World Ember Prep '24: The Sky Sea

by worldanvil

Week 1

Everything so far written about the Sky Sea is in The Mundane Plane This information is vague, incomplete, and in need of a tidy-up before World Ember begins. To help focus the project, I am creating a mini-meta.

Sky Sea Mini-Meta

Scope: I am writing this primarily so that when the characters in my novel cross from Lipansi to Uram this area of the world is as alive as the Terra. I imagine it as a counterpoint to the more traditional fantasy lands of the terras with its strange sea-like creatures and sailing ships in space.
Theme: The Sky Sea is more than a place to travel from one chunk of land to another. It has its unique conflicts. There is a new race, the Naga, who are at odds with the humans. Merchants and wealthy travelers attract pirates. And finally, there is indiscriminate whalers versus the Folk trying to protect the Sky Sea from ecological disaster.
The Sky Sea is about swashbuckling adventure. It is beyond the safety of the Terra : both its governments and its atmosphere. The only law is the captain and the only thing protecting Folk is their skyship. It includes the themes of self-reliance, native vs. alien, and preservation vs. plunder.
Focus Points (or where to start):

Ecology. This is an alien landscape as compared with the terra.

The Naga. The native Folk.

The vessels: those used by the Folk living on the Terras and those used by the Naga.

And if there are words left, some places might be nice.

Week 2

1. Review Your Homepage. Naiyam's home page still needs art. However, I added two new categories for the table of contents and their icons.
2. Create or Review Your World Primer. I started creating a world primer. In doing so I learned how to use the mention system and variables. It needs considerable editing as well as quite a few companion articles. For example, it lists all the Terra but only one has an article (and it's a stub).
3. Set Up Your Community Tools. I only really pay attention to my Instagram account and only then post pictures of crocheted gnomes. Maybe someday, Naiyam will feature in my social media but not yet.
4. CSS Wizardry. I am interested in CSS, but right now, I am excited that I figured out icons, the mention system, and variables. I must learn to walk before I run.

Week 3

This week was much easier than last week's homework since I have been gathering inspiration for the Sky Sea for months.
1. Read a book or Watch a Movie. The hardest part was finding something I felt had much in common with the Sky Sea. The closest is the anime series "Drifting Dragons". I've watched it before and it inspired the whalers and the wildlife in the Sky Sea. I had forgotten the relationship between the "Drakers" and the townspeople. I want to explore the conflict that the townspeople want the whale products but don't want crude, drunk sailors around. It also raised questions. Are there storms in the Sky Sea? What parts of sky whales are used? What real sea life do I want to use for the wildlife in the Sky Sea?
I also watched the fish episode from BBC's "Life" series which highlighted how different species have evolved to solve the challenges of living. I think keeping evolutionary pressures such as food, finding a mate, and raising young, in mind as I create the wildlife of the Sky Sea will result in a more dynamic and realistic environment.

2. Create a Moodboard. Naiyam has a board on my Pinterest account for years now. At the start of the week, the Sky Sea had one sub-board; It now has three. I decided for my sanity to create separate sub-boards for skyships and Naga. The original sub-board is now just for wildlife and environmental inspirations. I also continued to add pictures to all three sub-boards during the week.

3. Create or Expand Your Writing Playlist. I don't do music. Well, I do but not to write. I briefly played with the idea of a soundtrack, but after examining the preliminary attempt, I decided that it just wasn't going to serve a purpose.

Week 4

1. Find a Community. I am a bit shy but am trying to become more active on the World Anvil discord. In addition to that, I plan to use my creative partner, my daughter. She is excellent at providing motivation, inspiration, and even some guidance. I am also trying to get my new gaming group to look at my work.
2. Plan your writing schedule. I tried to cancel Christmas. My family rebelled. Less glibly, I have talked to them about how much I am looking forward to participating in World Ember and asked for their help to ensure I have some undisturbed writing time. They seem to understand how important this is to me.
Also, I have spent the last two months trying to get Christmas presents made before the 30th. I have not entirely succeeded. I am closer to completing them than in previous years. I plan to use the late evening hours to finish them when I find my creativity ebbing.
3. Get some Fresh Air. No. I have 3 stuffed animals for Christmas presents and two gnomes that are promised to finish and World Ember is just two days away. Who has time to rest!?!