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candle_
THE WORLDBUILDER’S LEAGUE
A Writing Contest
A Writing Contest
Welcome to the Worldbuilder’s League, a three-round writing contest open to any number of participants. This contest is centered around creating extremely unique and interesting worlds and creating captivating works of writing based off of that world. They can range from the average short story to in-character writing – examples include newspapers, history book excerpts, journals, etc.
RULES
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- No plagiarism, murder, arson, etc. Follow site rules.
- NEW worlds must be created for this contest. Please don't use anything you've already made content for!
- Be respectful to all other members.
- Entries must be at least 500 words.
- NEW worlds must be created for this contest. Please don't use anything you've already made content for!
- Be respectful to all other members.
- Entries must be at least 500 words.
FAQ
What is “Worldbuilding?”
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Worldbuilding is a process that almost every form of fiction utilizes to a certain degree. You could describe it very simply as “The process of creating the setting,” however, it can be much more complex than you’d imagine. Worldbuilders think about many different facets of their world. Some stay simple; only thinking about basic infrastructure such as food production and delivery, and, yet, others think about more, sometimes ridiculously complex concepts, such as weather patterns and climate, cultural standards, and more!
How is the contest going to work?
Click to reveal
There will be three rounds. The first should run for about a week and a half. The second will likely run for a week, and the third will most likely run for two. Each will have an open-ended theme which requires you to create a piece of writing.
There will be a small team of judges taking care of everything. Scores will only be revealed at the end of the contest. We are not trying to foster a strong sense of competition. Above all, we’re looking to create interest in worldbuilding, give incentive to trying it out, and giving people who may be interested a little head-start!
Entries will be judges on several different attributes!
Creativity: 30pts
Creativity is a huge deal, and one of the most important things we're looking for. Everyone has read a fantasy book about elves, dwarves, and humans going on a quest to kill The Green Dudes™. Do something truly unique!
Coherency of World: 25pts
How much sense the world makes. Are there any gaping plot holes in the setting? Do certain things not really make sense? Remember to really think about your world as if it were a real place to avoid these potential problems.
Overall Writing Quality: 25pts
This is still a writing contest, and, as such, quality writing is important.
Details: 5pts
Create a vivid world with interesting minor details which, ideally, add just a little bit to the reader's understanding of the world, its culture, and more! Remember, show, don't tell!
Round Bonus: 15pts
Every round will have a theme. Use that theme effectively, whether you perfectly capture the theme, make extremely creative use of it, or something else!
There will be a small team of judges taking care of everything. Scores will only be revealed at the end of the contest. We are not trying to foster a strong sense of competition. Above all, we’re looking to create interest in worldbuilding, give incentive to trying it out, and giving people who may be interested a little head-start!
Entries will be judges on several different attributes!
Creativity: 30pts
Creativity is a huge deal, and one of the most important things we're looking for. Everyone has read a fantasy book about elves, dwarves, and humans going on a quest to kill The Green Dudes™. Do something truly unique!
Coherency of World: 25pts
How much sense the world makes. Are there any gaping plot holes in the setting? Do certain things not really make sense? Remember to really think about your world as if it were a real place to avoid these potential problems.
Overall Writing Quality: 25pts
This is still a writing contest, and, as such, quality writing is important.
Details: 5pts
Create a vivid world with interesting minor details which, ideally, add just a little bit to the reader's understanding of the world, its culture, and more! Remember, show, don't tell!
Round Bonus: 15pts
Every round will have a theme. Use that theme effectively, whether you perfectly capture the theme, make extremely creative use of it, or something else!
Who are the judges?
Click to reveal
Chron
candlevera
Dionysus
candlevera
Dionysus
What are the prizes?
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All prizes are steam games. To receive them, you will need to either add me on steam or give me a valid email to gift them to.
In the spirit of writing and worldbuilding, most of the rewards are RPGs or Adventure games with interesting worlds & stories!
If a mod would like to “approve” them and confirm they exist, PM me.
1st Place: Daedalic Adventure Bundle. Two steam games. First person to pick.
2nd place: Two steam games. Second person to pick.
3rd place: One steam game. Last person to pick.
List of Games: Child of Light, Grim Fandango Remastered, FTL: Advanced Edition, Transistor, and Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath.
If anyone has any interest in creating small trophies for entrants and winners, feel free to contact me about it!
In the spirit of writing and worldbuilding, most of the rewards are RPGs or Adventure games with interesting worlds & stories!
If a mod would like to “approve” them and confirm they exist, PM me.
1st Place: Daedalic Adventure Bundle. Two steam games. First person to pick.
2nd place: Two steam games. Second person to pick.
3rd place: One steam game. Last person to pick.
