2023 Summer Camp - Reading Challenge

Summer Camp 2023 Writing Challenge

When I started writing for the Summer Camp 2023 Writing Challenge, I did it just to see how far I could get. It seemed like a fun way to build out a world that I've been somewhat uncertain of. But as I got into it, and the world (and number of prompts) grew, I found my competitive streak and needed to finish all of them. I was writing up to the wire, but I did it, and have the certificate to prove it.

Summer Camp 2023 Reading Challenge

For the reading challenge, I chose three prompts which appealed most to me, and I found most difficult when I was answering them.

A Resource That Provides Fuel Or Power

The full list of articles for this prompt can be found here.

Displacement

This wonderful article written by AlexKK is an excellent example of understandings of our own world extrapolated and applied to a sci-fi or fantasy setting. There is so much in this article to love, but two things really stood out:
Highlight 1. The Premise
I'll be honest, it wasn't until I read the line about "a process where dinosaurs are liquified across millions of years and then the resulting 'Energy Goop' is harvested" that I truly understood this was a reference to oil, coal and natural gases (at least that's how I interpreted it). The idea of there being an ethical dilemma in the fact that the death of other creatures being used as a power source was powerful, and the whole article was extremely smart.
Highlight 2. The Writing Style
The thing which drew me into this article was the writing style. It feels as though there is a character behind the page. This is not an article written by a worldbuilder, this is a document created by a character who inhabits this world and as such has a level of uncertainty which an omniscient worldbuilder simply doesn't.
TAKEAWAY
My first major takeaway from this is that I want to create a lot of pages in my world written from the perspective of someone inhabiting it. This will create an extra layer to the world, and perhaps there needs to be separate articles from the worldbuilder perspective for clarification, and perhaps there doesn't. Perhaps the mystery is part of the joy. Action: Write 2 articles from the perspective of someone in my world.

17 Uses for Belgra Poop

This article about poop is written by Tjtrewinhad a really interesting style.
Highlight 1. The List
I really struggled writing articles about a material because it didn't seem that interesting, and it would never have occurred to me to write is as a list of things which the material could be used for. The list makes the article much more accessible and gets the story writing part of my brain thinking about all the different uses of the material.
Highlight 2. The Quote
The opening quote of the article has so much humour and introduces the topic of the article in a really tongue in cheek way. It's entertaining and draws me in to the rest of the article.
TAKEAWAY
I need to try adding quotes to my articles to make them more user friendly, and break things down into a more palatable format. Just because my brain works in long paragraphs doesn't mean it reads long paragraphs, and lists and quotes are a great way of breaking this down. Action: Write two article lists and include a quote at the top of two articles.

Belief In Ancient Power

This article by HunterChristmas1247
Highlight 1. The Concept
I love the idea of a power which comes from people's belief in it and I can't help but wonder what would happen if people stop believing in it.
Highlight 2. Unanswered Questions
There were several unanswered questions which beg the reader to wonder and add a level of potential danger to the idea. "Could it return? Will it return? Two questions worth asking and yet never are." Why aren't they asked and what would happen if they were.
TAKEAWAY
I want to think more about the questions which are asked by the people of my world, and the questions which aren't and why.

A Settlement At The Limits Of The "Known" Or "Civilized" World

The full list of articles for this prompt can be found here.

Evering

This is an article by barriesaxxy.
Highlight 1. The Setting
I love the feel of this settlement, as a town on the edge of the desert. The idea of it as "the last stop in civilisation" is really exciting as a storyteller.
Highlight 2. The History
The history of the town as initially a fortress with a village, and then the political evolution of the settlement are really in depth and feel realistic.
TAKEAWAY
This has re-established for me that I am most interested in politics. The way in which the movements of the influential impact the day to day of others without either necessarily being aware of it will always be fascinating to me.

