Summer Camp Prep 2026

I pledge to write at least 8 prompts for my world Avalon, the setting for what will be my debut High Fantasy novel, Crystalline King Book 1: Pawn

---

Summer Camp Prep

This is my first time participating in Summer Camp, and due to recent health issues, I have chosen to go for the smallest amount of prompts to answer. Sitting at my computer has become difficult, so I don't expect to get many of the prompts done. Additionally, most forms of world building is actually a struggle for me to go through, therefore going for the least number of prompts makes sure that I at least finish the challenge.

So, onto the homework!

---

Week 1: Love

I rolled a 3 on my hopscotch, meaning I need to update my meta document. Luckily, I have plenty still to add to the document, and so updates are easy enough to do. I just... need to figure out everything that I need to add, so this may take longer than a week.

I have also reviewed and updated my primary map, switching it to an older version of the map itself. This led to having to change part of my meta document, so I see this less as going for the Hardcore version of hopscotch, but an extension of the number that I have already rolled.

Upon a second review of my map, I have gone back to my original versions for ease of storytelling later on. Meta document has been updated accordingly.

And, since the vast majority of the meta document that I need to fill out is the people, and I include basic information on the various species in my world primer, it appears I have accidentally done the Hardcore challenge anyway. It just made sense to fill in information on my world primer with what I managed to put together on my meta document.

---

Week 2: Growth

My area of focus will be on the Crystal Technology of Avalon, which is a one of many heavily neglected areas of my world building so far despite its prevalence and recent growth in the world.

I chose this area of my world building because, as previously stated, it is heavily neglected, and has a prevalence in Avalon. Additionally, it fits this week's theme given the recent boom of growth and advancement technology has faced in recent years. I will be struggling with this area of focus, actually, because technology is not a strong suit of mine, but that is part of why I picked it.

Now, since I only have 1 article in my drafts for Crystal Technology, here instead is my list of concepts to expand upon during summer camp:

• Airships, both in general and specific models
• Food preservation, early stages, mostly on ships, both naval and air
• Naval ships, both in general and specific models
• Water filtration, early stages, mostly on ships, both naval and air
• Prosthetics, still in the works
• Agriculture, harvesting tools

Crystal Technology interacts with Avalon through the beginnings of an Industrial Revolution. Which feels like something I should research if only to get the feel right... but that seems like a rabbit hole right now, and so will be shelved for future researching (and probably forgotten about...).

And I have the category all ready to be filled with articles, along with an article in the works about the Basics of Crystal Technology. -checks the date- Has it really been less than 24 hours since the homework got released? I swear I'm not normally this prolific.

---

Week 3: Loss

The theme doesn't quite fit Avalon as a world, so much as it does the story of Crystalline King. Especially the main character, Gwen Key. She's an amnesiac, disconnected from her home culture, and left adrift in a competition she doesn't want to be a part of but participates in regardless. Loss is a constant with her - of memory, of her culture, of her own ability to choose... She regains some things, but others are still, inevitably, lost forever to her.

Loss in combination with the area of focus I have, technology, is an interesting point of view to consider, one that I hadn't thought of before. There's the loss of traditions, of setting aside the old ways of doing things in favor of progress. There's the loss of community, as the older generations push back against the new way in favor of those traditions and the younger generations embrace the new way.

Now. My writing schedule (as of 6/13) is completely clear besides doctor's appointments, which is good because I believe that I have issues writing world building in the first place, so I will have plenty of time to agonize over my articles and actually get them to that 300 word minimum, if not over. I may even be able to do more prompts than I have pledged to do; who knows, certainly not me right now.

Luckily, I already have two playlists put together, and a (private) Pinterest board for visuals and other forms of inspiration. Though I have been wanting to reread this one series of books that I have... Maybe I'll do that. (Or maybe my sister will distract me with a new idea and I'll go on a rabbit hole. That works, too.)

