Summer Camp Prep 2026
Welcome to Shrug City, P.
Yeah, so I have no idea what is going on, and I have never participated in the World Anvil Summer Camp or any other official challenges, so I am flying kind of blind here. BUT I am a teacher on summer break, and for one of the first summers in my relationship, my wife has a job over the summer, and I don't. Anyways, I have a LOT of time on my hands, so I thought I might as well try.
I think I'm going to copy and paste the rules and assignments and add my answers as I go. Feel free to leave comments and let me know if I'm doing this right.
Week 1: Love
This year we're theming Summer Camp around the four seasons, and the first theme, based on spring, is Love! Love doesn't have to be romantic, and it definitely doesn't have to be between people (patriotism, hobbies...). Before continuing, take a moment to think about various manifestations of love in your world.
Assignment: Pledge Your Goal
So obviously, since I haven't done this before, I'm not going to pledge to do too much of it. We'll see what I accomplish. Who knows?
Hopscotch Assignments
If you already have a world, use this week to review it and update it where necessary. Worldbuilding is usually a non-linear process, so it's very easy to end up with internal inconsistencies, information gaps, or outdated content. This step ensures your world will be ready for a bunch of new content next month.
Hop 1: Review and update your homepage and world primer. (Completed)
Okay, I definitely need to work on my homepage for Terra. Even though I've been slowly adding to this world for years, I really only started looking at the customization options on World Anvil at the beginning of the summer, so this prompt is perfect for me!
I'm doing it! I am so proud of how the homepage is looking so far. I've been working with Canva and different image libraries to update the banners for the homepage and my categories. I still want to play around with the custom fields, but it is looking so much better already with the new banners and background.
Hop 2: Review your maps and timelines: Do you need new ones? (In Progress)
Okay, so I have been working with the Azgarr Fantasy Map Generator to make a very detailed map of the world, and it's looking great! I just need to uhhhh... figure out how to upload it to World Anvil. The original file is so detailed and you can zoom in and it has so many features and it's just so cool! I want to see if there's a way to preserve all the features while bringing it to World Anvil so this is In Progress.
Hop 3: Create or update your world's meta document. (Completed)
I made edits to the meta by adding a lot of description for the inspiration for the world and the overall look of each region. Take a look !
Hop 4: Update old articles from your world, OR Create some articles to get a feel for your world. (Completed)
I made huge improvements on a few articles, including one for a country, Oceana. While reading the article, you get a much better feel for the country, including the history and how the country went from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one.
Optional Warm-Up Prompt
To start developing the theme of love in your world, we have a worldbuilding prompt for you! If you choose to accept this optional assignment, answer this prompt with a Settlement article:
Write a Settlement that's associated with love.
This could be due to a famous love story involving the city, because a loved person lives there, because of a festival that celebrates love, or anything else you can think of! (Completed)
I came up with the idea for this city in the beginning of week 1 but didn't fully get around to it until the end of June, but now that it's finished, I love it! I found the real-life dance Saltarello while I was searching through common-use resources and paintings, etc to add to my articles and I was immediately inspired by the song. Check it out!
Week 2: Growth
Summer brings warmth and sunlight, and with it, nature grows to its full splendor! But "growth" doesn't apply to only plants and animals. People grow intellectually, cities grow in size, and a faction's influence can grow to reach every corner of society. So what kinds of things are known for having grown recently in your world?
Assignment: Choose Your Area of Focus
Where will you focus your worldbuilding? If you don't set boundaries for your Summer Camp worldbuilding now, you'll be jumping all around your world, which will keep you distracted and unfocused. If you focus on a specific area, you'll find yourself in the flow of worldbuilding, which will make it much easier and satisfying! To choose an area of focus, pick either a geographical area or an area of knowledge (such as magic, factions, etc) that is small enough to be focused but large enough to have a lot of possibilities."
Hopscotch Assignments
Hop 1: Why did you choose this area of focus? Why is it fun to write? (Completed)
Hear me out. I know this seems too big, especially when they recommend starting small and choosing a specific area, BUT... no. This world has nine distinct kingdoms. I have been building these worlds for so long, and still so much of what I know about them is just floating around my head, so for this summer, I really want to update all of the main articles for the nine main kingdoms. If you take a look at the article linked in Week 1 (Oceana), you'll see what my goal is for each kingdom. I want to get there for each one, or at least closer to that level of detail. Again, I have so much planned out, I just need to write it. I know that's easier said than done, but hey, let's at least try to be optimistic.
Hop 2: Make a list of related articles you already have and consider expanding them, OR Make a list of concepts you'd like to explore. (Completed)
Introduction to the Nine KingdomsEcho Kingdom
Dianata
Olden Empire
Isles of Ennea
Sun Plains
Overview of the various cultures
Overview of the various religions
Hop3: How does your area of focus interact with the rest of the world? (Completed)
Because I don't have too many of my kingdoms written down, this is a pretty basic task that impacts the whole world. I'm going to start with the more important and influential regions. I know that each kingdom's article won't look exactly the same or have the same layout because the drama or focus for each one is different. For example, Oceana has a heavier focus on its government because there was a successful revolution and implementation of a constitution and limit of the monarchy. Astraea's article is focused on the culture, arts, and connection to nature. Echo Kingdom will have a focus on education and technology.
