2023 SC Reading Challenge
Well, Summer Camp has come and gone. I think this was my favorite yet. I gave myself a little more free reign by not focusing on a single world this year, which resulted in several articles which show how the three worlds are interconnected. I look forward to cleaning these up in the future and adding in some multi-verse links. In more specific terms, I've been writing in my world of Nideon for 15-20 years, and building pieces as necessary. Some of the things I wrote this year felt like I was finally stitching those pieces together into a full-sized world quilt.
I've read a couple hundred articles this season, and been awed and astounded by many of them. As proud as I am of what I created, some of these make me feel like a creative amateur. But interacting with the people you admire is one of the best ways to improve, so here's a handful of articles I enjoyed reading and the lessons I learned from them.
Note: I'm using they/them pronouns for everyone here because I don't know folks' preferences and don't want to misgender them. If I mention your article, and you prefer different pronouns, please let me know, and I will change them!
Prompt: A Form of Silent Communication
Prompt: A Form of Silent Communication
Thoughts on writing in-world articles
Like me, Kefkejaco has a world filled with secrets and hidden histories. I've struggled for a while with how to do this. I like how they use the opt-in subscriber group system to allow visitors to read or not read the secrets as they wish. This actually inspired me to use a spoiler tag to explain the secrets of my Oath of the Forest article.
I've followed AmielieIS closely this Summer Camp. All of their articles were done as in-world documents--pamphlets, notes, etc. I don't know if this style would really fit every article for Nideon, though I have tried it a couple of times. The Overlap, on the other hand, has always been narrated by an in-world character, and I wrote two articles at the end of summer camp from a different perspective. In short, I'd like to play around more with in-world documentation and seeing how I can make it work for me.
Kbignell's article is also written from the point of view of an in-world character, showing the wide variety of ways that worldbuilders can do this. Reading this article also makes me realize that playing with narration and using in-world documentation will also give me the ability to practice writing in different character's voices.
Prompt: An Animal Associated With, or Symbolizing Power
Some notes on formatting
Not only has Tuisku written several of their Summer Camp articles about real life things in compelling ways, but their articles have some of my favorite formatting. The best part is how simple they are--good placement of columns and creative uses of the sidebar make the articles stunning to look at and easy to read. I have some articles I've done in the past that I feel utilized my formatting options well, but reading Tuisku's I know I need to spend more time playing around with my options.
This article is a great example of making a pretty article merely by keeping things short and sweet. Sometimes I worry that people will gloss over my articles if they are too short, but FirethornDragon's work reminds me that sometimes less is more. They also do a great job here of connecting everything, for a very tightly written article.
Sometimes, when you don't know what to do with that pesky sidebar, it can be a good idea to just eliminate it altogether, which is what Keon Croucher did with this article. Taking out the sidebar and using the fullwidth footer are tools I've used some, but really not enough. Keon Croucher also uses some great metaphors in this, which are well suited to their subject matter.
Prompt: A Resource that Provides Fuel or Power
A Case Study
Having already written about Magic for this prompt before, I couldn't think of anything that didn't already exist irl (and thus didn't really need an article detailing it.) Since I finally settled on Wood, I decided to see how some other people who chose the same material tackled it.
I actually had a conversation with PrissyMontyPoppyCock in the discord chat about writing about wood, so I knew I had to read their article. I loved seeing how vastly different the articles were. Whereas I handled the familiar topic by detailing specific cultural significance, they went with a narrative style that ruminates on the importance of wood and its power over people, in a sense.
LoreParmenter takes this in yet another direction. It looks like they used the template sections to provide short, direct answers. Though there is some mention of specific elements of their world, it's mostly ordinary facts that probably apply to our world. Still, the brief descriptions make for an easy and interesting read--I particularly liked the inclusion of "life and expiration" and "environmental impact." I think this shows how short, direct responses to the article templates can make for a clear and concise article.
Candace B briefly touches on the historical significance of wood in a particular area which it pertinent to their world. This shows how, by zeroing on specific details, someone can make something mundane feel a little more fantastic, and that's what I'm all about.
Royalfa didn't just write about firewood, but fire wood--a type of wood that is particularly good for fire spells (and the tree looks kind of fiery too.) I love the the play on words and how they built on expectations to write a compelling article.
Plans for the Next Six Months
I'd really like to be able to put out about 1 article a week. I have a tendency to binge and purge in my relationship with WA, and it'd be nice to develop more of a steady habit. "Putting out an article" could include something brand new, or, more likely cleaning up older articles, of which there are many that need it. Though I'm likely to focus on Nideon, some other specific articles I would like to hit are:
- A proper primer for The Overlap
- An article about the Voiceless of Milon
- Cleaning up/fleshing out the articles of the 13 magic systems of the Overlap--I think I'll start with two or three.
