Summer Camp Prep 2025

https://www.worldanvil.com/community/challenge/summercamp-prep-2025/homepage

Week One

Nourishment

Assignment 1
Think about ways the theme of Nourishment affects your world. Do people generally have what they need? What happens when they don’t?

I am particularly excited to try to write about technology and energy sources. "Power" feels like an integral throughline in Stelloramise. Whether solar power, hydro power, or wind power, or experimental substances, ascending gods to "power", the ruling class, harnessing power within the world is going to be important. Depending on the people, they have what they need, and if they didn't, they could simply ask. But, depending on the people, they've never had what they've needed, and they cannot get it without using their own means. I need to develop the factions and groups within the world. I know some of the elements. I know some important moments and plot lines and hooks. But I need to develop more identity for the world.

I'm planning for a lot of importance on renewable energy. I have some ideas of what's going on with that, and I've found some interesting articles for inspiration. There is a lot that I do have to work on to build though.

Assignment 2
Download the pledge document and fill it out with your goal for Summer Camp!

I'm going to try my best to get through 8 prompts. I will be very proud of myself if I manage it, but I am not going to discourage myself if I can't, because it will just make it harder to get back to it. As long as I genuinely try my best, whatever that may be, it will be enough. Any real article would be enough for me.

Assignment 3
If you found any outdated articles in your world, update the most important ones now! Do the same with your worldbuilding meta.

This is a new world. I recently wrote out the meta and I will add to it as needed when I can. I feel like I am at a good starting point, being able to get a name down last night felt like a breakthrough, and I think it really fits. I was even able to get a map started, and it doesn't just feel like a generic fantasy world, it feels like mine.

Week Two

Roots

Assignment 1
Look at the cultures and areas you’ll focus on for Summer Camp, and think about how their past shaped them.

This is a new world, there are a lot of different areas needing work. One of which, especially, is just background lore. I want cosmology, I want former civilizations and bygone eras. I want the world to be rich, with enough to explore over time. There are five-ish continents in this world, there are multiple factions and biomes in each, I just need to develop what and where. I will have a better time figuring out world lore as I flesh out what the world looks like and what people live where, and what they're beliefs are. I think we are relatively new to the current era. The year it is set has importance. I hope someone notices it.

Assignment 2
Go to your world’s homepage and imagine you’re a new reader discovering the setting for the first time. What should you change to make the experience more engaging?

To be honest I haven't looked at this world very much. I am going to try to at least set a base. Ideally a lot of what I'd like to do would require being able to personalize my page. Hopefully soon I will have money for that, but right now I need to work with what I've got.

year of the moons seven hundred and twenty three. twenty three years after the disastrous centennial fair. three months after the sudden disappearance of the group people. a new era indeed. a skyrocketing industry, somewhat living harmoniously with nature. a battle between growing spirituality and progressing technology. a world to explore, perhaps more than is safe to. but where to first? welcome stranger, to Stelloramise.

Homepage help

• What is the audience- i think the audience is mostly just my friends tbh, anyone reading is interesting enough
• Why care
• a few opening sentences
• what the world is about- the world is about change, i think, and adaptation, growing through the cracks, but it's also about exploration, and wonders of the world, it's terrifying and beautiful, almost overwhelming, it's a world about being alive, to the furthest extents
• genre, tone, plot- steampunk fantasy western, horror and magic, living both the good and the bad, trying to be good in a world pushing you to be bad
• try to make it stand out- i still don't know what makes it stand out, i know what i care about, i just want the world to feel alive, you are a part of the story just by engaging with it
• using language that fits the world- i don't have a clear feeling on the language yet, i'm sure i will as i work, but i need to write more in the world to determine the way it should sound
• don't make it too dense
• answer three questions
• where are we- Stelloramise, a world of ingenuity, progress, and exploration, with five land continents and floating cities and sea and subterranean life, there is much to find
• what's going on- a lot of conflict, a lot of innovation, a new era
• who are we following- unsure yet, the world at large for now
• introduce the world - i am here
• CTA
• format well and stylize as I can

World primer help

• what to include
• basic world info, links to more
• sapient species, ethnicities and cultures
• factions and countries
• type of magic and technology
• genre, mood, tone
• imagery
• map
• architecture
• landscapes
• character portraits

Assignment 3
Find your earliest worldbuilding project. What mistakes did you make that you want to avoid? What good ideas from those early days can you integrate into your current project? Remember to take a moment to be proud of how far you've come!

