As my mutuals begin their journeys into NaNo, I am only just preparing for a journey of my own; an event held in December by @worldanvil, known as WorldEmber!
In short, WorldEmber is like the worldbuilding/lore equivalent to NaNo. It takes place starting in December on the World Anvil website, and for me, it's a much more attainable challenge!
Word count is automatically tracked through each article you publish and/or update (something I personally struggle to do during NaNo), you only need 10,000 words to win, and there are also badges for higher word counts. You can find out more about it at this official video from World Anvil describing the event, as well as this page that shows what WorldEmber has looked like in the past.
That said, I've opened a WorldEmber channel in my discord as we prepare for the event.
Anyone is welcome to join the North Haven discord here!
I'm more than happy to help anyone out who wants to get started with World Anvil and I hope to see more of you there!
»»—————————- 𓆩❤︎𓆪 -—————————««
~ Of Fables & Feathers,
🕊️ Locke J. Haven
locket’s tags:
╔═════════════════════╗
@365runesofwriting
@enchanted-lightning-aes
@thepixiediaries
@midnight-and-his-melodiverse
@perasperaadastrawriting
@fearofahumanplanet
@orphicpoieses
@writeblrsupport
[ your tag could be here… ]
World Anvil is a worldbuilding tools platform and community for writers, RPG storytellers and worldbuilding lovers
I'm currently participating in World Ember 2022! While I've already met the 10k goal, I'm just going to see how much I can get done by the end of the month.
Above is an article on Lavven, the first Ascended Demon King that united the Demon Realm - and my entry for the Character Special Entry!
So check out @worldanvil and the competition for yourself!
Hi Locke! I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind!
I'm considering doing WorldEmber, because it seems relatively doable for me, and I want to worldbuild for a new story that I want to write someday, but I have no idea where to start.
Where do you usually start when coming up with a new world? What are the most important things to figure out first? How do you come up with ideas for some of these things, basic or otherwise?
My only world that's fully worldbuilt I don't even know how I came up with the worldbuilding. It just sort of happened. So I'm kind of at a loss for how to start worldbuilding something from scratch like this.
~Morri🗡 (@memento-morri-writes)
»»—————————- 𓆩❤︎𓆪 -—————————««
𝚁𝚘ü𝚡𝚘 𝚔𝚘𝚓 𝚊𝚟𝚠𝚎𝚒;
Hello, my friend!
I'm so glad you asked, Morri! I've ended up rambling quite a bit for this one, so I'll tuck it away under the cut. Apologies if it seems a bit all over the place; my train of thought has never had rails to begin with ❤︎
When worldbuilding, it usually depends on what I'm writing, or the thought that pops into my head. Perhaps your world is 'fully' built in terms of your current story, but that doesn't mean you can't expand on it anyway!
That said, you did mention wanting to start something entirely new. Personally, my new worlds are often born of inspiration that just.. doesn't feel "right" to fit into an existing world. My style of worldbuilding is slightly chaotic, but I think that's just how it has to be when you start.
INSPIRATION
I get my ideas from all sorts of media; movies, books, tv shows, music, art, and often writing prompts. I adore stories and mythology, and many of my thoughts are birthed of 'what ifs' and my desire to twist existing ideas into my own. For example, I have inamorata that are based on angels in appearance. The difference is that their wings are often "unnaturally colored" and they bond with animals, and will take on the traits of the animal they bond with!
BIRTH OF A WORLD
I'm not sure there's really one right way or specific place to start, but, I can suggest starting by finding maybe a phrase or two and working off of that! Whether its a character line, a description, an animal idea, or a reason for a city to be unique. You can also think of what kind of world YOU would want to live in, and work from there.
I will also often view it as 'exploring' my world and learning more about it. When I have a new idea, I'll often create a new document and just spit all of my thoughts onto the page in one big, horrible monster of a paragraph. The organization comes later.
DETERMINATION & PASSION
What you focus on is up to you; my partner adores languages and will often focus on governments and societal structures in their worldbuilding, while I often focus on beliefs, nature, magic systems, and physical aspects.
Be aware that it will take a LOT of time for your world to feel as fleshed out as an older world. I've been building mine for around five years, and there's still so much to work on and explore.
OTHER RESOURCES
Lastly, World Anvil might seem overwhelming, but I promise it's actually a wonderful start. The dashboard includes prompts for you to explore, and you don't have to fill out every single thing right away. Just put 'placeholder' or <to do> anywhere you don't want to deal with right away!
They also have a youtube channel, a blog, and plenty of other resources to help you, along with a super welcoming community.
I hope some of this helps, and if you have any more questions, you're always welcome to either send another ask or dm me personally!
