Summer Camp 2022 Pledge

Creative Goal

Unlike my previous attempt at SummerCamp, this year I will be branching off from my usual plan of working on my big novel and instead taking a break and not overworking the material by working on some more obscure material for a stand-alone novella set in the same world! I am super stoked to be working with some fresh characters, places, scenery, and all, not to put down any of my other work already done in this world (please don't be offended, sweet characters of mine! XD). By taking my work to another area of the world, I can take a step back for a minute and have a bit of fun and a breather before buckling down to work on the manuscript for my other project again.
This branching out is going to take place in a region I wrote an article on last SummerCamp and re-reading it more recently has re-ignited the creative juices for reviving an old idea I had for a spinoff set in this area. It's pretty cool (and a bit ironic) how one year's SummerCamp paves the way for the next one to be even better! While I do not expect to be writing any of the manuscript for this project at all, I am hoping to get a ton of the regional world-building in place for me to start the process of putting the story together.

Motivation

Since I am starting out very fresh, open-minded, and with a big wide world to tinker with, I am looking to make more basic and general articles as that will help me establish a lot of key points early on. I am really motivated to make it past my Copper Badge which I (proudly) earned last year and want to take this daily writing challenge a step further and not get burnt out by the process. Phrases such as 'its a marathon, not a sprint' came to mind while I was preparing for this endeavor and I think this mindset is very fitting for this type of project.

Challenge Goal

As I mentioned before, I earned a Copper Badge last year and I am looking to earn at least Silver (or more!) this year! While that means doubling or tripling the work I put into this last year, I am much more rested, healthy, and inspired to take this challenge by the horns. :)

Theme Ideas

Copper: Expanse

• Dune region east of Is
• Mesa canyons
• Furnace pits under Is
• Salt flats

Silver: Leadership

• Emperor and empirical society
• aviation generals
• sand legion captains
• glass factory owner

Gold: Discovery

• Glass/ furnace pit creation
• Water cisterns
• Secrets to glider flight
• Coloring glass

Diamond: Monstrous

• Glass slavery
• Massacre from the east
• Drought
• Empirical hierarchy

Inspiration

Inspiration for this project came in many different forms: through pictures, literature, and my own experiences on trips out to the desert. When I saw some of my family members putting on zinc-heavy sunscreen and their faces turning white, I wondered if our skin was that white all the time if it would help refract sunlight off our bodies. Thus Isuldians became a thing in my mind.
Here are my photo resources: https://www.pinterest.com/linen_and_tweed/isul/

My quest this SummerCamp is to bring life to the pale people of Isul and discover what makes their civilization not only survive in the harshest of hot deserts but thrive.

A few important images key to my inspiration for this project

The colors of the sand in this photo captures the redness of Isuldian landscape and scenery

Both the attitude of curiosity and the paleness of this child are exactly how I imagine Isuldian children interacting with their environment