Diving Deep into Summer Camp
And that's it. Another Summer Camp is done, and with an ill-advised last-minute push I shoved my final six articles into place for a full 42. I had to twist some prompts so hard their heads are on backward, but I met my goal. My full challenge page is here, but I'm using my homework article to organize my work by world. And oh boy, there's nothing like looking over the past month's work to reveal a bucketload of typos, unfinished thoughts, failed links, and missed connections. D:
In The Deeps: 14 articles.
I didn't do as much in my new setting as I'd hoped. Only a third of my articles are set here, which is a little disappointing because I had wanted to expand more of this brand-new world. Then again, the limitations of the world were stacked against me--no technology, no cities, no artifacts, one active character. So let me instead be pleasantly surprised that The Deeps did its fair share in a Summer Camp I spent working in three worlds.
Show 'em!
In The Deeps: 14 articles.
I didn't do as much in my new setting as I'd hoped. Only a third of my articles are set here, which is a little disappointing because I had wanted to expand more of this brand-new world. Then again, the limitations of the world were stacked against me--no technology, no cities, no artifacts, one active character. So let me instead be pleasantly surprised that The Deeps did its fair share in a Summer Camp I spent working in three worlds.Here are the articles, not in prompt order, but in approximate timeline order.
a document that changed the course of history
an animal or plant that feeds on decay
a sickness that caused societal upheaval
a naturally sheltered place
a tumultuous region prone to natural disasters
a myth or prophecy about the end of the world
a degenerative disease
a geographical region that is expanding
a material that is resistant to decay
a tradition that gives comfort
a unit dedicated to guarding someone or something
a species with protective anatomy
a character who goes through a great change or metmorphosis
In The River: 8 articles
I dipped into my "ancient past" world for a few prompts. Half of them helped me expand on parts of the culture that I knew existed but haven't gone into detail about before. For the other half, I wrote about the events that start the transition from this world to the modern world of the Ocean. Technically they take place after the "present day" I've defined in the River setting, but no one ever said telling the future is off-limits.
Show 'em!
In The River: 8 articles
I dipped into my "ancient past" world for a few prompts. Half of them helped me expand on parts of the culture that I knew existed but haven't gone into detail about before. For the other half, I wrote about the events that start the transition from this world to the modern world of the Ocean. Technically they take place after the "present day" I've defined in the River setting, but no one ever said telling the future is off-limits.the practices and ceremonies of worship
a personal item that keeps you safe
an evil spirit or divine antagonist
a hybrid species intentionally bred
an environmental or other large-scale natural disaster
a conflict that involved a changing environment
a settlement considered a refuge
In The Ocean: 20 articles
In the end, my Summer Camp focus turned out to be in my primary world, the one in which I'm trying to actually write stories, so that's no bad thing. Beside filling in more details (didn't know my world had an amusement park), my narrator got a chance to express herself more comfortably as she acclimates to the role she's in.
Show 'em!
In The Ocean: 20 articles
In the end, my Summer Camp focus turned out to be in my primary world, the one in which I'm trying to actually write stories, so that's no bad thing. Beside filling in more details (didn't know my world had an amusement park), my narrator got a chance to express herself more comfortably as she acclimates to the role she's in.a vehicle that, when introduced, caused social upheaval
a charity or other organization focused around doing good
a technology used for defense or protection
a building associated with joy and fun
a settlement that's known as a party town or pleasure city
a sub-culture considered larger-than-life by some
food often eaten by travelers
a profession that is considered dirty
slang or a language associated with a religion or belief
a storyteller, author or bard in your world
a piece of tech that precvents decay
a building considered a refuge against the world
a building that was meant to be temporary
a myth, urban legend or conspiracy theory belived by many to be true
a document of spurious or controversial attribution
With a looming deadline and several prompts left to write, I tossed out the idea of producing organized articles and instead wrote up a five-part interview tying together belief and decay into a story about fans of the ocean who make a game of tracking down a ceremonial object guarded by the temporary leader of their group.
a faction of an organization built around belief
a relic or symbol of belief
an organization fighting corruption
a tradition that represents moral decay
a leader or high-ranking person in an organization
Gahh... It's kind of painful to see so much that needs fixing, and not be allowed to touch it until after the judging period. Gosh, if only there were something to distract me during the month of August... Oh what's this, a Reading Challenge? Dive into other people's worlds for a while? Don't mind if I do. I'll post again when I come up for air--maybe a few days before the awards ceremony, if I know me.
