2023 WorldEmber Prep Homework
Week 1: Choose an area of focus
So there are a few of areas which work for this. One of them is building out the Peacekeepers, and their background. I've written about them in other areas for a different project, but they and their politics aren't well documented so that would be interesting. I could write more about their history, how they built their empire, and their political structures. Their infrastructure is interesting too and could be a useful thing to have recorded. Another potential area would be writing about other species in the universe. It would be fun and allow a lot of space for creativity, but I don' t know how useful this would be for the books I want to set in this world. The Peacekeepers would be aware of them, but the focus of at least the first book is on planet Vellikka, so it wouldn't necessarily be referenced there. A third option would be to build out the Vellikka world atlas. There's a lot of places on this map and a lot of space for more. I've not really written about the geographies or the different areas. Are there different territories with different cultures? I've got a fair amount on the south coast, but I'm not sure why as Abna, where my story starts, is on the north coast of the continent. What else is around there? A fourth and final option would be to build out the stories from Vellikka. I once heard that "culture is the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves", and as Storytellers are at the heart of at least the first book on this world, building out the world through myths and legends might be a fun way to get back into the world.
Article Ideas
The Peacekeepers
- Peacekeeper - Ethnicity
- Pachian - Species
- Peacekeeper Territories - Location
- The Commonwealth - Organisation
- Peacekeeper Command - Organisation
- EOP Standard - Language
- Micro Rebellion - Conflict
- The First Peace Agreement - Document
- Societal Hierarchy - Article
- P'Ache Solar System - Location
- The Primary Territories - Location
- The Victalis System - Location
People from Other Planets
- Race on Macro
- Race on Victalis planet
- Race on other P'Ache planets
-
Map of galaxies
Other Loose Ends
- The Shedding - Law
- Spirit Speaking - Spell
- Vellich Profession Paths - Article
- New Seeing - Ritual
- Path Choosing - Ritual
- Storyteller's Bracelet - Item
- The Leaving - Condition
-
Vellikka Calendar - Calendar -
Peacekeeper Calendar - Calendar
Vellikka World Atlas
- Lanips Mountains - Location
- Laykan Bay - Location
- Hedan Basin - Location
- Akire Mountains - Location
- Asor - Location
- Stron - Location
- Rivers - Location
- Surplus Home - Landmark
- Ruler's Tower - Landmark
- Light House - Landmark
- Bearer's House - Landmark
- Gatherer's Holdings - Landmark
Myths of Vellikka
- Flood Myth - Myth
- The Last of the Dreamspeakers - Myth
- Founding of Abna - Myth
- The First Day of Song - Myth
- Why Colours Flash - Myth
- Story About Choosing A Path - Myth
- Afterlife Story - Myth
- The Primordial Chaos - Myth
Week 2: Prepare Your Area of Focus
Looking at each area of focus, I've created a mini-meta for each one. I haven't made any changes to the organisation structure based on this because I was happy with what I have, but I've started creating stubs in those areas for articles I need to write.Mini Metas
Vellikka - Story Telling Tradition
Themes: Oral traditions, word of mouth, importance of passing on morals and ideals, choosing a path, commitment to community
Moods: Vague, moralistic, nature-based, low-tech, low-fantasy, high-belief in the otherworldly
Focus: Stories which build out the culture of Vellikka. Culture is in the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves
Purpose: Give Vellikka a realistic cultural history and a collective storytelling language
Mini-goals:
- At least three stories including:
- afterlife explanation,
- fable about choosing a path,
- a story of the stars/aurora
Vellikka - World Atlas
Themes: people and nature in balance, areas of natural beauty untouched by people
Moods: Low-tech, non-fantasy, power of nature
Focus: Areas which demonstrate the beauty and power of Vellikka
Purpose: Set the scene and create a realistic backdrop for the plot
Mini-goals:
- Write at least one article (min 500 words) about each of the following:
- a river,
- a mountain range,
- a settlement,
- a forest,
- a coastal region
Peacekeepers - Organisations, History and Culture
Themes: Hierarchy, greater good, all for one and one for one
Moods: Law and order, high sci-fi, advanced, proud
Focus: Peacekeeper Command and diplomacy, the arms likely to touch Vellikka first
Purpose: Counterpoint for the Vellikkian’s attitude of community. This is an all for one, rather than an all for all attitude.