Hop 4: Plan the category structure for your area of focus, OR Create an article about your area of focus. (In Progress)
Optional: Warm-up prompt
To develop the theme of growth in your world or area of focus, answer this prompt with a Geography article:
Write a Geographical Location boasting different kinds of ecosystems.
What kinds of species can you find in these ecosystems? What settlements can you find in there? Are there any areas difficult to traverse?
Week 3: Loss
When autumn comes around, leaves turn golden and fall—a symbol of loss, this week's theme! Loss can refer to death, but just like how trees don't die when they lose their leaves, this theme can be about so many other things! A lost language or culture, a forgotten relic, or a ritual honoring ancestors are also related to loss. Spend some time thinking about this theme and how it applies to your area of focus.
Assignment: Plan Your Writing Time
If you have other things going on in your life—work, studies, family—, plan your worldbuilding schedule now. Summer Camp articles must be at least 300 words long, so spend some time thinking about how long it takes you to write this much. Then, based on the goal you pledged in Week 1, think about how much time you'll need to complete your Summer Camp goal. Look at your calendar for July and find which days you'll be able to write, If you can manage daily writing sessions, that's the best way to ensure you'll get to your goal—consistency is key!
Hopscotch Assignments
When we sit down to worldbuild, we often spend a bit of time thinking or looking at our inspiration material before we start writing. But this can take up valuable worldbuilding time! So, this week, as you plan your writing schedule, take some time to gather your inspiration materials now so you don't have to worry about that later!
Hop 1: What's your typical creative process and routine?
Hop 2: Go for a walk! OR Spend some time in your favorite fictional world (Completed)
Tangled is one of my favorite movies, and the Disney+ series Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure is surprisingly good. It has amazing 2D animation and some really good worldbuilding that perfectly builds on the original Tangled movie. In the last week, I randomly put the series on in the background while I was working. I hadn't seen it in a while, and as it played, I remembered just how good the worldbuilding was and how many additional kingdoms and settlements were expanded upon in the series. It's a wonderful inspiration for fantasy worlds.
Hop 3: Read an article (or more) from other Anvilites (Completed)
Seeing other people's articles has really helped me understand the layout of World Anvil and how to use the various templates. At first, the amount of templates and customization options was overwhelming, but I'm getting to a point where I'm ready to explore the various features.
Hop 4: Gather music or other media to inspire you, OR Read a book to inspire you
Optional: Warm-up prompt
This week, you can answer the following worldbuilding prompt with a Language article to develop the theme of loss:
Write a Language lost to time.
What information written in this language is now lost? Why was it lost? Where was it used and by whom?
I had a lot of fun working on this lost language. For a little while in college, I was thinking about studying Linguistics for my Master's, and while I ultimately didn't go down that road, I still love languages and words and slang, and so this was fun for me. I think it also really helped me with thinking about how a matriarchy changes the way a world can be set up. It was really satisfying remembering that I could do anything I wanted with the language and the world.
Week 4: Family
Winter is a cold season, but throughout many cultures this has created in-door cozy festivals and celebrations with family. Family doesn't have to be biological (what about found family?), and it can refer to a variety of different things! A family of plants or languages, tight-knit communities, pantheons... What do families look like in your area of focus, and which other meanings of "family" can you find in your world?
Assignment: What's Your Goal as a Worldbuilder?
Let's look beyond Summer Camp for a moment! Why are you a worldbuilder? What do you aim to do with the world you're creating? It could be a tangible product (such as writing a book or a campaign setting) or something more personal. Take some time to think about it. Then, think about how Summer Camp will help you work towards this goal. This is a very important step to complete the challenge; while we can give you external motivations (prizes, badges, etc), only you can find your own inner motivation, which can often be much stronger than any prize.
Hopscotch Assignments
This week's hopscotch is all about making the last preparations you need to set yourself up for success. Make sure everything's ready, find someone so you're not alone in this challenge, and, most importantly, rest for a couple of days before the challenge begins!
Hop 1: Which articles do you need to achieve your creative goal?
Hop 2: Find a community, OR Find an accountability buddy.
Hop 3: Take a break and re-energize before Summer Camp begins!
Hop 4: Prepare your writing space, OR Prepare your worldbuilding playlist. (Completed)
This is a playlist I've used for over 10 years. I made it at the beginning of college for some classical music to play as I studied. It's a mix of classical and instrumental, and over the last decade, it's trained my brain to get in a productive mindset when I hear these songs.
Optional: Warm-up prompt
For this final week, you can explore the theme of family in your world by answering the following prompt with a Myth article:
Write a Myth that reveals the "true" meaning of family.
What culture or tradition does this story stem from? How has it affected modern perceptions of family?
Summer Camp launches June 27th and ends Aug 1st.
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