- Probably some more work on the Voiceless language, though I don't really think I'll finish it. That's a big task.
I think working on my Chronicle for Nideon might also help (I mostly just want a place where I can look at broad strokes while I stitch things together) and I'd kind of like to put up some of my short fiction, in addition to finishing out the unpublished chapters of Natural Magic. Finally, I also have a quilt to make.
Like me, Kefkejaco has a world filled with secrets and hidden histories. I've struggled for a while with how to do this. I like how they use the opt-in subscriber group system to allow visitors to read or not read the secrets as they wish. This actually inspired me to use a spoiler tag to explain the secrets of my Oath of the Forest article.
I've followed AmielieIS closely this Summer Camp. All of their articles were done as in-world documents--pamphlets, notes, etc. I don't know if this style would really fit every article for Nideon, though I have tried it a couple of times. The Overlap, on the other hand, has always been narrated by an in-world character, and I wrote two articles at the end of summer camp from a different perspective. In short, I'd like to play around more with in-world documentation and seeing how I can make it work for me.
Kbignell's article is also written from the point of view of an in-world character, showing the wide variety of ways that worldbuilders can do this. Reading this article also makes me realize that playing with narration and using in-world documentation will also give me the ability to practice writing in different character's voices.
Prompt: An Animal Associated With, or Symbolizing Power
Some notes on formatting
Not only has Tuisku written several of their Summer Camp articles about real life things in compelling ways, but their articles have some of my favorite formatting. The best part is how simple they are--good placement of columns and creative uses of the sidebar make the articles stunning to look at and easy to read. I have some articles I've done in the past that I feel utilized my formatting options well, but reading Tuisku's I know I need to spend more time playing around with my options.
This article is a great example of making a pretty article merely by keeping things short and sweet. Sometimes I worry that people will gloss over my articles if they are too short, but FirethornDragon's work reminds me that sometimes less is more. They also do a great job here of connecting everything, for a very tightly written article.
Sometimes, when you don't know what to do with that pesky sidebar, it can be a good idea to just eliminate it altogether, which is what Keon Croucher did with this article. Taking out the sidebar and using the fullwidth footer are tools I've used some, but really not enough. Keon Croucher also uses some great metaphors in this, which are well suited to their subject matter.
Prompt: A Resource that Provides Fuel or Power
A Case Study
Having already written about Magic for this prompt before, I couldn't think of anything that didn't already exist irl (and thus didn't really need an article detailing it.) Since I finally settled on Wood, I decided to see how some other people who chose the same material tackled it.
I actually had a conversation with PrissyMontyPoppyCock in the discord chat about writing about wood, so I knew I had to read their article. I loved seeing how vastly different the articles were. Whereas I handled the familiar topic by detailing specific cultural significance, they went with a narrative style that ruminates on the importance of wood and its power over people, in a sense.
LoreParmenter takes this in yet another direction. It looks like they used the template sections to provide short, direct answers. Though there is some mention of specific elements of their world, it's mostly ordinary facts that probably apply to our world. Still, the brief descriptions make for an easy and interesting read--I particularly liked the inclusion of "life and expiration" and "environmental impact." I think this shows how short, direct responses to the article templates can make for a clear and concise article.
Candace B briefly touches on the historical significance of wood in a particular area which it pertinent to their world. This shows how, by zeroing on specific details, someone can make something mundane feel a little more fantastic, and that's what I'm all about.
Royalfa didn't just write about firewood, but fire wood--a type of wood that is particularly good for fire spells (and the tree looks kind of fiery too.) I love the the play on words and how they built on expectations to write a compelling article.
Plans for the Next Six Months
I'd really like to be able to put out about 1 article a week. I have a tendency to binge and purge in my relationship with WA, and it'd be nice to develop more of a steady habit. "Putting out an article" could include something brand new, or, more likely cleaning up older articles, of which there are many that need it. Though I'm likely to focus on Nideon, some other specific articles I would like to hit are:
- A proper primer for The Overlap
- An article about the Voiceless of Milon
- Cleaning up/fleshing out the articles of the 13 magic systems of the Overlap--I think I'll start with two or three.
- Probably some more work on the Voiceless language, though I don't really think I'll finish it. That's a big task.