Rupert's Throne

This is an article by Darkseid.
Highlight 1. The Name
It was the name that drew me in to this article and I really love it. It's evocative without giving too much away, and doesn't sound like a traditional settlement's name. It makes me ask questions, and I love that about it.
Highlight 2. Embedded
The article and its content feels embedded in the world in which it's set. From the open, with the quote from a book about the settlement at the beginning, it is made to feel real by these little references.
TAKEAWAY
Names can be whatever you want them to be. They don't have to be based in our world, and opening this up can make it really interesting and exciting for others.

Tch'rataq, the City of Stars

This is an article by thechangeling. I was drawn in by the name.
Highlight 1. Games & Gatherings
I hadn't thought of games and sports as a reason for people coming together. And it makes perfect sense for the tribes to use the games as a gathering and also as an opportunity for them to show off their prowess. I love this.
Highlight 2. Ruined City
It's not just the subject but also the position of this little aside that really draws me in. I like that these rumours and background to the nickname are stored here. It makes it clear it's secondary to the current use of the settlement and adds some colour and flavour to the piece.
TAKEAWAY
I really love the aside, and I think I need to find ways to add these small flashes of colour to my articles. Action: Try using the aside in at least three articles.

An Important Public Announcement That One Person Addressed To Many

The full list of articles for this prompt can be found here.

Spaceport Rules

This is an excellent article written by deleyna.
Highlight 1. The Subject Matter
It hadn't occurred to me until I read this article that a list of rules could be considered a Public Announcement, but then I thought about it and loved it as an idea. And actually, what better sort of announcement could you have for setting the tone for your world, or a location in your world.
Highlight 2. The Tone
The tone in which the rules are written is perfect. The thing I love about looking at old rules is that there's always one or two which you wouldn't necessarily think of but are there because of something that happened previously. For example, I found a room hire contract which forbade goldfish being brought onto the premises. This list of rules has the odd one or two which set the tone perfectly.
TAKEAWAY
I need to look into creating lists of rules for places in my world. There are definitely some which would have a good list, and maybe some of the rules are more closely adhered to than others. Action: Add 2 lists or rules to my world.

Leaves of Change

This is a fascinating article written by George Sanders.
Highlight 1. Storytelling
I hadn't thought of using World Anvil as a place for short stories, and this is a wonderful example of George Sanders' work. Writing short stories in my world is a good way to manage thoughts and snippets. And it's a nice way of writing about important world events.
Highlight 2. The Title
This is a great title. As the article is so thoroughly imbued with the forest and natural references, using the word "leaves" for both the nature and the pages of paper the scribe is writing.
TAKEAWAY
I want to try writing some world events as stories, or maybe even some smaller events as stories, to find a different way of communicating them. Action: Try writing a short story about one of the world events.

Amusement Park Invitation

This is an interesting article by Revyera.
Highlight 1. The Concept
Again, this is something I'd never considered. Having an invitation as an important public announcement is a stroke of genius and I love it.
Highlight 2. The Mystery
I really like all the mystery and unknown around this as an idea. Who is the ringmaster? Will we ever find out? Do we want to? There's also that slight threat of seeing you "sooner or later". The storyteller in me loves this.
TAKEAWAY
I need to add some mystery to my articles. Add a little bit of uncertainty which I can come back to and get my teeth into.

SPECIAL MENTION: A Profession That Has Been Rendered Obsolete

Rtagevopicoti

This is an article by Nimsy.
Highlight 1. The Style
I love the appearance of this article. The sci-fi layout is in-keeping with the context of the piece and also makes the information easy to find and even easier to digest.
Highlight 2. Temporary Nature
The job described here is only a temporary position, and the job itself was only needed for about 30 years. I hadn't considered the way that jobs can exist only to fulfil a certain need.
TAKEAWAY
I'm going to think about other elements of a world which can be temporary or created to fulfil a temporary need. I bet there's a lot of space in my world for it.

World Building Goals For The Next 6 Months

So I'm going to take the suggested actions and try to learn from what I've read, so here goes.

1. Write 2 articles from the perspective of someone in my world
2. Write two article lists and include a quote at the top of two articles
3. Try using the side-bar in at least three articles
4. Add 2 lists or rules to my world
5. Try writing a short story about one of the world events