World Ember 2021

Last year's Worldember was my first experience of a challenge of this scale on World Anvil, and opened up my world of Shadowfire really well. Since then its been Summer Camp and A few others, and also have been moving interstate during pandemic lockdowns, which has meant a lot of dead-time between spurts of writing. I'm hoping the chaos has died down a bit, so i can get stuck into my second Wordember!   Last Wordember, I've focussed in on an area of my world called Uferbrech and the main settlement of Omberstad and its various inhabitants. This opened up a focal point of conflict between the Motu and the Protectorates and their differening world views and ways of life. During Summercamp i focussed even further in on another settlement on the islands, the enclave of pirates and fortune hunters at Camp Thrifty and its surrounds.

My goal for 2021

I'm going to aim for the minimum of 10K words. last year I managed just over 20K, so i'll make 25K my stretch goal. I'm not too confident as life is a bit more chaotic around me this year that it was back then.. but i shall try!   There's so much more across the Uferbrech archipelago still to explore, but more areas of the word beckon as well. I've touched a bit on Glimmertown and the Ferment], but have explored very little of the lands awaya from the safety of Twilight, on either side across the scortching wastes of Mortugurra , or the frozen night beyond the Sea of Black Ice.   Also... i have over 80 stubs to contend with, and a burning question:

• Go wide: should I stretch out to explore these other areas?
• Go deep: look closer into the people and cultures I've already touched on?
• Go fractal: a bit of both perhaps?

I thought to help me answer that, I'd ask my followers. Something I've already written got you to click the follow button at some point, so it'd be good to know what intrigued you about Shadowfire.

My Plan of action

Plan ollows the good advice from TJ Trewin after i published the above.

1. Stub Attack with Intent

I have a whole pile of stubs from areas across Tokaru, which is also where the players in my D&D campaign are starting. I'll focus on the stubs that will further the immediate and short-term game This will include fleshing out a bunch of characters, a few plot ideas, areas such as the Blight, and more detailed locations within both Omberstad and Camp Thrifty. Of course, it will likely generate more stubs than it fills (which is great BTW!)

2. Burning vistas

I would like to play around with ideas for Gleaming City and the surrounding wastes of Mortugurra, it's landscapes, species, ethnicities and factions and any other weirdnesses that may arise.

3. Sparks from the Anvil

I want to remain open to tell some sort of narrative story drawn from any or all of this. So if a spark flies and takes, I will let it burn on. No promises there, but I will abandon stubs and rewrite history to pursue this if and when it feels right.

4. Read and Admire

I am going to spend more time this year reading other people's posts and egging everyone one. Last year was great to find new people's work. It's all inspirational, and just a good thing to do!

How will i do it?

• Spend an hour a day writing at least 4 days a week, probably early mornings
• Dedicate some weekend days for longer stints
• Don't fret the edit finesse
• Find, read and celebrate others in my evenings, as much as I can without it becoming a procrastination tool! :-)

What do you want to know more about?

Please let me know in the comments... anything big, small, weird, mundane. I'll get writing!