Shadowfire Summer Camp 2022

Finished Prompts

 

Creative Goals

During the river challenge, I focussed very broadly on the lands of Ardi-Kokufa and the path of the Godswollen River. This was partly in prep for my creative goal of delving into the sun-scorched lands of Shadowfire, and the Lords of Fire ruling from their mansions in the Gleaming City.   There's lots to explore and it seems fitting for Summer Camp to focus on a place of endless Summer where the sun literally never sets.  

Challenge Goal

Last year I managed Silver, so this year I will aim for Gold. If that goes well, possibly Diamond (but Don't Die). But, you know, there's a good chance that after life gets in the way, I'll be happy with what I'm dubbing a Fast Brass instead. :-D  

Inspiration board

I've collected images on Pinterest as a mood board to guide myself.  

The plan for success

I will be waking up a little earlier than usual, and will aim for half an hour minimum each day. I will also aim for at least one lengthy session each weekend of a couple of hours to crank out some more.   I will also spend some time at the end of every day just running through the Discord chats and checking out other people's efforts. I hope to be able to engage with some people during my writing times... to that end - anyone in the Australian timezones doing Summer Camp?  

Balancing tropes and cliches

A really important aspect for me is to consciously avoid cliches when building this part of Shadowfire. The original spark for this world came a number of decades ago when I first read Dune, and i thought, "cool, what if the other half was frozen?" I was 15. So now, I've been revisiting the world as an adult, the thoughtless and lazy path would turn the Sunside lands to be too derivative of Ancient Egypt, or Arrakis, or an appropriated Arabian Nights.   The Gleaming City is inspired by the D&D City of Brass, and the Plane of Fire, but I will endevour to move beyond that. The Lords of Fire are the progeny of the Elder Gods, and bear their mark, but they are not simply evil devils in fancy clothing. Some may be gluttonous, greedy, lazy, but others generous and kind and loving like any group of diverse peoples. Culturally I see them as law abiding bureaucrats first and foremost... and why? Because they are at pains to separate themselves from their lineage of demons and the chaos that that entails, and to live by rules that allow for survival in such a harsh climate.   I'm sure i will at times employ some tropes of the desert. The scarcity of water means some things may well need a trope or two. But i will also aim to combat that, and hope that others in the community will help me avoid the super obvious or cliche.