2024 Summer Camp - Articles & Review

Articles

Change

Refuge

Belief

Decay

Wildcards Oops

I didn't respond to any wildcard prompts this year. They didn't match articles I wanted to write, nor did they inspire new ideas. They also weren't sponsored, so wouldn't help me overcome anxiety around being judged.

Extras

Avalanche

I took a break from talos to work on a new project: worldbuilding for a potential future novel. It was refreshing to work on something with no expectations or standards.
Though these articles fit prompts, I didn't submit them. If you want to check them out, you can read about a recovering necromancer, pieces of a shattered god, and what happens when a god splits in two. Can you guess which prompts I was thinking of?

Article Updates

Though older articles don't qualify for the challenge, I updated a few that fit some of this year's prompts. I'd like to add a couple more to this list through August.

Mother of the Stars

A charity or other organization focused on doing good.
A faction of an organisation built on belief.

The Scream

An environmental or other large-scale natural disaster.

Glow Market

A settlement considered a refuge.

New Argos Radio Tower

A building associated with joy and fun.

Juliet

A personal item that keeps you safe.

In progress: Protectorate

An organization focused on doing good.

Maybe next?: Perimeter Agency

An organization fighting corruption.

Stats

Word Counts

Per WA refers to the WA word count, which includes BBCode. "Actual" is copy/pasting the presentation into a word counter.

Total

6,972 per WA
5,548 actual

Average

871 per WA
693 actual

Least

Studio
715 per WA
544 actual

Most

Rada
1,226 per WA
966 actual

Superlatives

My Favorite

Metadimensional Extraversion Syndrome

Much of my writing this year has talked up the power of psionics as well as the consequences of having that power. This article helped me make clear the duality of the condition.

Fan Favorites

Feral (by likes)
MES (by comments)
Rada (by views)

Hardest to Write

Rada

I haven't figured out yet how I want to write planet articles. I struggled to convey the planet's history and appearance along with its most pressing story of rebellion, and rewrote the article multiple times before I was happy with it.

Themes

Psionics & Space Travel

Delving into these topics have been big goals for me this year, and I got to explore both throughout July. It helps that they're both strongly tied to the metadimension. My final article on Rada related to both themes.

Formatting

I used a lot of [concol][hr][/concol] this year to create half-width dividing lines between topics. I enjoyed the extra space it provided, and how it helped the articles feel less condensed.
I also ended multiple articles with a quote that gave an in-universe perspective on the topic. The goal is to demonstrate how the article's topic presents itself in the world and what sort of stories might be told with it. I'll likely keep doing this going forward.

Experience

Pros:

• Wrote meaningful articles I'm happy with
• Loved updating old articles
• Enjoyed poking a new side project
• Met my goals

My biggest struggle was finding a place in the WA community. Some vocal members take their enthusiasm to rabid levels, and become aggressive toward people like me who think differently. I got tired of being told the way my brain works is wrong and muted the official SC chat for the month. The diamond-locked prompt cemented the feeling that I don't belong in the event.
Next year, I could focus on updating existing articles that match the prompts and not participate in the real event. Alternatively, I could create a new project at the start of the event and retire it at the end, so the prompts are the goal instead of a conflict. We'll see what 2025 brings when we get there.

Cons:

• I don't like publishing incomplete articles, but it's exhausting to write 8+ complete articles in 1 month
• I already know what I want to write, and the prompts force me to choose between the event and my goals

Interactive Table