In the meantime, thanks to everyone who read, liked, and/or commented on my articles! You are part of what makes Summer Camp the rewarding experience it is.
prep
Wait, did you seriously just push that button? Look, I put it there specifically to spare you accidentally scrolling into my rambling homework. So why don't you just UNclick it before it's too late?
seriously, skip it
Let the record show I tried to stop you.
I can't believe I did this to myself again.
Uh... Did what, exactly?
Let me try to explain...
I love Summer Camp.
I have such a hard time creating anything outside of a challenge context, and the prompts give me a fresh look at my world. It's a whole month of the best kind of inspiration. But last year I distracted myself by starting a new world just as prep month appeared on the horizon. I'm not sorry--I dug into into some important prehistory--but I was really looking forward to getting back to work on my main world this year.So of course I'm now sidetracked by a third, brand-new world.
And I mean REALLY sidetracked! The species I'm suddenly focused on is insignificant to the story I'm trying to write. The people of The Ocean know these creatures as the chok, who trade things with humans and other sentient species for unknown reasons. They've been a mystery to me for years, and I've just recently gained insight into their history and motivation, but the Ocean's narrator knows next to nothing about them. I have to give the chok their own world in order to do them justice.
I love Summer Camp.
I have such a hard time creating anything outside of a challenge context, and the prompts give me a fresh look at my world. It's a whole month of the best kind of inspiration. But last year I distracted myself by starting a new world just as prep month appeared on the horizon. I'm not sorry--I dug into into some important prehistory--but I was really looking forward to getting back to work on my main world this year.So of course I'm now sidetracked by a third, brand-new world.
And I mean REALLY sidetracked! The species I'm suddenly focused on is insignificant to the story I'm trying to write. The people of The Ocean know these creatures as the chok, who trade things with humans and other sentient species for unknown reasons. They've been a mystery to me for years, and I've just recently gained insight into their history and motivation, but the Ocean's narrator knows next to nothing about them. I have to give the chok their own world in order to do them justice.~ Welcome to ~
We are here, but no one else is.The sole inhabitant of the Deeps is the Self, a superorganism of cephalopods based in the sea floor and sending out mobile swarms to travel the world in search of the other sentients who used to live there.
Why is there so much in this place that has so little?The Self's latest discovery is an entire additional neighboring world. Although its atmosphere is a near-vacuum and very difficult to travel through--annoyingly, the visiting swarms can't get unstuck from the ground--this world is full of things that are clearly alive and just might be smart.
We are here, but no one else is.
The sole inhabitant of the Deeps is the Self, a superorganism of cephalopods based in the sea floor and sending out mobile swarms to travel the world in search of the other sentients who used to live there.
Why is there so much in this place that has so little?
The Self's latest discovery is an entire additional neighboring world. Although its atmosphere is a near-vacuum and very difficult to travel through--annoyingly, the visiting swarms can't get unstuck from the ground--this world is full of things that are clearly alive and just might be smart.
I hitched up late to the iceberg train and gave it my own twist. Despite its name, the world is too shallow right now for a real iceberg, and it hasn't existed long enough to have any deep secrets. So my version is something a little less vast, organized according to the timeline of ideas that led to the foundation of the world.
The Deeps' Iceberg by The Big G
The Deeps' Iceberg by The Big G
Copper theme: Change
What happened to the world?To the Self, the Deeps is an eternity of sameness. Change is in the past--the good change of meeting and befriending the Singer, and the awful change of the living world instantly becoming a tomb.
This is interesting...Right now the Self is on the edge of a discovery that could change everything. They are slowly exploring a new dimension that exists next to their own. They won't get the answers they're looking for, but there may be a solution to their current loneliness.
Ideas for this theme: air/water interface, chok ability to change shape, the extinction, inner conflicts about next steps, exploratory swarms (seeking novelty)
What happened to the world?
To the Self, the Deeps is an eternity of sameness. Change is in the past--the good change of meeting and befriending the Singer, and the awful change of the living world instantly becoming a tomb.
This is interesting...
Right now the Self is on the edge of a discovery that could change everything. They are slowly exploring a new dimension that exists next to their own. They won't get the answers they're looking for, but there may be a solution to their current loneliness.
