Summer Camp 2023 Reading Challenge

My Summer Camp Experience

This year was definitely much better than last year, in both the quality and the quantity of my articles. Last year I only completed 10 prompts, most of which were barely above the required word goal, and this year I completed 17 and wrote a total of about 16,000 words. Being able to switch between two worlds definitely helped, along with having far more time and access to the internet this year. If I had just a few more days and maybe a little more motivation at the beginning of the month, I probably could have done a few more articles.
If anyone is interested, this is my collection of articles for the challenge, including my original goals for the challenge (several of which I didn't get to, but I'm fine with that).

Reading Challenge Articles

For my reading challenge this year, I decided to read from two prompts I hadn't filled in and one that I had. As a bit of a perfectionist who doubts their work constantly when held against others, I didn't want to spoil my view of my favorite articles by reading other peoples' work and feeling bad about my own. Those prompts are also in categories I rarely write in, species and rituals, and I hope to be able to learn ways to tackle them.

Reading Challenge Prompt 1: "An animal associated with, or symbolizing, power"

This article by 1337spectra may look wordy, but it was incredibly gripping, with a narration of how the Sar'ach first came into existence and why. The concept of a being made of the essence of selfishness is something I've never seen before and was so interesting to read about. It inspired me to think outside the box when creating species and to work on creating unique concepts.

This is a short article, which I wasn't expecting, but it works. There are several grammatical errors, but I can excuse those. The Emerald Stags sound like wonderful companions to those who appreciate them and I enjoyed reading about them. I think I was inspired to keep some articles simple, to not go overboard with details, and to just keep the ones that matter.

Unlike most articles, this and all articles by George Sanders are written in a short story format. It's a concept I've considered attempting a few times, but I always find that meshing story with information allows to add more details. I think I'll take inspiration from it, however, and try to write some articles in the format of a story. The design of the article is also great.

Reading Challenge Prompt 2: "A cuisine from a sparse, barren, or remote region in your world"

A food I'm pretty sure is inspired by poutine, moontine sounds so good. I loved the humor sprinkled across the article and enjoyed hearing about how it connects to different areas of the world. I think my inspiration from this was to add personality to my articles and to take elements of the real world and connect them to my world so that they can be enjoyed by all.

This article caught my attention with its title. The stew itself sounds rather normal, but it sounds like an interesting part of the culture with how it is made and why. I also enjoyed hearing that it's still made and served even though it isn't needed any more thanks to trade. I think this reminded me to weave in the reasons for cultural events in my articles.

I'm not sure if this treat was based on something real, but even if it was, this sounds amazing. The creation process is described well and so is the taste and the texture. I loved reading about how it is served and where it comes from and would highly recommend a read. My takeaway from this article is to occasionally go into detail about elements to make them feel real.

Reading Challenge Prompt 3: "A children's tale or song based on a real event"

This story is somehow both hilarious and dark. Written in the form of a children's book, the article describes a series of rituals that have happened in the country and why the citizens of the city must be on the lookout for dark magic. This is a true example of thinking outside the box and using creativity to fill a prompt, which I hope to do in future events.

Similar to "the hanging tree" from The Hunger Games, this song is a children's game with origins in a massacre persecuting a religious group. The game reminded me of "ring around the rosy" and the article has a feeling of darkness and sorrow. It inspired me to write stories first and then add background information to keep the page from looking cluttered.

This story is definitely happier than the other two I have spotlighted. A bedtime story in the author's world, the Tree Folk is short and sweet, resembling an origin story from real-world mythology. For those who enjoy historical details, this article contains plenty and it seems to have connections to a lost culture on another planet. I was inspired by this article to make references to other stories.

This is the article I wrote for this prompt, a story originating from a deadly plague that swept over a continent in my world of Jerde. I like this article, but not as much as some of my others.