---

Week 4: Family

This is both an easy and hard theme to answer, I will admit. Found family is a strong central pillar for Crystalline King, but the story as a whole is not my area of focus. Families of technological advancement is not something I thought I'd ever have to think of, and yet here I am. This will be a tough one to figure out.

My creative goal as a world builder is to create a setting for my novel series, Crystalline King, and to grow as a world builder while doing so. I'm not comfortable working on the technical side of world building, preferring to stay on the free-form, creative side of things. But I do understand that, to make things believable, technical work behind the scenes will be needed, which is what I am striving to work towards. Along with breaking myself of the urge to fill in every slot in the templates.

How I hope Summer Camp will help with this... honestly, just getting more articles out and published for my world will be the biggest help that Summer Camp can give me. Whether or not it's in my area of focus, there is still so much ground I need to cover to make this world really solid and feel like it's come to life. If I can get that much out of this, then I am all set and ready to go.

As for the hopscotch... well. The best I can hope for is to be more than a lurker in the Discord channel during July. I have too many articles needed to fulfill my creative goals, my writing space is as prepared as it can be, and my playlists are all put together already. I will admit to being anti-social most of the time, with anxiety fueling that honestly, so finding a community or accountability buddy sounds like it will be very difficult to do on such short notice. I would much rather try and interact with the cryptids fellow world builders on the Discord server.

Summer Camp Camp Chill Badge

Camp Chill (ID 4574878) by Rin Garnett

Nnie's Camp Chill Guidelines

• Remember the prompts are suggestions, not requirements.
• Write what you're passionate about, leave what you aren't.
• Relax when you feel tired.
• Fight off any pesky brain-squitos trying to make you doubt your work.
• Don't abandon your non-summercamp goals! Write that article you're itching to write, even if it doesn't fit any prompts.

Shared with permission from Annie Stein. Read her thoughts on 'Camp Chill' on her Author Page.

If you'd like to repost this badge, use [imgblock:4574878] to include the guidelines or [img:4574878] for only the badge. Amy Winters-Voss made a block version you can use by adding [block:1050823] to your article.

Warm Up Prompt: Write a Settlement associated with Love

It is still in the works, but I have Chrysalis to present as my warm up! Turns out that I have trouble fleshing out settlements, but I'm trying my best, since Chrysalis is the first setting in my novel series. Chrysalis is connected to love due to the love of freedom and travel that the inhabitants and frequent visitors hold, being the central hub for the Nomads.

---

Warm Up Prompt: Write a Geographic Location boasting different kinds of ecosystems

Heavily in the works, but I have the general setting for Ostrium now published. Being an entire region of a continent, it is really the most obvious choice for this prompt, but also the most necessary for the overall world building. Now to stop feeling like I'm back in high school working on a similar assignment...

I think my biggest hang-up with this prompt is that I don't have that many creatures to fill my world with, and so I feel like until I get a good list of them, I can't fill in the ecosystems properly. Again, likely a holdover from that one science assignment, even though it's been over a decade since then.

---

Warm Up Prompt: Write a Language lost to time

Not quite lost to time, but certainly not seen in the The Kingdom of Ostrium for most of its existence, High Faespeak is as good as I can get it currently. I hadn't been anticipating on writing articles for any of the languages just yet, but this prompt kind of jumped out of nowhere and gave me the idea of a language tied to the magic system that hasn't been seen or used in my immediate setting in a good 600 years

---

Warm Up Prompt: Write a Myth that reveals the "true" meaning of family

This might end up being the one prompt I skip. Nothing is coming to mind for it for some reason. Maybe it's because I haven't written anything mythological or religious yet. Jumping straight into "family" feels like it's a bit too much right off the bat.

...did I say I was going to skip this? Because I had an idea hit me in the middle of my forehead and it decided to come out of my keyboard. The Bishop of the First King is a myth about what happens when family ties sour... or at least, when they appear to have soured. Based on the history of my setting, this touches on a bit of secrets regarding two characters whose articles I have not touched recently.