2024 New Year's Resolutions
Articles from Other Worlds
In order to make the most of this, and learning from other people, I'm going to pick 5 of the top 10 most liked articles from WorldEmber 2023, and then I'm going to pick 5 articles which haven't had enough love from across a few categories which I don't think I do well.Most Liked Articles
These are 5 articles I picked from the top 10 most liked articles from WorldEmber 2023, in no particular order.Goldbrook Annual Guild Fair
tjtrewin | Journals of Yesteryear | Tradition
This is a truly beautiful article, and a wonderful way to introduce the Journals of Yesteryear.
I like how it is written in the second person, and that it feels like I'm being walked through the fair. I also really love the illustration style and how it's so carefully linked together, not only to the content on the page (and the details of the flags is beautiful), but also to the other articles and other parts of the world.
Barbas
Mochimanoban | Yonderverse | Geographic Location
I like the layout of this article, it's really clear and makes it easy to find information about Barbas. Aspects like the Information Block are handy ways of adding in stats and keeping them interesting.
The map with the different regions in it, and the image of the Bronze Sloth are great ways of breaking up the text, and it's written in a really clear and easy to understand way. I don't have to know everything about Yonderverse to get a feel of Barbas.
Savelan Geography Lesson
strixxline | Malkora | Generic
Oh what a beautiful article. The use of different fonts, and the changes between first and second person keep this interesting throughout. I love the way the reader is lead through the "small, dusty library" as an introduction to the world.
The CSS is clean and makes reading it easy, and again I love the way that information is broken up and split out.
Wonderful.
Influence Of The Shards
Hanhula | Istralar | Condition
The images in this article are beautiful and terrifying in equal measure. I'll be honest, I found it hard to read because I found them a little distracting!
The quotes are great, and I like that each section starts with a sentence or two from a victim. They are beautifully constructed and almost philosophical in phrasing. I particularly like "What is freedom if not the shattering of another reality?"
Cosmic Bloom
nnie | Solaris | Condition
The first thing that jumps out for me here is the fact that there are content warnings, and it has me wondering whether I should start adding them to my content. Food for thought.
I love this article. I love the idea of a condition caused by astroplankton. Honestly, I just like the word astroplankton. I like that there are links to similar conditions, and sections like the clear steps and the put it to use make it a joy to read.
Also, I've borrowed the idea of the related articles section at the bottom. I think I need to refine mine slightly, but it's such a good idea.
Less Read Articles
I thought it would also be useful to read some of the less read articles, so I picked two different categories, and went only for the ones which had fewer than 6 views (as of time of picking).Military Formation Articles
I wrote one Military Formation this WorldEmber and I found it quite challenging, so I thought I could learn from what other people have done.Wayfarer Sentinels
Jester% | Tales of Radiance | Formation
I like the details covered by this article. It talks about the Wayfarers background, military structure, equipment and weaponry, with a paragraph for each one.
They sound like brave and powerful warriors and I was left wondering what happened to them, and why they were in the past tense.
Shadow Companies
Nugget909 | Nuggia | Formation
There is so much information on this page and it is clear that Nugget909 has really put a lot of thought into the Shadow Companies. I think this is something that I could do better.
The Shields
Lady Grayish | Superheroes Assorted | Formation
I like the opening quote on this article. It gives a lot of information in a few setences and it really makes it clear from the get go who The Shields are.
Document Articles
Again, I found writing a document challenging during WorldEmber, and this seems like the perfect way to learn from other people.ORLD Menu
cedes | Dola Vonde | Document
I love the idea of using a menu for worldbuilding. It's a really inventive way of building out a world and providing a better insight into what the world is like.
I also liked that I learned a little bit about Iralnerd and how she went about collecting and creating recipes. I would have liked to know more about the dishes, maybe a brief description, and I would have liked more information about the currency and worth of these dishes.
The Iron Accords
redhmarie | Echora | Document
With this article, I like that redhmarie doesn't get into the nitty gritty of the content of the document but focuses more on the purpose and impact of the document. This is definitely something I could do better.
