WorldEmber 2024 Homework

So, uh, apparently it's the month of november already and that means its time for WorldEmber prep! This will be my second ever worldEmber event participation! I'm a BIT excited.

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Week 1

Setting my goals

Like last year, this year i plan to focus heavely on worldbuidling. However, since i'm writing a lot during the month of November with Novelember going on, i'm unsure if i'll have the energy/motivation to write as much as i did in 2023, which was 32K. Nonetheless, after some internal debate, i concluded that 25K, the same goal i had last year, was feasible again this year.

Therefore, i hereby pledge to write 25 000 words once again this december.

Area of focus

In 2023, i largely focused on Arros, the place on which most of the story takes place in, as well as a tiny bit of Mahador, a very large continent to the south. This year, i want to focus mainly on the continent to the west of Arros, Enaskia. It's just across the sea and there's a lot of overlap between both of them in terms of culture, politics and stuff like religion and language. Mahador also has a closer connection to Enask in those aspects as well. TLDR, my focus this year is primarily the continent of Enask, as well as the continent of Mahador, to a lesser extent.
Here are some article ideas related to the continent of Enask:

• Kingdom of Darnia ((Organisation/Country) One of the world's oldest country, with a rich history and culture)
• Kingdom of Syrkania ((Organisation/Country) A rich coastal country north of Darnia full of big port cities)
• City of Kalosanthar ((Settlement) The largest city of Darnia and the entire continent, built on a big river delta)
• City of Aksa ((Organisation) Oldest Syrkanian city. Birthplace of Choranism, extremely wealthy and fiercely independent)
• Darnian Marches ((Geography) A flat, semi-desertic region in the middle of the continent prone to military conflicts)
• Tohta Pass ((Geography) A very strategic pass through the otherwise largely impassible Tarakom mountains)

And here are some articles ideas related to the continent of Mahador:

• Kingdom of Asderaan ((Organisation/Country) A kingdom completly made up of shapeshifters)
• City of Dor-Esim ((Settlement)) The capital city of the kingdom of Asderaan)
• Hydrask Isles ((Geography) A chain of tropical islands, full of pirates, freak storms and massive beasts)
• The Xejukan Wilds ((Geography) A giant jungle biome located in north-eastern Mahador)
• Tarankema region ((Geography) A large savana region that occupies most of eastern Mahador)

And a couple of other ideas i might get too:

• Mezzeran Horsemen ((Military formation) Elite cavalry unit from the Kavasian Empire)
• Omaren ((Character) The third main protagonist for the book series i'm writing)
• The Night Vale ((Geography) A region of the continent of Osian, full of toxic mist and eternal night)

There's also a few really exciting unoficial challenges running during december that i want to participate in, but i don't want to commit any ideas to them yet, as we are still 3 weeks out. Nevertheless, here they are for your enjoyment and possible participation!

Meta

No, i don't think i will.

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Week 2

Homepage and World Primer

For the homepage, i did a bit of clean up and rearagements during the summer, and so i'm satisfied with how it looks for now. I might do a few tweeks here and there, but nothing major. As for the world primer, i have one that will eventualy come out (Its still being worked on). I think it might be ready for sometime in january, since i'll have more time during that month to finish it.

Community tools

Adding a follow button on some articles, especialy ones featuring compilations of articles done during a challenge and stuff like that is something that i have though about before. Creating some sort of global content field and adding it to that is also in my plans. I don't think i'll do it before the end of the year, but i think i'll do it in January, along with the word primer.

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Week 3

Film and book Inspiration (Tv shows and Web comics included)

I find it pretty hard to pin-point what aspect or element each show/movie/book or comic i've watched in the past inspired in Hysal. i tend to pick and choose one or two aspects from media i consume that i like and see if i can integrate them into Hysal, without breaking the world lol. This Past month, i've watched Arcane (Great Show, highly recommend). It has a couple themes shared with my own work. Magic used in steampunk like tech is a big one that i find inspiring.

Moodboard

I actualy don't use a moodboard for Hysal, and i don't have an immediate use for them, so i'll pass on this specific aspect this week.

Music

I LOVE MUSIC, and i listen to it all the time! But, i don't have specific writing playlists. Or, rather, i have a few, but they aren't labeled that way since i listen to them not only when i write, but also when i read, draw, and even while playing some low-stakes games, like creative Minecraft or Cities: Skyline. Maybe i'll make a playlist dedicated specificaly for writing at some point, but i haven't felt the need yet. The playlists are largely of the non-vocal EDM variety. House and Drum and bass, mainly. It sootes my adhd brain and allows me to write more efficiently.

Week 4

Find a community

I recently, (as in the last month lol) found a great community on discord that have been a big help already, while also being a fantastic source of inspiration for my own work. And of course, i'm always grateful towards the rest of the Anvilite community for their great feedback and endless inspiration! So in terms of community for WorldEmber, i think i'm all set.

Writting Schedule

I usualy dedicate about 2-3 hours of writting per day. However, most days i do about 2 hours, since i'm easily distracted by other stuff. In december, i'll dedicate most of my evenings to writing, which will give me a bit more time. I plan to stick to a 3 hour writing session every day of december, appart for the 24th 25th and 26th, days in which i'll probably not write much at all.

Get some fresh air

Did World Anvil just tell us to... touch grass? You know, they're probably right, but i don't think telling us to go outside and away from our PCs is a great business plan for them. In all seriousness, while many people hate winter, i love it, but i usualy don't go outside often, no matter the season. This year, i'll try to get out some more and y'know, touch grass, or more likely this time of year, snow.

Still proud of this one :)

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My participation last year

Last year, i participated in worldEmber for the first time, with a goal of writing 25k words. Over the course of the entire month, i managed to write 32k words of world-building, as well as a prose article to conclude the month, which was the first time i had made my prose writing public. I was very pround of myself for surpassing my goal last year and hope to do the same this year, even if its by a single word. :)