Mini-goals:
- A complete map of the Peacekeeper hierarchy, including:
- key decision making positions,
- key departments
- At least two historical events
- A summary of cultural norms for people living in P’Ache Prime
Other Species - Races from Across Peacekeeper Territories
Themes: strange and wonderful, peculiarities, everything is individual
Moods: joy in differences
Focus: Species the Vellich might come into contact with through the Peacekeepers
Purpose: Further counterpoints to the Vellich and demonstrate the sheer scope of life in the universe
Mini-goals:
- Write at least 300 words about 5 different species across the universe which I can use as seeds throughout the story
- Write at least 900 words about the Asor
- Write at least 900 words about the Jaku
Inspiration
Vellikka - Story Telling Tradition
- Women Talking - film (dir. Sarah Polley, 2022)
- The Word For World Is Forest - novel (Ursula K. Le Guin, 1972)
- Yggdrasil - Norse mythology (Link)
Vellikka - World Atlas
Peacekeepers - Organisations, History and Culture
- The Fault Line - podcast (David Dimbleby, Somethin’ Else and Sony Music Entertainment, 2020)
- Talking To Strangers - book (Malcolm Gladwell, 2019)
- Starship Troopers - film (dir. Paul Verhoeven, 1997)
- Gov.uk - website (Link)
Other Species - Races from Across Peacekeeper Territories
Inspiring worlds
Week 3: Welcome Your Readers!
So I've not spent that long thinking about my homepage before, which retrospectively is clearly a mistake. Below are images of before and after the changes I've made.Before
After
Week 4: Last Minute Prep
I had a good think about what I needed to cover here. I've made a list of last minute prep I'm going to do this week:- Tidy my work space - I don't have a desk I use for writing most of the time. I have a desk I use for my day job, but I prefer being creative in comfier places. That being said, I have tidied up my desk incase I find it will make me more productive.
- Find a writing schedule - I've not tried using a writing schedule, but I'm going to put one together, as I like a bit of structure. I've created a hypothetical one at the bottom of WorldEmber 2023 To Do List which may change as I go. I think what I've created is acheivable, but as I've never tried to write to a schedule before, it'll be a case of try and see.
- Finish prepping my D&D world - I've realised I have some prep I need to do for my next D&D Campaign (Zakkazana Island) which starts in January, and as I want to focus on Vellikka this WorldEmber, I still have a little bit of tidyup I need to do there.
- Listen to my inspiration playlists - I'm going to download the two inspiration playlists I've made and try to add to them a bit as well. I find music really useful for getting into the right headspace.
Quick Links
Overview
I've never participated in WorldEmber before, and as a novice, I'm excited to get started. I am pledging to write 10,000 words in this world, and we'll see how we go. I'll be honest, my inspiration for this world has dried up slightly and I want to use this as an opportunity to breath more life into it. I might be making this more difficult for myself, and it's entirely possible I'll end up regretting it, but I'll only have myself to blame! To help me keep focus once it starts, I've set up a WorldEmber 2023 To Do List.Reaction Diary
Week 1
I've identified four rough areas that I could write about. They seem quite broad, and actually doing this exercise has moved me from feeling quite daunted to a little bit inspired. I can't wait to see what Week 2's homework will bring.Week 2
Working on the mini-metas for watch area of focus forced me to review my overall world meta and as a result I'll be adding to it in the coming weeks. I found adding a few words about the purpose each element will serve really helpful and I think it will help me prioritise where to put my energy as some are more fundamental than others. It has also helped make me even more excited about the main event and has given me more ideas about how I can build out my world.Week 3
I've found reworking the homepage a really interesting exercise. I'm still not 100% happy with it and will probably revisiting this again over the next 6 days. It's also got me thinking about the homepages for my other worlds, specifically Zakkazana Island which I'm setting up for my upcoming D&D campaign.Week 4
I've not put any thought into a writing schedule before. Sometimes inspiration strikes and I write and other times it doesn't so I don't. But that's not going to be the case this December. Honestly, I'm excited to try it out to see if it helps.
Cozy Cottage Enclave badge by Rin Garnett
Welcome to Worldember! I hope you have a great one, and that you can rediscover your inspiration. Do you remember what inspired Vellikka to begin with? When I feel at a loss for ideas, revisiting the things that made me wanna write is often the best way to rediscover that spark for me.
Thank you! It was a combination of things around what a gender non-binary world would/could look like and how that would influence societal norms and organisations. Looking forward to rediscovering it!
Ooh that is one very interesting premise!