I think working on my Chronicle for Nideon might also help (I mostly just want a place where I can look at broad strokes while I stitch things together) and I'd kind of like to put up some of my short fiction, in addition to finishing out the unpublished chapters of Natural Magic. Finally, I also have a quilt to make.
Not only has Tuisku written several of their Summer Camp articles about real life things in compelling ways, but their articles have some of my favorite formatting. The best part is how simple they are--good placement of columns and creative uses of the sidebar make the articles stunning to look at and easy to read. I have some articles I've done in the past that I feel utilized my formatting options well, but reading Tuisku's I know I need to spend more time playing around with my options.
This article is a great example of making a pretty article merely by keeping things short and sweet. Sometimes I worry that people will gloss over my articles if they are too short, but FirethornDragon's work reminds me that sometimes less is more. They also do a great job here of connecting everything, for a very tightly written article.
Sometimes, when you don't know what to do with that pesky sidebar, it can be a good idea to just eliminate it altogether, which is what Keon Croucher did with this article. Taking out the sidebar and using the fullwidth footer are tools I've used some, but really not enough. Keon Croucher also uses some great metaphors in this, which are well suited to their subject matter.
Prompt: A Resource that Provides Fuel or Power
A Case Study
Having already written about Magic for this prompt before, I couldn't think of anything that didn't already exist irl (and thus didn't really need an article detailing it.) Since I finally settled on Wood, I decided to see how some other people who chose the same material tackled it.
I actually had a conversation with PrissyMontyPoppyCock in the discord chat about writing about wood, so I knew I had to read their article. I loved seeing how vastly different the articles were. Whereas I handled the familiar topic by detailing specific cultural significance, they went with a narrative style that ruminates on the importance of wood and its power over people, in a sense.
LoreParmenter takes this in yet another direction. It looks like they used the template sections to provide short, direct answers. Though there is some mention of specific elements of their world, it's mostly ordinary facts that probably apply to our world. Still, the brief descriptions make for an easy and interesting read--I particularly liked the inclusion of "life and expiration" and "environmental impact." I think this shows how short, direct responses to the article templates can make for a clear and concise article.
Candace B briefly touches on the historical significance of wood in a particular area which it pertinent to their world. This shows how, by zeroing on specific details, someone can make something mundane feel a little more fantastic, and that's what I'm all about.
Royalfa didn't just write about firewood, but fire wood--a type of wood that is particularly good for fire spells (and the tree looks kind of fiery too.) I love the the play on words and how they built on expectations to write a compelling article.
Plans for the Next Six Months
I'd really like to be able to put out about 1 article a week. I have a tendency to binge and purge in my relationship with WA, and it'd be nice to develop more of a steady habit. "Putting out an article" could include something brand new, or, more likely cleaning up older articles, of which there are many that need it. Though I'm likely to focus on Nideon, some other specific articles I would like to hit are:
- A proper primer for The Overlap
- An article about the Voiceless of Milon
- Cleaning up/fleshing out the articles of the 13 magic systems of the Overlap--I think I'll start with two or three.
- Probably some more work on the Voiceless language, though I don't really think I'll finish it. That's a big task.
I think working on my Chronicle for Nideon might also help (I mostly just want a place where I can look at broad strokes while I stitch things together) and I'd kind of like to put up some of my short fiction, in addition to finishing out the unpublished chapters of Natural Magic. Finally, I also have a quilt to make.
I actually had a conversation with PrissyMontyPoppyCock in the discord chat about writing about wood, so I knew I had to read their article. I loved seeing how vastly different the articles were. Whereas I handled the familiar topic by detailing specific cultural significance, they went with a narrative style that ruminates on the importance of wood and its power over people, in a sense.
LoreParmenter takes this in yet another direction. It looks like they used the template sections to provide short, direct answers. Though there is some mention of specific elements of their world, it's mostly ordinary facts that probably apply to our world. Still, the brief descriptions make for an easy and interesting read--I particularly liked the inclusion of "life and expiration" and "environmental impact." I think this shows how short, direct responses to the article templates can make for a clear and concise article.
Candace B briefly touches on the historical significance of wood in a particular area which it pertinent to their world. This shows how, by zeroing on specific details, someone can make something mundane feel a little more fantastic, and that's what I'm all about.
Royalfa didn't just write about firewood, but fire wood--a type of wood that is particularly good for fire spells (and the tree looks kind of fiery too.) I love the the play on words and how they built on expectations to write a compelling article.
I love the focus on wood. It's always fun to see how different people approach the same topic. :D
Thanks! I love when people include irl things, but then I always feel silly when I do it, so I think it was a good exercise for me.