TJ's WorldEmber 2022 Pledge
WorldEmber is coming... are you ready?
How to prepare for WorldEmber
- Check out the World Anvil blog for the latest information on upcoming events.
- Take part in the homework club, even if it's just a read-through!
- Set a manageable goal for yourself, and allocate days off for rest.*
- Try calculating your average writing speed when worldbuilding to see how long a chunk of words might take you to write.*
- Find an accountability group or partner by joining in the World Anvil Discord server, or write along with folks doing writing sprints on Twitch!
- Make sure your reason for worldbuilding is sound. If you're doing it for a badge or a prize, you'll program yourself to only want to worldbuild if you get those rewards. In doing so you run the risk of destroying your passion for worldbuilding, check out some healthier examples in the next section that you can use!
- Plan a list of ideas that you want to explore during the challenge!*
* Check out my resources in the sidebar of this article if you want a free tool to use to help with this :D
I've been making an alternative use of the Mapvember challenge to brainstorm ideas ready to write into articles later! (Nobody said what kind of maps you had to make)!
Goals & reasons for worldbuilding
| Healthy Goals | Unhealthy Goals |
|---|---|
| I want to write 10k this WorldEmber on things that I feel like writing! | I will write 10k this WorldEmber so I can get that shiny badge! |
| I will aim for writing 25k this WorldEmber because I have lots of things I want to write, but it's okay if I only get 10k! | This year I want to get X more followers on my world, so I'm going to write 25k of worldbuilding that will appeal to other people! |
| I want to aim for writing 50k this WorldEmber! I know what I can aim for each day and I've have planned for days of rest so that I don't burn out. | Even though my schedule is too busy in December with everything going on, I will get my 25k done no matter what! |
| I just want to focus on a little bit of worldbuilding this year and be proud of what I do. I'm not worried about reaching 10k, I just like taking part! | December is a really busy month for me, so I'm going to rush doing 10k in the first few days to get it done and out of the way! |
| I have other priorities this year, so I'm going to sit this one out. Have fun everyone! | I'm really burnt out this year but I'm going to push for the 10k anyway so at least I can say I've done something. |
World Ember Pledge 2022 by generated by World Anvil
During WorldEmber this year, I pledge to write new worldbuilding within Melior with the intention of reaching 10,000 words this month. My goal is to have fun, make sure my friends are also having fun, encourage self-care and banish burnout.
I promise to take care for my own health and wellbeing over acquiring a digital badge and I will set aside more time for uplifting my friends and fellow worldbuilders to help them reach their goals this December!
Question:
What steps will you add to your pledge to make sure you don't burn out?
What steps will you add to your pledge to make sure you don't burn out?
Organizing & Tidying
Encouraged by the WorldEmber homework, I have done a major clean up of my world's CSS theme and made it more accessible by making sure that all of the colours and combinations used meet or exceed the WCAG 2.1 standards. I've also taken great inspiration from folks in the community to organize my categories and articles, add in global breadcrumb and article ToC navigation! AND I've even cleaned up my tags! Check them out here:TJ's Top Tips
- If a picture is worth 1,000 words, why not get at least ten images ready to inspire your writing?
- Answer ANY prompt in 300 words or more by writing 50 words for each question: WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHY, WHEN, and HOW?
- Keep your burnout in check and go at your own pace.
- Only do what YOU want to do.
- ONLY COMPETE WITH YOUR PAST SELF.
Planning Ahead for WorldEmber
I made a planning tool in Google Sheets to help me sort out my jumbled ideas, give them priorities and also help me decide what to do next! So far I've added in my list of existing stubs and set a priority level for each of them so that I know what's the most important for me to create during WorldEmber this year. I figured other folks here might find it useful too, so I made it available as a FREE (or pay what you want) resource that anyone can use!Grab your worldbuilding planner here (or click the pictures below)!
Go, TJ, go! I will not burn out by just doing a little bit each day, and not beating myself up if I miss a day. :)
That sounds great! You've got this :D