TJ's WorldEmber 2023 Plans & Progress

My plans, pledge, pixels, and progress for WorldEmber 2023!

This article is an overview of my plans & progress for WorldEmber 2023!

Homework completion:

4/4

Homework & Prep

Week One

Area of focus

This is a fresh, new world to explore :D
My area of focus will be:

to write about the core concepts of this world

and to make an introduction article!

If you'd like a sneak peek, you can see some early ideas in my world meta.

Zendu field by TJ Trewin

I'll be starting in a region called Zendu and will write about the folks who live there, the floating islands, quirky creatures, delicious food, and the mysterious history of the ruins.

Pledge

For December 2023, I pledge to write at least 10,000 words of worldbuilding on core concepts for Journals of Yesteryear. I make this promise to myself, my wholesome and supportive friends, my readers and fans, and to anyone who needs more colourful pixels and joy in their life.

— TJ Trewin

Pixel pledge by TJ Trewin

Week Two

Mini meta

Scope: The temperate region of Zendu and nearby locales
Themes: Magic, exploration, floaty islands, derpy creatures, tasty food!
Mood: Bright, colourful, optimistic-leaning
Goals: 10k+ words and one article in each category
Inspiration: Check out the list in my full world meta!

— TJ Trewin

by TJ Trewin

The world primer section will have core articles so you can get a quick taster of what this setting is about!

Categories

My categories are all set up and I've made a custom menu in my side navigation! My bonus goal for WorldEmber will be to make at least one article for each of these categories :D

Inspirations

Lately I've been super inspired by Catoblepon's use of categories (especially in Shattered). They really make use of this underrated World Anvil feature and I'd like my category pages to be as useful and visually engaging as theirs are!
On the topic of categories, I also love how Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull uses immersive quotes for theirs in Etrea and how Ademal has used some category pages in Ethnis for her standalone stories!

Week Three

Reviewing the homepage

I've written an immersive elevator pitch for my world on the homepage and this sparked the idea for having my introduction article as a guild fair! :D You'll be able to visit different stalls and the vendors will tell you about what's going on in the world around you.
When the article is live, I'll make a cute little guild fair ticket as a button to click on the homepage :D For now though, I've added some colourful bunting with five different guilds represented! I can't wait to write about these during WorldEmber!!
Click to reveal the elevator pitch!

Floating islands drift lazily amidst fluffy, picturesque clouds in the perfectly blue sky - you watch for a while as a magnificent airship soars high above waves of grass in the distant fields, casting a shadow over the centuries-old jindo ruins below.
The gentle spring breeze carries the wonderful aroma of freshly baked delicacies, and the sound of laughter and animated discussions turns your attention to the brightly coloured tents of the annual guild fair you're here to explore.
In your excitement you almost drop your entry ticket, but with an instinctive flourish of magic you return it to your hand before it falls - your thumb returns to idly running along its perforated edges and embossed text as you head towards the entrance.

Week Four

Last minute prep

Time for some last minute prep! I've been adding some extra shine to my CSS and have started to write down some article title ideas in my worldbuilding planner!
I also did three 30-minute writing sprints to see what my writing speed is like this year, and got an average of 27 words per minute. Plugging this info into my worldbuilding planner along with my goal (and some planned days of rest) means that I should set aside around 1hr 15mins or so each day for writing during WorldEmber and I'll be on track :D

As part of my WorldEmber prep, I'm also taking part in Wordigirl's Unofficial Mapvember Challenge!

Update: I finished 30/30!

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Here are the unofficial challenges I plan on taking part in during WorldEmber! If you're running one, let me know :D

Planning ideas

Click to open in a new tab

Hey, while we're waiting for the event to begin - what have you got planned for WorldEmber this year? :D
Feel free to share your article with me in the comments and I'll take a look!