Summer Camp 2024 Pledge & Homework
Holy smokes, did a year really fly by already?
Last year was my first ever Summer Camp on WA, and I had an absolute blast and surprised myself by managing to write enough prompts to earn the Diamond badge for that year. This year I unfortunately have a lot less free time to write, at least for the timeframe that Summer Camp is on, but I'm confident I can at least pen enough to get the Copper badge this time around.
If there's one thing I learned about Summer Camp last year, it's that no matter how much you might think you are at the end of your rope in terms of inspiration for your world, the prompts and the spirit of the event and the community will inspire you to write more than you ever thought would have been possible. Happened to me, at least. And I hope it will happen again.
Change is the only constant and the engine of growth. As for Nascindor, I believe it would be prudent of me to begin introducing events that happen in the now instead of describing things that have happened in the past or are traditions that take place annually or otherwise cyclically. This would force me to think about the state of the world and how these events would shape that state, which is something I have been kind of avoiding up to this point. I have defining events in my world, but they are all past glories (or atrocities). It's time to change that.
Oh, and I really need to start writing about more wholesome things. I took a good, hard look at my world as a whole and it's coming off so miserable that it's almost comical, which isn't my intention. It's supposed to be dark fantasy, but I have mostly just the dark and that needs to change.
This is an ongoing struggle, and one I hope I have the wherewithal to see through. Categories I think I have pretty well organized, but tagging is something I've completely neglected, so I have the entire world's worth of articles to tag. To be quite honest, not really looking forward to doing that.
Coincidentally, most of the humans of my setting live in certain kinds of refuges. Large, walled city-states act as the homes of the vast majority of humanity, and also as fortresses against the ever-looming possibility of the corruption spread by the Heart of Hate running rampant. However, I could certainly explore the reality of being without such refuge and what hardships and freedoms that entails, or even get philosophical and ponder the very nature of what counts as refuge.
Last year I shared some of my writing on the WA discord server and got some constructive feedback and encouragement in return, which makes me think that I will be frequenting the server again this year, at least as much as my timetable allows me to.
Just as is the case with the tagging, this is an ongoing process. I think I have found myself an article layout/format that I am happy with, though I could stand to do more with CSS. That is a beast I dread to try and tame, though.
Belief plays a big (central, even) role on Nascindor, though it is perhaps more of a motivation rather than an end in and of itself. Without steadfast belief in the effect of the Progenitors gift, the Eternal Hymn and its unceasing performance, Nascindor will fall to the cataclysmic awakening of the Adversary.
However, there are a few other avenues of belief I could explore more, mainly those of the Lucid Path and the enigmatic beliefs of the Pale Men and their god, the White Raven.
Way ahead of you! I'm always on the lookout for cool things to add to my ever swelling folder of inspiration.
I've got myself a map that I am content with for now, though I do have to update it a bit Soon™. As for art, I am one of those lazy ragamuffins that uses AI to generate art for his articles. I do make it a point to make it clear that I do not consider myself the creator of the art and always tag the pieces just as having been created by whatever generator I used. I have been doing this pretty much from the word go when I made an account on WA, and it has worked for me, though I do understand if someone has a problem with it. It's a complicated issue and not one to be discussed in a pledge article such as this.
Decay plays a part in the tragedy that is the Black Forest, where the Nightmare of the Adversary spreads through the Tapestrum Arcanum like mold. Moral decay is also present in Druvenia, where rule of law does not exist and the people are free to govern themselves, by decree of the Sullen Council.
It is these themes I intend to explore during Summer Camp, and more should inspiration strike me.
I've already begun creating playlists and getting hydration in order for the coming write-a-thon, however brief it might be in my lack of free time. I do have to clean up my desk, though. It's getting hard to find my keyboard...
There's always more I could do with my homepage, but for the time being I am decently content with it. Perhaps when I get more free time in the coming months, I'll see about sprucing it up. Maybe even challenge myself to do some of that fancy CSS stuff. We'll see.
If there's one thing I learned about Summer Camp last year, it's that no matter how much you might think you are at the end of your rope in terms of inspiration for your world, the prompts and the spirit of the event and the community will inspire you to write more than you ever thought would have been possible. Happened to me, at least. And I hope it will happen again.
Homework Week 1: Change
Consider what kind of changes would fit in with your world's themes, genre, and other foundational points.
