agitation and you rolled your eyes. 

“Just….be still.” You requested before going to work on the center of his back back. 

“Is, this where most of your pain is?” You questioned while pressing down on a slight lump. He groaned in response and you smiled. 

“You’ve got a knot J. Were you spinning on stage again?” You questioned and he groaned again. You shook your head before standing up and straddling his body. Resting your knees on each side of him, you placed your hands firmly on his back.

“This is going to hurt, you’ve bruised some muscles and thanks to your arctic bath in the middle of the parking lot, you’ve tensed them up when you should’ve been relaxing them. Now you have a lump.” You answered. 

“Now count to 3.” You began counting with him but stopped at two to begin. You knew full well that if you waited for 3, he’d tense up and just make it worse. The groan that left his body nearly moved even you, and he jerked slightly as if he were going to throw you off. 

“Breathe in.” You advised. Shannon’s eyes flickered to you and you looked around the room.

“Get a sock out of my bag, get me some rice and put it in a microwave or something.” You requested.

“What’s that for?” He questioned.

“Quickest way to make a heating pad….” you answered as if this was common knowledge. Being a girl with killer cramps came in handy when you knew your relief products. He moved quickly leaving the room. 

“J, this is going to hurt but I need you to relax. Squeeze my knew if it gets to be too much.” You requested watching him move his arm from above his head to rest at his side. He was much taller than you, so his access to your leg was simple since you towered over him at that point. 

Your work began and the intensity of the pressure in his back worried you. How long had he been walking around with this pain? 

It didn’t take long to soothe it out, but with the general shock to his muscles he would need that heating pad soon. The firm grip on your knee informed you that you were getting too caught up in your work and you immediately stopped. He moaned, and repeated it again as if the pain was still there. 

“Ow, J. Are you still in pain?” You questioned looking down at his back. 

“Just a little, towards the shoulders.” You figured. 

“Sounds right. I worked the knot up your body, all you need now is the heat and some rest.” you answered continuing your assault on his shoulders. 

“Better?” You questioned and he answered with another moan. I’ll take that as a yeah. 

Shannon’s frame slid through the door elegantly with all the ingredients that you asked him for, and he wasted no time placing it in the microwave to warm it up.

“You kids behaving yourselves?” He questioned. 

“I dunno, he’s been moaning for a while now so I guess i’m doing something right unless he’s been faking it. My heart would be shattered.” You respond locking eyes with Shannon once more and he smirked. It was always easy to provoke a reaction from Shannon when he was in a good mood, but there were times it was like pulling teeth. 

The sound of the microwave woke the room and you moved to stand up from your position only to have Jared’s hand tense around your knee. 

“What’s wrong?” You ask. His eyes opened and locked with yours. It was an intense stare but it was obvious what it meant. He was such a baby, and the look was enough to make you lower yourself once more and continue. 

It felt like you had been working on his back for over an hour, but you were pleased to find him asleep. 

“J?” You called to him softly only for him to snore. A giggle erupted from you and your mouth gaped open as you turned to Shannon who was crouched comfortably in a chair near the window texting. He suppressed a laugh and looked back down at his phone while shaking his head slightly. Little was known to you about Shannon’s personal life, but you were sure he was conversing with a woman. 

“Help me get him on the bed? Then we’ll put ice at the top of his shoulders and heat at the base of his back. He should wake up tomorrow feeling a lot better.” Shannon rested his phone on the chair and moved over to help you. It didn’t take you guys long to get him on the bed, when asleep he was nimble. 

After getting him there, you placed the bags of ice behind his shoulders and the hot compress against the base of his back. You leaned in close to put the ice near the base of his neck as well, just incase. You pushed a piece of your hair behind your ear in an attempt to keep it out of his face only to have him smile. It was a half hearted smile as if he were dreaming something nice. 

“……Berries.” he whispered incoherently and you smiled. Oh what a fat ass. you thought to yourself. You wrinkled your eyebrows and sniffed your hair and the shirt clinging to your skin only to smell the fragrance of your body soap. 

“I’ll take that as a thank you.” You whispered with a chuckle. 

“Thanks.: Shannon said simply.

“You wanna sniff me too? I’ll even let ya do it for free…..” You joked only for him to smile. 

“You guys take this room, I’ll get the one next door.” You urged only for Shannon to shrug. 

“I just booked it for you. Just pick up the card and you’re good.”

“Thanks.” You answered. 