Silver theme: refuge
We had to find someplace to avoid this thick, sticky, itchy atmosphere.In my overarching world, water has an extra property that allows quasi-magic. Most living things take advantage of this to orient themselves toward food or safety, but the chok that make up the Self are unique in having a slight overall aversion, meaning that while they require water to survive, they don't like the way it feels. An area of the sea floor riddled with holes offers shelter from water to the stable chok, and a shell of symbiotic animals protects the mobile chok.
This otherworld animal seems to be hiding from something.As meaningless as human events are to the Self, a swarm of chok recently and briefly engaged with them when they encountered a woman fleeing a threat. Without fully understanding the situation, the swarm nevertheless helped her find safety.
Ideas for this theme: seafloor home base, atolls where they store stuff, swarms as safety in numbers; whale history--agreement to end whale-on-whale predation, pod social structure
We had to find someplace to avoid this thick, sticky, itchy atmosphere.
In my overarching world, water has an extra property that allows quasi-magic. Most living things take advantage of this to orient themselves toward food or safety, but the chok that make up the Self are unique in having a slight overall aversion, meaning that while they require water to survive, they don't like the way it feels. An area of the sea floor riddled with holes offers shelter from water to the stable chok, and a shell of symbiotic animals protects the mobile chok.
This otherworld animal seems to be hiding from something.
As meaningless as human events are to the Self, a swarm of chok recently and briefly engaged with them when they encountered a woman fleeing a threat. Without fully understanding the situation, the swarm nevertheless helped her find safety.
Gold Theme: Belief
There must be more
than we have found.What keeps the Self motivated through their millions of years of searching is the belief that as long as they continue to find places and things new to their experience, there still exists the hope that they may also find the Singer.
We don't know where
the Singer came from.A competing but also complementary belief is that the reason for the great change in the world can be found somewhere in the stories the Singer has shared. The part of the Self that still lives in the seafloor continues to study everything they remember about the Singer.
Ideas for this theme: Do these sides ever come into conflict? What are Tiili beliefs about the Self? Other whales involved?
There must be more
than we have found.
What keeps the Self motivated through their millions of years of searching is the belief that as long as they continue to find places and things new to their experience, there still exists the hope that they may also find the Singer.
We don't know where
the Singer came from.
A competing but also complementary belief is that the reason for the great change in the world can be found somewhere in the stories the Singer has shared. The part of the Self that still lives in the seafloor continues to study everything they remember about the Singer.
Diamond Theme: Decay
There are suddenly so many
more of these tiny creatures.In the immediate aftermath of the extinction, decay dominates. Scavengers flourish. The chok, who consume falling detritus as well as small prey, suddenly have an abundance of food. So do the colonies of nearly microscopic filter feeders which cover the rocks the chok live in.
We have to keep our memory safe.25 million years is a long time to store information, especially when an individual chok lives only a few decades. The Self must rehearse their memory constantly to keep it stable across generations of chok, and with each repetition comes the chance of losing something.
Ideas for this theme: marine snow, whale fall, chok life cycle
There are suddenly so many
more of these tiny creatures.
In the immediate aftermath of the extinction, decay dominates. Scavengers flourish. The chok, who consume falling detritus as well as small prey, suddenly have an abundance of food. So do the colonies of nearly microscopic filter feeders which cover the rocks the chok live in.
We have to keep our memory safe.
25 million years is a long time to store information, especially when an individual chok lives only a few decades. The Self must rehearse their memory constantly to keep it stable across generations of chok, and with each repetition comes the chance of losing something.
Auxiliary Assignments
Setting a Goal
As always, I will strive to answer every prompt that is handed out. It's a tall order, but I've managed it the past three years running, and I hate to break a streak. I make no promises, however, of writing exclusively in the Deeps. Prompts that require buildings or documents will probably have to be done in a different world.
Organization
As far as organizing the Deeps… Well, I haven't got anything to organize yet. I have exactly two articles in it, and this is one of them. I did get the meta up and running, at least. I'll probably have to adjust it as soon as I start actually writing articles, but hey--the first theme is change after all.
Appearance
Pass. As a lowly Journeyman I have limited CSS power, and I remain a Journeyman because I have no interest in CSS. I chose a theme that already has the deep-ocean asthetic I'm looking for, and my cover is a simple gradient because the image that came with the theme didn't suit. A more world-specific image would be nice but will probably not happen before Summer Camp starts.
Community
Oof, this one's hard. I am shy, moreso online than in real life which seems backwards but since when do brains make sense. I have no problems having a public world and submitting articles to challenges, but I can't start a conversation to save my life. Casually asking someone to be a Summer Camp buddy is not a thing that will happen.
