Summer Camp 2021 Pledge

Prep Homework Week 1 & 2

I can hardly believe this will be my 3rd Summer Camp here at WorldAnvil. These past years have gone by so fast. I have learned a lot about worldbuilding and writing, and the World Anvil community is one of the best on the internet. Last year I did not think I would get very far with Summer Camp due to health issues. I couldn't even concentrate enough to read a book, how would I be able to write? The opposite was true though. Summer Camp showed me that I could still write. I was unable to go to work at the time so I had nothing but time on my hands when I was awake. This situation is what allowed me to finish all prompts and get the diamond badge. This year will be very different as I will have to combine Summer Camp with work and not feeling well. We'll see how it goes.

Which project are your worldbuilding efforts tied to?

Ealdwyll came to be as the setting for a novel I was writing. I finished a few drafts of this novel but felt very unsatisfied with the story. Then I became ill and I had to put the idea of writing a novel aside. So now I worldbuild for fun, but I do plan to use the setting for future stories/novels.

What world are you working on?

Ealdwyll. It is my only public world so nothing else to choose from. I did manage to figure out the big What If for the setting this year, and it reads as follows: What if the key to the future lies in a past long forgotten? It fits both with the novel I was trying to write and the current situation the people of this setting are facing.

Which area of the world are you working on?

That will depend on the prompts really. But I hope to focus on Ippah and the Northern Clans. Basically those parts of my world that I haven't given much attention yet.

How much are you aiming to complete?

I aim to complete a minimum of ten prompts. But I do hope I can do more than that. However, I need to be realistic in my goals. My physical and mental health comes first. So if ten is the most I can do then I'll settle for that. I give myself permission not to feel bad if I don't finish more than that.

When will you write?

I want to try to write every day, but like I wrote before, my health comes first. My ability to go to work comes first. So there will be days where I won't do any writing because I feel too exhausted and need rest/sleep. I'll focus my writing mostly on days I am off work. But on workdays when I don't have to leave for work at 5.30 AM I will write in the mornings. Mornings are often my best time to write.

Who is your support network?

I don't have anyone supporting me in my day to day life, but I know I can turn to the WorldAnvil discord for support. So the people of the WA community are my support network!

I solemnly pledge to finish a minimum of ten prompts during Summer Camp 2021. And to not feel bad when that is all I manage to do.

— Rynn

Rewards

Each writing session

Make a fancy drink (iced matcha latte, camomile latte, ...) to get you through your writing session.

Five prompts

Make pancakes! I don't do this very often so it is a real treat for me.

Ten prompts

Buy those fancy latte glasses you have been eyeing for months.

Fifteen prompts

Order takeout. This will probably be sushi or thai.

Twenty prompts

A trip to the zoo. I'm not sure if this is a realistic reward since my body might not agree with it, so if I reach this reward it'll be something I'll do after Summer Camp.

Twenty-five prompts

Have lunch or dinner at a restaurant.

Thirty prompts

Make quesadilla's. I got tons of recipes for these but never try them out.

Thirty-one prompts

Get yourself something you always wanted. (Not sure yet what this will be)

Organizing my Worldbuilding

Categories

I already have an organisation system that I am happy with, so I don't plan to make any major changes. I might work some more on the category pages though. Some still need work. I make use of book-style covers for my categories which you can see in the screenshot. Figuring out the organisation of your world really helps a great deal with easily finding your way around. And since I sometimes get messages from readers who comment on how easy it is to navigate my world, I think perhaps somewhere down the line I did something right.

Images

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Dark Forest

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Foggy Forest

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Anu.jpeg

Anu3.jpeg

Boy1.jpeg

Boy7.jpeg

Child.jpeg

JarebBonavine.jpeg

Man15.jpeg

Man22.jpeg

Pulse Etiologist Nykàl Muvali

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Magicologist

Man3.jpeg

Man7-Roban.jpeg

Oldwoman3.jpeg

Inflictologist

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Witchmaster Copy screenshot.png

Witchmaster screenshot.png

Witchmaster2 screenshot.png

Woman.jpeg

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Woman6.jpeg

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Article layout

It is hard to make one layout which fits everything. But I think I managed to at least explain how I do my basic article layout. I am trying to be more creative with my layouts, but only started to do so very recently. So I think for Summer Camp I will stick to what I know best. And that is this type of layout. For article covers I use the ones I have, or if nothing fits I have the Summer Camp cover that I have been using for years. Which you can see at the top of this article. World Anvil did provide us with Summer Camp covers this year. Which is wonderful for those people who need them. It is nice not to have to worry about article covers during Summer Camp.

GET MORE READERS FOR YOUR WORLDBUILDING!

Social Media

I have to be honest, I don't want to spend a ton of time on social media. But for the past few months I have been active on Twitter. I started #WorldAnvilTBT a few weeks back and this has gotten me more traffic and followers. I plan to use Twitter throughout Summer Camp to post the articles I write. You can follow my Twitter here if you like. For now that is the only platform I'll focus on, but I would love to try Instagram at some point as well.

Subreddits and Groups

I have not had the courage yet to post any of my work on Reddit. I do have a Reddit account and have replied a few times to people, but more in the NoMansSkyTheGame Subreddit than anywhere else. I am a member of the following subreddits as well: FantasyWorldbuilding, worldbuilding, and WorldAnvil. I think at first I'll try the WorldAnvil subreddit. That seems the least scary.

World Anvil Discord

I have been part of the World Anvil Discord since 2019. All I can say about it is that it is worth joining. It's a great community, and during events like Summer Camp it is the perfect place to find support. Because I am much more conscious about my mental and physical health this time around, I am spending less time on Discord. I do check it daily if I can.

World Anvil Author’s Profile

I have had my author profile filled in for a while now. So nothing has really changed. I do hope to get some images/photo's for my profile at some point in the future. You can find my profile here. I do monthly updates with my journal, but during Summer Camp and WorldEmber I try to do them weekly.

Article Release Plan

Checklist before publishing

Cover Image: make sure a cover image has been set.

Formatting: make sure the formatting is to my liking.

Editing: fix typo's, readability, etc.

Minimum Wordcount: make sure the article has enough words.

Excerpt: has it been filled out?

Navigation: is the article in the correct category?

URL slug: change the slug.

Tags: add tags and don't forget the SC-2021 tag.

Checklist after publishing

Notify Followers: press that button. One time per article.

Post on WA Discord: post in guild-showcase.

Post on Twitter: use hashtags, including #WASummerCamp.

Post on Reddit: perhaps an overview once a week.

WorldAnvil Journal: post an update once a week.

Check notifications: Respond and try to read/like/comment back.

NOTE: I only share the most polished articles. During Summer Camp some articles are just barebones, and will need a ton of editing afterwards. If I feel an article is not up to standards I won't share it. It will go on the edit pile for a future #WorldAnvilTBT instead. The idea behind this is that during Summer Camp there is already thousands of articles being shared. Notification lists fill up. And I don't want to add on to that by sharing articles that really don't deserve it yet. To me, they are like caterpillars. Waiting for their time to transform, unfold their wings, and fly off into the world.