Summer Camp Prep Talk 2024

Week One: Change

  Whelp camp is around the corner again, so it is time to get set up for the challenges that will come along the way, which will be quite the thrill when many challenges come along with spice things up. Of course now we all have to do our homework to get things straighten out for ourselves then so we can get things straighten out for actual camp, at least this homework won't stress you out with a grade and a due date. But now, onto the assignment, which is all about change; sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, while most fear it is something that needs to be embraced as it's something that we all need the most to move on in the world. But for now its just all about what we need for our worlds and I plan of doing that. One that is not going to change is me reaching up to diamond again and here is the pledge to prove it.    

World Changes

  Tales of Radiance is pretty much my youngest world so I have some kinks to get out of it along the way, but I am making progress on the over story and the ideals that surround it. For the most part much of it is fine where it is, but considering I'm going beyond my usual area of writing it has been an interesting challenge. As for The Chronicles, I would considered the neglected middle child of my writing and I was my first Idea no less, so I need to straighten out some old ideas and place new ones into them if I can seen the vision come to life, hopefully this year.  

Camp Goals

  Like I said before, I am going for diamond or bust again, as for time that I have to write I should be good on that part, of course at the beginning of July that is another story but after that I should be find. Though I do have to make sure that I have a back up plan as life tends to kick you right in the rear when you least expect it and I has happened to all of us that is for sure. All that is need now is to have the camp prompts reveal themselves to see what crazy things can be done with them.  

Organizing

  The whole organization things for my writing is all good at the moment with the categories since we are always told to organize them at some point or another by WA every year. Sometimes I feel like its my parents telling me to clean my room when I was younger for some reason every time I read something like this, all we need now is a mountain full of laundry that we don't want to put away because of the hassle.  

Metaverse

  Now, onto the bread and butter of every world, the Meta. I have not really developed either for my worlds, but did do a little for Tales of Radiance for a while back. So I have to work on that soon and straighten things out. The real problem is how I am going to fill it out in the long run. This is something that I usually don't do for the most part as I already have the ideas in my head; why spoil the surprise or just drone on and on about trivial things like themes and focuses when readers can interpret for themselves?  

Week Two: Refuge

  Nowhere on the next week of homework is talking all about refuge, which can be done with a lot with both of my worlds since both are trapped in endless conflicts that threaten to bring about the end of all things, just in different reality settings. I already have a few ideas on places or ideas that can be merged into these worlds with ease, but I won't say anything I prefer to unveil my surprise when camp arrives.  

Accountability

  Now, there is something I rarely think about in my life, let alone do in my writing. It is pretty much just me and my thoughts since I can remember about the inner workings of my mind. I tend to find my own way when it comes to my writing, but I post my work on Discord and Reddit and occasionally on other sites to get the buzz going on thoughts of my articles to get a clear idea of their thoughts. I even post them on my profile and the community during challenges to let people know I am on board. But in this day and age I have learned to trust my own worth more than the opinions of other as I am the captain of my own ship.  

Style

  Now, usually, when I do a style, I tend to keep it that way, but when I do it in different worlds, I usually just change things up with fonts or wording to make the experience feel different yet familiar for those accustomed to my work. I have dabbled in a few other things to make it more interesting, yet I don't plan on doing anything too drastic. Maybe something small at the moment, but only time will tell.  

CCS Upgrades

  Now, CSS is something that I don't get into, but I have wanted to update the background for Tales of Radiance for some time to add depth to the world. So, I will probably have someone work on that before the end of the month, and that is pretty much it.  

Week Three: Belief

  Religion has a vital role in both worlds and the ideas that surround the cultures that inhabit them, often beings of a higher plane of existence with their levels of influence on their followers; I haven't involved myself in the ideas of deities in my writing so I should work upon it during camp. I have the ideas in mind; I haven't bothered writing them due to other plans. But both center around holding back great darkness threatening to destroy or consume their world. I need to figure out a way to get a good setup for each deity, both good and bad.  

Inspiration

  Much of my work is inspired by historical cultures and mythology, among the many stories told from the ages to modern times. However, some of my thoughts have been inspired by video games, shows, movies, fantasy, and sci-fi, most of which hold philosophical or ideological ideas that make one question the world around them. Along with the heroes and villains that tell them to breathe the wonders and horrors into the world around them. All these lead to struggles that will forever alter their lives, regardless of the outcome. Hell, some of them come from daydreaming most of the time, with a mix of fan fiction here and there. It has often led to me becoming stuck between being a cynic and an optimist. Much of it delves into early stories of heroes and their struggles against all things wicked and the darkness that rises that they must face.  

Image Inspiration

  I have been looking at older maps and environments to better understand the terrain I want for my worlds and their effect on the set. Much of them are based around maps entering the Renaissance era and a hybrid of futuristic maps with a sci-fi finish. The font is also something I have been meaning to change to add a different feel to the writing of some of the worlds and immerse the readers into them.