Special Mentions
I wanted to do a special shout out for some of the articles and people who made this WorldEmber special. I picked six because I couldn't narrow it down to five!Lifebeat Grenade
Myth-X | Arc Sagas | Item
I love this article. The opening quote had me in stitches and was very Monty Python-esque. I really like the creativity and the image of throwing a grenade at someone who is injured to help them.
For me, this is a great example of Myth-X's work and I can't wait to see what they do in 2024.
Cloudwhales
notahumanhand | Etharai | Species
This typifies notahumanhand's writing and worldbuilding. It is beautiful and perfect in its simplicity. The cloudwhales are gentle and curious, and I love the way this article draws you in to learning more about them.
I am a real fan of how notahumanhand uses block quotes, and the humour add in this article is no exception.
Quite simply a lovely piece of work.
Hoben: The Red Moon
Worldwildbuilder | Chronicles of Hysal | Location
Worldwildbuilder's world is so full of detail and content. I love the sci-fi of it (although I am clearly biased there), but also that there is something magical about this description of Hoben.
The localised phenomena described sound amazing, and the description combined with the image leaves me wanting to see it in person!
Gravity Stone
Chrispy_0 | Vreathe | Material
The thing I love about Chrispy_0's worldbuilding is the level of thought and detail that goes into it and this article is a great example of that.
But more than that, it's creative and builds a realistic world. I find writing materials so difficult and making them interesting is even harder, but this is informative and interesting, and I can see how they would be used for airships and floating islands.
Calir's Bakery and Bar
AsterVela | Babikiye | Building
I love it when a worldbuilder makes a building I want to go to, and that's exactly what AsterVela did with this.
I love that there's a sense of community around this bakery, and the way that it links out to the rest of the world makes it come to life.
Avian Bestiary
Catoblepon | Meta world | Generic
What's more creative than one species article? 30 species on a single page, with each one being unique enough that I feel like I know each one.
There are some I have questions about, and I relate far too strongly to the Land bird.
I love that it's a lot of information, but it's presented in an easily digestible way. It's great!
New Year's Resolutions
So I don't tend to do resolutions, but I've had some success with OKRs. So here are my OKRs for the first three months of 2024. OKR stands for Objective Key Results. The idea is that you identify an objective or two and then a handful of Key Results which you can assess throughout the time period to work towards that objective.Q1
Objective 1: Build out my world
Key Results:
- Restructure my world to make more space for the new species - Create a primer / some good introductory articlesObjective 2: Write more fiction
Key Results:
- 5,000 words - 10,000 words - 15,000 words - 20,000 words - 25,000 words - 30,000 words
1st Jan 2024 - That's all for this quarter, but I'll be revisiting reguarly and will undoubtedly add more/adjust as the year rolls on. 1st April 2024 - I'm excited to say that I've met all my goals for the first quarter. Now to assess and figure out goals for this quarter.
Q2
Objective 1: Build out my worlds
Key Results:
- Create 3 new ecosystem articles - Create 3 new species or ethnicity articles - Create a template for ecosystem articles - Create my own template for ethnicity articles - Write and publish 30 new articles (10 per month)Objective 2: Write more fiction
Key Results:
- 5,000 words - 10,000 words - 15,000 words - 20,000 words - 25,000 words - 30,000 words
1st July - I didn't write as much fiction as I would have liked, in part because of the amount of other stuff that's been happening in my life and at work over the last three months. I think the next three are going to be more of the same so I'm going to be kinder to myself this month.
Q3
Objective 1: Build out my worlds
Key Results:
- Get a diamond badge in Summer Camp (32 articles) - Write and publish 50 new articles (10 per month + Summer Camp) - Run an unofficial challengeObjective 2: Write more fiction
Key Results:
- 5,000 words - 10,000 words - 15,000 words - 20,000 words
Thank you so much for including one of my articles! Excited to see more from you in 2024! <3
Likewise! Can't wait to see what 2024 brings!