Omg omg omg When you just realize you they mention Jared Leto aka new joker in a heath ledger film

“But if you forget to reblog Madame Zeroni, you and your family will be cursed for always and eternity.”

This saved my life.

Birds are basically the dinosaurs that managed to “nooo you wouldn’t hurt a cute little baby guy on his birthday” their way out of a mass extinction

Dialogue Breakdown

Dialogue is an important part of storytelling. While I’m not perfect by any means, I definitely consider this to be my strength when it comes to writing. So hopefully I can shed some light on this subject and help those that want to improve their dialogue in some capacity.

Internalized thoughts:

I consider internalized thoughts dialogue said to oneself. Which is why I’m going to talk about it here.

I like to use dialogue for characterization, mostly. Since it really won’t move the story forward (since the character is only thinking it to themselves), I find it helps to create juxtaposition between what is said and thought.

Examples of how to use what is said vs. what is thought to create drama

Character is quiet or seems that way, and thinks a LOT more than what they say

A character is a liar, so they may say one thing, but we don’t know it’s a lie until they think it

A character is trying to examine someone or something else silently

A mute character

A character that reads minds—can be challenging but fun to write

Speech:

Speech and creating personality:

Think about the way someone speaks: accents, if they use curse words, if they’re always “proper” or always using slang

Think about what they say vs. what they won’t. Are they falsely sweet? Always challenging someone?

Having one character have a saying they always use is a fun way to build personality. For instance, Ron in the Harry Potter books always saying “Bloody hell”. You can come up with your own creative “curse words” that aren’t actually curse words. That will definitely up the personality of the writing and characters.

Advice for writing dialogue

If you have trouble varying the speech between characters, I’d suggest 1. Listening to people around you and what they say and how. 2. To practice. 

Think about various emotions and how that can change the tone, words chosen, etc. Speech and dialogue will really speed up scenes. So if you feel like a chapter is paced a little bit too slowly, adding some dialogue between characters will speed it up.

If you’re stronger at description and find you never add enough dialogue, look through your piece and think about various areas that could be changed to dialogue instead of description OR scenes that could have a small but interesting conversation. 

On the same note, sometimes it’s easier to describe a conversation than write it all out. 

For example, conversations that happened in the past that someone is describing, conversations that perhaps are important to know happened in general but not in detail, etc. 

You don’t always have to write out the FULL conversation. A good example of this is phone conversations. Writing out all the pleasantries (greetings and polite “how are you”s) really aren’t necessary. Get the main “point” of the conversation. I.e. why it is important for the reader to know.

 Not every line of dialogue needs a dialogue tag (i.e. “she said”). If it’s between two people, and they’re really going at it (because they’re angry or they’re playfully bantering or something), the dialogue tags become unnecessary and honestly bog down the quick flow. Just clue the readers every few lines or so. 

Read your conversations out loud! Does anything sound awkward or unnatural? Hearing it will help clue you into those areas that could be changed or revised. 

Happy to answer any questions. Happy Writing!

Character Development Checklist 2.0

Several months ago I posted the original Character Development Checklist, because why wouldn’t you need dozens of random questions about your character?

In my humble opinion, there’s no such thing as too many questions. How can we ever know too much about our characters? The reader might not see it, but everything the author knows will mold the characters and the story. How can that be a bad thing?

Which is exactly why I added dozens of questions to the original character sheet. Check out a link to the first one above, and scroll below for an updated version

Basics:

Character’s Name (first, middle, last)

Character’s Nickname(s)

Name pronunciation

Origin of name

Age

Ethnicity

Sex/Gender

Sexual orientation

Hair color

Eye color

Height

Weight

Scars

Tattoos

Birthmarks

Piercings

Right/left handed/ambidextrous

Glasses/contacts

Apparel:

Clothing preferences

Accessories

Style

Trinkets

Favorite possession

Equipment

Grooming habits

Family and Relationships:

Parents

Siblings

Grandparents

Marital Status

Significant Other

Children

Pets

Friends

Enemies

Close relatives

Non-close relatives

Ancestors

Religion:

The religion they follow (if any)

Beliefs

Superstitions

Virtues

Location:

Country of Birth

Place of Birth (State, city, etc)

First Language

Cultures

Traditions

Schooling:

Highest Education

Degrees

Home-schooled/public school/private school

Favorite subject

Favorite teacher

Least favorite subject

Least favorite teacher

Average grade

Study habits

Special education

Graduating year

Work:

Occupation

Salary

Employment history

Work space

Mode of Transportation

Total income

Boss

Hours

Experience

Co-worker relationships

Rank

Work ethic

Home:

Rent or Own

House, apartment, etc

Mode of transportation

Living space

Address

Hometown

Inner Workings Of Your Character:

Secrets

Fears

Worries

Eating Habits

Food preferences

Sleep preferences

Work preferences

Book preferences

Music preferences

Introverted/extroverted

Optimist/pessimist

Hobbies

Pet peeves

Prejudices

Proud of

Biggest vulnerability

Embarrassed by

Worst memory

Best memory

Earliest memory

Fondest memory

Skilled at

Unskilled at

Attitude

Obsessions

Stresses

Addictions

Handicaps (physical)

Handicaps (emotional/psychological)

Allergies

Medical history

IQ

Temperament

Attitude

Perception and outlook on life

Desires

Regrets

Soft spots

Habits:

Verbal quirks

Physical quirks

Gestures

Work habits

Sleeping habits

Annoying habits

Irrational habits

Eating habits

Healthy habits

Unhealthy habits

Mannerisms

Drinking habits

Vices

Objects Kept In - And Why:

Their closet

Their bedroom

Their purse/bag

Their fridge

Their car

Their desk

Their pockets

Their junk drawer

Their glove compartment

Their backpack

Their locker

Their car trunk

Their wallet

Their suitcase

Favorites:

Favorite book

Favorite movie

Favorite hobby

Favorite animal

Favorite color

Favorite season

Favorite food

Favorite drink

Favorite time of day

Favorite song

Favorite music genre

Favorite memory

Favorite band

Favorite words

Favorite subject

Favorite number

Favorite TV-show

Favorite place

Least Favorite:

Least favorite book

Least favorite movie

Least favorite hobby

Least favorite animal

Least favorite color

Least favorite season

Least favorite food

Least favorite drink

Least favorite time of day

Least favorite song

Least favorite music genre

Least favorite memory

Least favorite band

Least favorite words

Least favorite subject

Least favorite number

Least favorite TV-show

Least favorite place

Other:

Talents

Political preference

Strengths

Flaws

Prized possessions

Special/favorite memories

Time and date of birth

What they love

What they hate

Social class

Sports/clubs

Blood type

Posture

Speech impediments

Spending habits

Ok I want your most controversial Ghost headcanons bc I'm curious 👀

Oh boy. Uh. Well, alright, here we go (and truthfully idek if these are really "controversial" so much as "me going against the fandom grain" here):

He's not some mean hard vicious Dom type in bed. Sorry. Don't see it. He's not gonna beat his partner. He's not gonna choke them out. Not gonna degrade them. One night he accidentally leaves some bruises on their hips from grabbing so hard and he doesn't touch them for a week. (He will give hickies, but thats it).

He doesn't show his face to anyone unless he explicitly trusts them. He won't wear the full skull balaclava if he's in civvie dress, but he will wear a hood and a standard mask that covers his nose and mouth.

Scary Dog Privileges but hear me out: he wants his partner to lean into it too. Treat him like a former fighting dog that you're trying to domesticate. He'll live for that shit.

Anyone else other than his military superiors tries to order him around and they'll get decked. But his partner? They could snap their fingers and tell him to jump and he'd ask how high.

A caregiver if I ever did see one. Need food? He's on it. Water? He's got it. Cold but didn't bring a jacket after he told you to? He'll moan and complain but somehow he winds up bare-chested in the dead of winter while you're wearing his shirt and his jacket AND his coat. (He's still got his mask on tho)

Make him laugh and he's putty in your hands. This can mostly be achieved by telling shitty jokes that rival his. (Protip: his favorite is "what part of your body dies last? Your pupils. Cause they die-late.")

He can be cold, quiet, and calculated, sure. But this is mostly reserved for field work. In everyday scenarios, he's still quiet, but he's not as harsh and jagged.

Does not do crowds. You will not catch this man in a bar of his own volition, and if you do, he's been dragged there by the rest of the 141 and he's got his back to a corner somewhere.

Deep down, deeper than he's probably willing to admit, he needs someone to need him. Like, truly need him. Let him be a tool to use, a pillar to lean on, a soft place to land. Something, anything, as long as he's needed. He doesn't know any other way to exist.

He likes to say he's got a cold heart, but truthfully it's just very well-guarded. If someone were to weasel their way past his carefully-built defenses, they'd find out damn quick that his heart is definitely not cold. In fact, its open and bleeding. Terrified and waiting for someone to treat it with even an ounce of love and gentleness.