Founding Inspiration

  From the ideas that inspired my writing, I usually don't get rid of them; I'm just like that with everything I think of. I usually work on improving and modifying them when I need to match the needs of my work. Once I have a plan in motion, I stick to it no matter the turbulence that comes with it. I still need to make a map for the chronicles, which will be tough since I want to combine several continents. I am still trying to figure out how to and the things to place on it.  

Week Four: Decay

  Decay pretty much surrounds the ideas in all of my writing. Somewhere in the world, something is falling apart, good and bad, for better or worse. This ranges from minor things like sickness to cosmic terrors seeking to engulf reality. Destroying things is much easier than creating them, and it doesn't matter how much time passes or how often something is fixed; the end always comes, no matter the struggle. But what matters with that decay is how people react to it; will they accept it, seeing no real chance at success, or fight with every ounce of their being, refusing to allow it to happen? The collapse of civilization, revolution, and extinction are all part of the same cloth. Decay is change, and change is life. All that matters is how one uses their time when everything falls apart.  

Writing Set Up

  I am always trying to write when I need to when the need arrives; I have a desk and a computer, but I rarely use them, considering I want to save the lifespan on it, plus it's stuck in a cramped corner in my room with only so much space in it leading to a lot of stiff legs when getting up. So I prefer comfort and cheapness using a cheapy-made laptop that is falling apart as we speak and a cushioned recliner and not those hard leather ones; it is an old-fashioned pillow that feels like a bed, I might add. My time is usually limited as I have to work for most of the day at my job and at home most of the time with nothing but distractions and exhaustion going hand in hand. I left most of the writing late at night with no one to bother me and in silence. But I will manage as I have done before and find a way as things eventually calm down after the beginning of camp and allow me to pour a river of words into my articles.  

Homepage Setup

  I feel that the setups for my worlds are pretty good with what needs to explain the story surrounding the story of the worlds in question. I usually make sure to make the intros leave enough info to sink in without revealing too much to get the curiosity to spread and have enough sidebars with articles to explore. I just let the readers go off to where they want to rather than leading them as tour guides and letting them do their own thing. If it ain't broken, why fix it at all? It just leads to trouble and misery.  

My Page

  You know, I am not the person who talks about my personal life, considering the world where everyone sees it out in the open. I want to get my message out through my writing and everything surrounding it. I will explain a few things and let people just read my work. That's why I go under a profile alias in the first place. I prefer not to have my life examined under a magnified glass; thank you very much.  

My Summer Camp Adventure

  Well, I have to say that this camp was quite eventful this time of the year, and boy, it put a wretch in my overall plans. First, the holidays go how they always do, but that is to be expected. The main issue was that my laptop broke; talk about bad timing on my half, and what was worse was I had trouble writing with my PC, which froze every time I wrote, so I just wrote on my tablet for a few days until I got it fixed, only to realize that my hands are not used to deep keyboards. Hence, I was a bit annoyed at the state I was in. But finally, after two weeks, I got a brand new laptop and went off to the races for dear life at the point. So after an, I managed to get what I needed to do, and here we are thirty-four articles; most are small, but they have expanded my world a bit too. But I have been looking at other camp articles, and I say people have been getting it done from what I have seen; well done to you all. Now I must ensure that nothing like this happens again because it was trouble.     Now that we have that out of the way, I plan on improving my articles once we get past the summer camp judging period. Much of it has made me want to work on the little things in my two worlds, and then I will go from there. I have to say, though, that I will not forget this camp anytime soon. It will be known as the not-so-bummer summer camp within these hollowed halls. It was a time of great turmoil and struggle that would test me to my core as I ventured forth into unknown lands ripe with challenges that would test my wits and will to ensure that I reach my goal of diamond, like going down a river in a canoe without a paddle that leads to a waterfall that I will be fall off, but saying bring it out and shout booyah determined not to die. Only to make my way back to camp and meet many campers telling their stories while eating wild barriers that will most likely give me bathroom problems later to avoid starvation. But in the end, I will return and enjoy what was left and say what a hell of a good time it was, except for the bad stuff, with the moral of the story always bringing a spare paddle to avoid this crap in the first place. At least I have my article to admire for the time being out of all of them; there are so many that they can't be ignored. Just look at them ------>. So I will look at what else has been made from camp and give people a bat on the back for doing it. Great job, everyone.  

Future Plans

    Now that camp is out of the way; I have plans to reinvigorate my writing through a bit of redesign and expanding all of my worlds; that's right, if you guessed it, The Sagas are making a comeback this year, better than ever. Ensuring that I will not be put down to the ground like I was before, rising like the phoenix from the ashes of all that came before, ridding myself of past issues new and improved, making sure that nothing was left on fire in the aftermath as setting things on fire is not fine unless you are a pyromaniac that just like fines and dancing around them like a pagan. But there is so much more than you can believe that I have planned in the coming months, challenges, and so much more leading to some of the most fantastic schemes that I have planned for the next year coming so much so that the name Jester% will echo throughout World Anvil for all eternity or until some popular comes like always, only to come up in passing conversation from time to time. But for now, it is a time to rest and look while planning for the things that will come and just surprise everyone when they least expect it.