WorldEmber 2024

It's finally November, and that means... WorldEmber is almost here!!! I enjoyed WorldEmber last year and I look forward to diving back into the challenge this year as well. This article will serve as my primary preparatory space in November. During the event, I will revisit this article as a repository for my articles as well as a word counter.
On a side note... Whoa, where did the entire year go?! I've experienced one writing slump after another this year, unfortunately. SummerCamp was a welcome relief and challenge, but besides that, it's like my fuel tank has been running on empty. I didn't even manage to get up the energy to put anything forward for Spooktober. I've promised myself that November and December will not fall to the wayside and that, no matter what, I will write. Thankfully, there are two major writing challenges associated with both of those months to help me keep my promise to myself!

Week One: Goals and Foci

1. Set a Word Goal

My goal during WorldEmber is to write 25,000 words. If I manage to beat 25,000 words with time to spare, I'm going to aim for 30,000 words so that I can beat my word count from last year.

2. Area of Focus

I have not decided upon an area of focus yet. I probably won't have one until closer to December. In the meantime, I'm going to review and refine older articles. Hopefully, I'll find my focus along the way. Wish me luck!

Week Two: Prepare Babikiye for New Readers

1. Review the Homepage

While I reviewed my homepage for this week's homework, I reflected a lot upon the role of a homepage. A homepage has the power to either appeal to or to repel potential readers via setting audience expectations regarding the scope and tone of the project. It should draw your audience in, but it should also push some people away at the same time. Sometimes, I don't think that's a bad thing. For example, if someone doesn't like queer content, I sure hope that the phrase "habitually queer" in my description keeps them far away from me and my work.
At the same time, I also reviewed the homepage through the lens of an elevator pitch. Then, I stepped back. I came to the conclusion that the homepage of my personal worldbuilding project is not a corporate elevator. I am not writing Babikiye for a profit, so I do not need worry about appealing to the widest audience possible. If a reader doesn't have the capacity for a bit of wordiness, then I hope they find another, more meticulously edited world that fits their niche, because my articles are, er... not that. Kind of a mess, really, but at least we're having fun.
Brevity is still a virtue, don't get me wrong! I tried my best to keep my homepage update snappy! I'm much happier with it now that I'm not so worried about word count, though. I think this version captures the voice of my character and the world's narrator, Ezeki, better. In doing so, the tone of the world feels more stable than it did before the update.
Existentialism aside, I completed my goal for my homepage thus far. I'll fine-tune it over the course of the month. Let me know what you think!

2. Review the Primer

My world primer deserves an update, but I spent a lot of time ruminating on the homepage, so I am going to rest first. In the meantime, I've made a small but satisfying visual change to the article. Thankfully, my primer hits most of the important points, but I could do better. Once I've rested, I'll give it a rewrite.

3. Community Tools

I somehow missed that we could put a prompt to follow our worlds at the bottom of our articles. Done! My community tools are otherwise up to date and located exactly where I want them at the moment. Any future updates will be added to the homepage once I am ready for them. I've thought about hosting co-working streams on Twitch during December, but I'm not sure?

4. CSS Wizardry

I have made some small changes to the CSS this month so far. I've stared at it so often that I can probably leave it alone during WorldEmber. Probably. I'm always fiddling with Babikiye's CSS, though. Something is bound to distract me and I'm chill with that. :)

Week 3: Hunt for Inspiration

1. Make Connections

I do not have the time nor the energy to honor the spirit of the original first prompt of this week's prep work. Instead, I am going to take it in a different direction: find inspiration for Babikiye from my everyday life. I am fortunate that folk art consumes a huge portion of my everyday life!
I am a professional historical educator and heritage trades demonstrator. The list of my responsibilities is obnoxiously long and makes me a bit tired, but to put it simply, I have the job expectations of a mid-1800s farmer... who also just so happens to be beleagered by the 21st century general public.
As the lead quilter at work, quilts and their designs are particularly inspiring to me. They've already influenced my worldbuilding. I created the article on Miracle Quilts with my love for them firmly in mind. In doing so, I also made them extremely important cultural items. I would love the opportunity to expand on that concept during WorldEmber. I should also probably update my article on Lainism, which is woefully out of date...
This section got lengthy there for a moment. For an example of a historical quilt that I find especially inspiring, read the aside below!

2. Create a Moodboard

I haven't made a moodboard for Babikiye in a long time and I don't intend to create any new moodboards. I mostly left that sort of thing behind. Just doesn't work that well for me. Only really aids procrastination, in my case.

3. Writing Playlists

I have two playlists for Babikiye on youtube. One playlist has music with lyrics and the other is instrumental. I also have instrumental playlists based on their tone and mood, such as peppy, classical, chill, or ambiance. I pick one based on my mood and the subject I'm writing about.

A Personal Aside: the Graveyard Quilt

My absolute favorite historical quilt is the Graveyard Quilt by Elizabeth Roseberry Mitchell. It is a one-of-a-kind, heartwrenchingly personal mourning quilt that Elizabeth made in order to memorialize her loved ones and cope with their losses. The middle of the quilt takes on the visage of a family cemetery. Along the sides of the quilt, she placed coffins with the names of her children and other close relatives. She also created a coffin for herself, which she titled 'Mother'. At her death, her daughter placed her coffin in the quilted graveyard.
It is an exquisite example of 19th century mourning and an invaluable look into the experiences of a woman and how they expressed themselves in the time period. I inherited an unfinished reproduction of her quilt at my workplace that I have been diligently completing for approximately a year and a half now. I've had a long time to ruminate on it. I've spoken to countless people about its history and its significance. It is still difficult for me to put what it means to me into words, sometimes.
Since this is the worldbuilding website and the prompt is about finding inspiration... It is a poignant example of the potential power a humble object can have. Even little things can have huge cultural and personal implications for your world, your characters, and how your readers relate to your work.

Graveyard Quilt created by Elizabeth R. M. by Image owned by the Kentucky Historical Society