Honestly, so far I've been doing pretty well even without being immersed in a community. Accountability to myself has been enough to get me through all the major challenges I've participated in. I mean, I've reached diamond three times, so it's not like I'm lacking the motivation and ability to write. And this time around I have additional external accountability in the form of the people who've already followed the Deeps despite there being nothing in it. They're writers I admire and really don't want to disappoint, so that's plenty of incentive to stay on top of my progress toward diamond!
Having said that, there's another reason for a community that I understand even if I flinch at it. It's not just about getting help reaching the immediate goal. It's about how if I ever want to actually finish a writing project for someone besides me to enjoy, I need to be able to engage with other people on the subject of my writing. And get past how arrogant awkward that feels. To that end, I'll try answering some of the prompts that drop into the Discord worldbuilding channel.
Inspiration Bank
I guess I don't know how this is supposed to work. Is this a list of where my ideas come from? Things that make me want to write? Well, if nothing else I can add to the world's meta some of the images I found that have helped me figure out what the chok are like.
Optimize Your Writing Environment
I usually work at my desk, but I'll be on crutches for most of July and consequently spending a lot more time on the sofa. Fortunately I have a nice lapdesk and a (sometimes) cooperative cat. Other essentials: water bottle, small notebook and pencil, favorite chips and soda. Also chocolate now and then, of course.
Reexamine Your Homepage
Another thing I'm probably not going to do because 1) I just created it and 2) design is not my strong point. I do not know how to make things look pretty.
Update Your Author Profile
Oh boy. Yeah, that's really barren, isn't it? I do need more there, I know I do, but maybe go back to the part where I'm shy? Filling in the whole author profile feels like putting up a huge public billboard with a list of all my weird interests. So I'm trying to look at it differently--not as self-promotion, but more like connection-making. Somewhere out there are people who like the same things I do, but I'll never know that if I don't put the information there.
Setting a Goal
As always, I will strive to answer every prompt that is handed out. It's a tall order, but I've managed it the past three years running, and I hate to break a streak. I make no promises, however, of writing exclusively in the Deeps. Prompts that require buildings or documents will probably have to be done in a different world.Organization
As far as organizing the Deeps… Well, I haven't got anything to organize yet. I have exactly two articles in it, and this is one of them. I did get the meta up and running, at least. I'll probably have to adjust it as soon as I start actually writing articles, but hey--the first theme is change after all.Appearance
Pass. As a lowly Journeyman I have limited CSS power, and I remain a Journeyman because I have no interest in CSS. I chose a theme that already has the deep-ocean asthetic I'm looking for, and my cover is a simple gradient because the image that came with the theme didn't suit. A more world-specific image would be nice but will probably not happen before Summer Camp starts.Community
Oof, this one's hard. I am shy, moreso online than in real life which seems backwards but since when do brains make sense. I have no problems having a public world and submitting articles to challenges, but I can't start a conversation to save my life. Casually asking someone to be a Summer Camp buddy is not a thing that will happen. Honestly, so far I've been doing pretty well even without being immersed in a community. Accountability to myself has been enough to get me through all the major challenges I've participated in. I mean, I've reached diamond three times, so it's not like I'm lacking the motivation and ability to write. And this time around I have additional external accountability in the form of the people who've already followed the Deeps despite there being nothing in it. They're writers I admire and really don't want to disappoint, so that's plenty of incentive to stay on top of my progress toward diamond! Having said that, there's another reason for a community that I understand even if I flinch at it. It's not just about getting help reaching the immediate goal. It's about how if I ever want to actually finish a writing project for someone besides me to enjoy, I need to be able to engage with other people on the subject of my writing. And get past howInspiration Bank
I guess I don't know how this is supposed to work. Is this a list of where my ideas come from? Things that make me want to write? Well, if nothing else I can add to the world's meta some of the images I found that have helped me figure out what the chok are like.Optimize Your Writing Environment
I usually work at my desk, but I'll be on crutches for most of July and consequently spending a lot more time on the sofa. Fortunately I have a nice lapdesk and a (sometimes) cooperative cat. Other essentials: water bottle, small notebook and pencil, favorite chips and soda. Also chocolate now and then, of course.Reexamine Your Homepage
Another thing I'm probably not going to do because 1) I just created it and 2) design is not my strong point. I do not know how to make things look pretty.Update Your Author Profile
Oh boy. Yeah, that's really barren, isn't it? I do need more there, I know I do, but maybe go back to the part where I'm shy? Filling in the whole author profile feels like putting up a huge public billboard with a list of all my weird interests. So I'm trying to look at it differently--not as self-promotion, but more like connection-making. Somewhere out there are people who like the same things I do, but I'll never know that if I don't put the information there.And with that...it's time. Less than an hour until Summer Camp starts. I'm still excited, but also nervous, because this time I'm starting in a blank slate of a world. I have no idea where this is going to go. If you've gotten this far, I hope you'll consider joining me on this adventure.