It's difficult for me to find my earliest project. I always had an "overactive imagination" and there were many stories and worlds I remember from when I was young. I'm constantly trying to carry the hope I needed to build. Most recently I have a number of worlds I've been unable to finish, I still hope to some day. I feel a spark in this. A lot of the time it feels very.. pointless.. to try to do this. I don't really have an end goal, I'm mostly doing this for myself and to hopefully run a game on this world. Of course it would be nice to "get something out of this", but I know that's incredibly unlikely. And I need to reject the urge to make something of this. It's a hobby, it's an outlet. It's allowed to just be that. I'm allowed to create for the sake of creating, for fun and for myself. I need to carry the love I had for creating into this. The world is hard and it's made me lose a lot of the feeling of freely being and the joy of making. I want to make things like I used to.

Week Three

Metamorphosis

Assignment 1
What transformations and adaptations have the people in your world gone through? What changes are going on right now… and who is trying to stop them?

There is a lot of current change. There always is, everywhere. Currently there is a lot of conflict within industry and technology, with attempted changes to energy sources. A specific society has just suddenly disappeared. There is religious conflict, how changes in technology changes theology, and how things clash. The world is deeply scientific, but possibly equally as spiritual.

Assignment 2
Choose a new genre, style, or author, and take a look at their art! Write what you learned from them and what inspired you.

I'm trying to get back into old science fiction stories. I have a pile of mostly HG Wells next to my desk and I'm planning one soon.

Assignment 3
Read a couple of articles from the community, give them a like (and why not a sticker!), and write about what inspired you.

I'm going to try to read some articles. Honestly it's intimidating finding where to start. I know I have some saved worlds to read so that's as good a place as any.

Week Four

Tomorrow

Assignment 1
Think about current events that will impact the future. Who is working to create a specific kind of future?

There's a lot of stuff at play. A lot of people fighting toward their own goals. People wanting to terraform "unsightly" locations of the map. Factions trying to conquer different regions. New religious organizations trying to become the dominant controlling power. An "ai" progressing past where it is safe to use. Execs wanting to profit off of substances more likely to hurt the land. Some working silently in the background pulling strings.

Assignment 2
Make sure everything’s ready—from your writing space to your writing schedule—before Summer Camp begins!

SC Start- 6/28 SC End- 8/2

Working T,W,F,Sa, @ studio when available

Gone 22-31 but may be able to work a little

I feel like I have a lot to explore in this world so I feel confident in finding prompts that work for what I want to do.

I have work, outside studio, this, and general life to juggle, even if it's just 15 minutes on my notes app during lunch, I want to try to work on this a little bit every day that I can. If nothing else I'll have 8+ hours on a plane that can maybe force me to work on stuff. I'm only going for 8 prompts. Because I'm finishing this late cause of how crazy work was this week, I've seen week one prompts. I think I could easily work with the profession, ritual, species, or either wild card. So if I try to start all of them, something should stick. And if I get at least two a week I should be okay.

Assignment 3
Who or what will help you achieve your goal? What will your sharing strategy be during Summer Camp?

Honestly, I don't feel like I have anything to count on for this. I just need to make it happen myself. My partner's a writer so theoretically I can ask them to look at stuff, but I honestly don't know if I want that. I know they'll support me writing and be proud of whatever I do. And I have one friend I may be able to share with who would be excited to see it if they have time. Really, the biggest motivator I have was those comments and interactions I received over the last week. It's crazy enough that anyone saw this, and also interacted positively. I know that's part of why I'm back here, writing this late, but actually doing and not just giving up even though this week was rough. (If you've interacted here and are reading this, thank you so much, it genuinely was so motivating and made me cry just to have that little push of community. Even though I am not a very good writer and have terrible grammar and punctuation, I feel hopeful to do this, largely because anyone saw this and was kind toward what I'm trying to do. It really made me feel any amount of connected to the community.) I might try to engage on the discord, if I can get past how terrible discord has been for me. I think trying to get actually in the community and interact with people with a similar goal it may keep me going toward what I do want to do.

I guess I just have to try

Ad Astra