WorldEmber 2023 Pledge and Homework

WorldEmber approaches once again, and for the first time, I find myself participating in the prep homework. The possibility of failure is terrifying, but I know I can do this. I've done it before.

Homework

Week 1 - The Focus

My focus will be new creatures, primarily Glowbeasts and especially dragons. I want magical creatures to be a strong presence in SanZera, but I only have a handful of articles about them! This year I intend to fix that.

I have always loved writing about fantasy creatures. Over time, though, my perfectionism convinced me that I couldn't write about them, because I had an "obligation" to "finish" the parts of my worldbuilding that I didn't like as much first.

That's all hogwash, of course. I do this for fun. I want to have fun. I'm going to write about dragons.

Week 2 - The Mini-Meta

Scope

As mentioned earlier, I intend to write about magical creatures this December. The geographic scope is across either of the two continents of Sanoris or Auzera. However, to help narrow things to something more manageable, I'm going to focus primarily on dragons and similar beasts!

I'm probably going to be writing about a lot of creatures that fly, but I'm not going to limit myself to only flying beasts. If I am hit with inspiration for a cool creature that isn't a dragon, I'm not going to stop myself from writing about it!

Theme

I want to create a theme of discovery and adventure this WorldEmber. I'm going to start with the wildlife, but in the process I'm certain to create lots of branching stubs about different environments around SanZera. This way, I can make SanZera seem more colorful and interesting! I want to create the "wow I wish I could go there and see that!!" feeling.

I want to lean into the "Rule of Cool" and not restrict myself just because something seems implausible. While I love to use science to inform SanZera's mechanics, it's ultimately a magical world! I want to allow SanZera to be magical without worrying about the technicalities too much.

Foundational Articles

I think my categories are organized well enough, so instead I am focusing on completing and publishing three foundational articles ahead of December. These articles are going to be referenced a lot during WorldEmber, so it's important that I get them out there!

Along with the articles, I want to complete some new art that I can use during the month ahead of time, so that drawing doesn't have to cut into my writing time as much. I've already made a list of some of the things I want to draw, and I'm excited to get it done!

Week 3 - The Homepage

The homework for this week was to spruce up our homepage. I really wasn't sure what to do with that, so I instead took the time to make some of that art I was talking about! I also published two out of three of the articles I mentioned in the Mini Meta (Celestial Aura and Floating Islands)! So I'd say that counts as good progress.

Week 4 - Final Preparations NAPTIME!

This week is all about preparing for WorldEmber by cleaning up the writing space, gathering snacks, etc. I came down with a cold, though, so this week is just about naps for me. Lots of naps. And tissues.

I'll probably be healthy again by the time WorldEmber officially starts. Until then... goodnight! (and good luck!!)

Wordcount Goal

10,000

Articles Written During WorldEmber 2023

Dragon Wings

Glowbeam

Glowblast

Glowbolt

Glowpulse

Odeelo

Paradise Wyvern

Ribboned Wyvern

Royal Kite

Shadow Wyvern

Tower Vex

Wyvern