Week 1: Ouch. With only three articles submitted, it's not looking good right now. I'm trying to remind myself that I always start Summer Camp off slowly, so this is no reason to get discouraged. But I was hoping to reach my goal without pulling the usual late-night deadline rush.
Week 2: It looks like this might be my first-ever Summer Camp bust. Two weeks in...and seven prompts submitted. Twenty-three waiting. I'm struggling to find ways to fit the gold prompts into any of my worlds. I really hope I can turn this around, but I'm just feeling so stuck right now.
Week 3: After that abysmal start, I have doggedly kept to the rhythm of an article a day. I'm at 12 right now, putting copper in the bag, but still a sad distance from silver. If I keep up this pace I'll barely snag gold. To hit diamond, I'll need to double my output for six days. To reach my stated goal of an article for every prompt...two articles a day, EVERY day.
Week 4: I landed my 24th article before the stream. Good that I have solid gold, at least, but I want that diamond. I want that completed grid. So lucky we have this extra week this year. I don't mind the extra bonus prompts, either--honestly, I was counting on them. Last year the bonus prompts tied together the last of the articles I was struggling with.
I even won that last prompt which I still halfway can't believe.
They're perhaps not quite that serendipitous this time around, but I know where they fit in my worlds.
I even won that last prompt which I still halfway can't believe.
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
Sunday: Wrote the bonus prompts. Wrote even more unrelated to Summer Camp because ironing out my Ocean narrator's bio yesterday solidified what she's going to do the next 3-4 years.
Monday: Two more down, but a couple days this week I'll have to write three.
Tuesday: Diamond is DONE! It is such a relief to know I will get that beautiful badge! I still want to fill in my grid, but I think if I can't I'll be at peace with that. late-night update: now at 33. 9 to go.
Wednesday: Kicked up the pace to three more. If I do it again tomorrow and Friday, I'm clear. Unfortunately the ones that are left are the ones I haven't been able to come up with any ideas for.
Thursday: Wrote nothing, but suddenly I have IDEAS for all the remaining prompts.
Friday: Bad bedtime decision is happening. 2:30 AM, but I have three prompts written (maybe four? I can't count right now) and drafts started for the rest. Haven't submitted anything because they all tie together and have to go live at the same time. I know I'm cutting it awfully close, but there's a few hours before Summer Camp closes. I have until the end of the stream when Janet and Dimi throw the switch.
Saturday: I MADE IT. So down to the wire that I submitted the very last entry in three prompts.
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
Sunday: Wrote the bonus prompts. Wrote even more unrelated to Summer Camp because ironing out my Ocean narrator's bio yesterday solidified what she's going to do the next 3-4 years.
Monday: Two more down, but a couple days this week I'll have to write three.
Tuesday: Diamond is DONE! It is such a relief to know I will get that beautiful badge! I still want to fill in my grid, but I think if I can't I'll be at peace with that. late-night update: now at 33. 9 to go.
Wednesday: Kicked up the pace to three more. If I do it again tomorrow and Friday, I'm clear. Unfortunately the ones that are left are the ones I haven't been able to come up with any ideas for.
Thursday: Wrote nothing, but suddenly I have IDEAS for all the remaining prompts.
Friday: Bad bedtime decision is happening. 2:30 AM, but I have three prompts written (maybe four? I can't count right now) and drafts started for the rest. Haven't submitted anything because they all tie together and have to go live at the same time. I know I'm cutting it awfully close, but there's a few hours before Summer Camp closes. I have until the end of the stream when Janet and Dimi throw the switch.
Saturday: I MADE IT. So down to the wire that I submitted the very last entry in three prompts.
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Good luck! I hope you have a great Summer Camp!
Thanks, and I hope the same for you. Here's to diamonds!