Change is the only constant and the engine of growth. As for Nascindor, I believe it would be prudent of me to begin introducing events that happen in the now instead of describing things that have happened in the past or are traditions that take place annually or otherwise cyclically. This would force me to think about the state of the world and how these events would shape that state, which is something I have been kind of avoiding up to this point. I have defining events in my world, but they are all past glories (or atrocities). It's time to change that.
Oh, and I really need to start writing about more wholesome things. I took a good, hard look at my world as a whole and it's coming off so miserable that it's almost comical, which isn't my intention. It's supposed to be dark fantasy, but I have mostly just the dark and that needs to change.
Get your categories and tags organized!
This is an ongoing struggle, and one I hope I have the wherewithal to see through. Categories I think I have pretty well organized, but tagging is something I've completely neglected, so I have the entire world's worth of articles to tag. To be quite honest, not really looking forward to doing that.
Homework Week 2: Refuge
Consider what kinds of refuge would fit in with your world's themes, genre, and other foundational points.
Coincidentally, most of the humans of my setting live in certain kinds of refuges. Large, walled city-states act as the homes of the vast majority of humanity, and also as fortresses against the ever-looming possibility of the corruption spread by the Heart of Hate running rampant. However, I could certainly explore the reality of being without such refuge and what hardships and freedoms that entails, or even get philosophical and ponder the very nature of what counts as refuge.
Find a community—whether that’s our Discord server, Facebook Group, your RPG or friend group, or something else.
Last year I shared some of my writing on the WA discord server and got some constructive feedback and encouragement in return, which makes me think that I will be frequenting the server again this year, at least as much as my timetable allows me to.
Find ways to improve styling and layout in your world!
Just as is the case with the tagging, this is an ongoing process. I think I have found myself an article layout/format that I am happy with, though I could stand to do more with CSS. That is a beast I dread to try and tame, though.
Homework Week 3: Belief
Consider what kind of beliefs would fit in with your world's themes, genre, and other foundational points.
Belief plays a big (central, even) role on Nascindor, though it is perhaps more of a motivation rather than an end in and of itself. Without steadfast belief in the effect of the Progenitors gift, the Eternal Hymn and its unceasing performance, Nascindor will fall to the cataclysmic awakening of the Adversary.
However, there are a few other avenues of belief I could explore more, mainly those of the Lucid Path and the enigmatic beliefs of the Pale Men and their god, the White Raven.
Create a bank of inspirations! Quotes, music, description of experiences and shower thoughts, etc.
Way ahead of you! I'm always on the lookout for cool things to add to my ever swelling folder of inspiration.
Find art and pictures that inspire you, and grab a map if you don't have one (and need one).
I've got myself a map that I am content with for now, though I do have to update it a bit Soon™. As for art, I am one of those lazy ragamuffins that uses AI to generate art for his articles. I do make it a point to make it clear that I do not consider myself the creator of the art and always tag the pieces just as having been created by whatever generator I used. I have been doing this pretty much from the word go when I made an account on WA, and it has worked for me, though I do understand if someone has a problem with it. It's a complicated issue and not one to be discussed in a pledge article such as this.
Homework Week 4: Decay
Consider what kind of changes would fit in with your world's themes, genre, and other foundational points.
Decay plays a part in the tragedy that is the Black Forest, where the Nightmare of the Adversary spreads through the Tapestrum Arcanum like mold. Moral decay is also present in Druvenia, where rule of law does not exist and the people are free to govern themselves, by decree of the Sullen Council.
It is these themes I intend to explore during Summer Camp, and more should inspiration strike me.
If you like special tea when you write, stock up for a month. Tidy your office, make a “do not disturb” sign, and think about any other last-minute strategies to optimize your writing space and time!
I've already begun creating playlists and getting hydration in order for the coming write-a-thon, however brief it might be in my lack of free time. I do have to clean up my desk, though. It's getting hard to find my keyboard...
Review your world homepage to hook potential readers!
There's always more I could do with my homepage, but for the time being I am decently content with it. Perhaps when I get more free time in the coming months, I'll see about sprucing it up. Maybe even challenge myself to do some of that fancy CSS stuff. We'll see.
Don't you hate it when you're about to sneeze and then it gets away?–Shaaman
by Midjourney
by Midjourney
by Midjourney
by Midjourney
Best of luck this summer and I love Nascindor's formatting! Is La Bamba on the playlist a reference to the Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals or just a coincidence??
Summer Camp 2024 | Works I'm most proud of | My Reader's Choice article
La Bamba is a song I consider an essential summer song, so I felt it fitting for a summer camp pledge article. Good tidings for your summer camp as well!