WorldEmber Prep 2024

WorldEmber is (almost) here! In December you'll be challenged to write 10,000 words of original worldbuilding—but first, it's time to prepare! To get ready for WorldEmber (and snag yourself the Homework Squad badge), submit your weekly homework assignments (you'll find the option on the right while editing your article). We'll update this page every week with a new assignment!

But wait... what's WorldEmber?

WorldEmber is the largest worldbuilding event of the year! During December, we challenge you to write at least 10,000 words of original worldbuilding about any topic—doing so will earn you a virtual badge and a chance to win prizes in the raffle. You can also aim higher for the 25k or even 50k wordcount badges. And of course, if you're feeling competitive, you can submit to special categories to be judged—if you win, you get a prize! However your year has gone, WorldEmber is a great way to end the year with a super achievement under your belt!

Weekly assignments

This section will be updated weekly to include the newest homework assignment. These are the reveal dates:

First assignment: November 1st
Second assignment: November 8th
Third assignment: November 15th
Fourth assignment: November 22nd
WorldEmber launch: November 30th

Want to catch the assignments first? Watch our WorldEmber Homework streams on Twitch on Fridays at 1pm Eastern, 6pm UK time! Make sure you follow the World Anvil Twitch channel to get notified when we go live. Assignments will be delivered live on streams, and it's a great place to ask questions, or brainstorm with the community! (the #challenge-discussion channel in our Discord is a great place to do this, too!)

Week 1: Pledge Your Goal

The first step when preparing for a challenge like WorldEmber is to set a goal. After all, working towards a specific goal tends to be way more motivating than just writing aimlessly!

1. Set a word goal and your area of focus

How much do you want to write this month? The goal of WorldEmber is 10,000 words, but you can decide to aim higher if you feel up to the challenge! Download this pdf to pledge your goal:

Make your pledge!

2. Choose your area of focus

You know how much you'll write—now's time to decide what you'll write about! Look at your world, and pick your area of focus. Here are some examples!

Fauna and flora in your world
Magic systems, items, and factions
The traditions and history of a culture
Expand on the worldbuilding from your NovelEmber project
The setting of your upcoming campaign

To choose an area, you can consider the following:

What are you excited about? If you feel excited about an area of your worldbuilding, follow your instincts! It’s easier to keep your motivation up if you write about a topic you enjoy.
If you have an ongoing or planned story (novel or campaign), pick something that will be useful for it. This will give your worldbuilding a sense of purpose, motivating you throughout the challenge. Otherwise, make a list of directions you could go in. Look at your world map, read your meta document or world primer, and find an area that seems interesting to you.
Or how about creating a whole new world? Starting from scratch means you can write about basically anything, which is great for a wordcount-based challenge like WorldEmber.

Once you have chosen your area of focus, take a moment to review any related articles! This will warm up your creative muscles and maybe even give you some inspiration for next month.

3. Create or update your meta

The meta document is all the information about your world that isn't part of the world. It will help you stay on track, keep you motivated, and will prevent inconsistencies in your worldbuilding. If you're starting a new world, create your meta now! And if you're writing in an existing world, review your meta and consider creating a specific mini-meta for the area you'll explore during this month. Here are a couple of resources to help you out:

To submit the homework, create a Generic Article with the pledge document and explain what your area of focus will be!

WorldEmber Prep 2024

WorldEmber Prep 2024

But wait... what's WorldEmber?

Weekly assignments

Week 1: Pledge Your Goal

1. Set a word goal and your area of focus

2. Choose your area of focus

3. Create or update your meta

Challenge entries

Find your way!

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