List of Games: Child of Light, Grim Fandango Remastered, FTL: Advanced Edition, Transistor, and Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath.
If anyone has any interest in creating small trophies for entrants and winners, feel free to contact me about it!
Worldbuilding Tips:
Click to reveal
Avoid information dumps. Follow one of the most important rules of writing: Show, don’t tell. Don’t tell the readers exactly how your world works. Convey it subtly.
If something already has a real-world name, consider leaving it with that name. This isn’t something you should always do, of course – Tolkien certainly didn’t. Tolkien, however, was very interested in and studied language since he was a child. Basically, try to avoid inventing a huge amount of words for concepts we already understand. It makes things much more difficult for most readers, even if you are very familiar with these words.
Think about the differences between this world and ours. We take many things for granted. Think about everything, big and small, that could be different! How might magic have an impact on daily chores? What about large-scale wars? Travel? Try not to take things for granted, and remember what your world and its inhabitants are capable of. Seeing a creative use of one of the world’s unique traits is always delightful.
Remember, social, political, economic, and religious groups are not monolithic hive minds. Unless, well, they’re an actual hive mind of scary bug-people or something. But, realistically, every member of the group will be different. They will disagree on certain topics. Perhaps something as simple as which way to pronounce a file extension or something as complex as to how to save the world from an eldritch horror. Don’t make pure “bad guys” and “good guys” if you can avoid it. It adds emotional and creative depth to a story.
If something already has a real-world name, consider leaving it with that name. This isn’t something you should always do, of course – Tolkien certainly didn’t. Tolkien, however, was very interested in and studied language since he was a child. Basically, try to avoid inventing a huge amount of words for concepts we already understand. It makes things much more difficult for most readers, even if you are very familiar with these words.
Think about the differences between this world and ours. We take many things for granted. Think about everything, big and small, that could be different! How might magic have an impact on daily chores? What about large-scale wars? Travel? Try not to take things for granted, and remember what your world and its inhabitants are capable of. Seeing a creative use of one of the world’s unique traits is always delightful.
Remember, social, political, economic, and religious groups are not monolithic hive minds. Unless, well, they’re an actual hive mind of scary bug-people or something. But, realistically, every member of the group will be different. They will disagree on certain topics. Perhaps something as simple as which way to pronounce a file extension or something as complex as to how to save the world from an eldritch horror. Don’t make pure “bad guys” and “good guys” if you can avoid it. It adds emotional and creative depth to a story.
ENTRANTS
To apply, just leave a post on this forum thread notifying me. Nothing else needs to be done!
- Havingfun_ISKEY
- CHorse
- Pikamoar
- IcarianPrince
- AkirAssasin
- CrazyPigglet
- Zatharel
- Ludicrous
- Loki
- HippyKat
- ThePixelPony
- CrispyMiner
- Masq
- Glyphs
OVERALL THEME
A NEW FRONTIER
No, not necessarily the Wild West. Or, uh, space. Any sort of frontier. Your world (or maybe even universe!) is on the brink of something huge - whether it be the exploration of a new continent, the brink of a new Renaissance, or perhaps even the discovery of something that will change the universe forever. Exploration and discovery flourish, and the horizons of your world grow ever larger, whether to new, unexplored lands or to another galaxy! Perhaps your post-apocalyptic survivors are finally recovering from the disaster that brought about the collapse of the old world and are ready to start exploring - and retaking - the world. Maybe your intergalactic civilization has discovered a new type of technology that revolutionizes everything. Perhaps a new land, home to a creature beyond comprehension has been discovered - It's all up to you. Discovery, adventure, and the unknown await!
NOTE: Because this round requires you to create an entire world, there is a week and a half deadline. This round ends on the night of Sunday, July 17th. This isn't a super hard deadline. Let me know if you can't make it in time and I can provide a short extension.
ROUND ONE
ROUND ONE SECONDARY THEME: THE CRUX
What caused this new age of discovery? What event, or events, set this all into motion? Create a piece of writing of any type, whether it be a short story or an in-character history book, and describe just where this newfound interest in exploration & discovery came from.
ROUND ONE BONUS GUIDE
For this round, get creative with the crux of this new age! Try and think outside of the box. It may make logical sense that a civilization simply wanted to explore and happened upon new lands, but it's not the most interesting story. Think about something truly unique that would bring a world or universe into a new age. Consider how your story is told, too. Many of the bonus points in round one relate to your creativity, and that is stacked on top of the already existing points for creativity, so try to create something truly unique!
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I'll see if the chat has anyone else willing to enter. I'll see if I can make an entry by the 10th. That's when I go back to school. The contest is still going right?
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I should have my entry done either tonight or tomorrow.
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Removing the deadline entirely. If you have or had any interest in entering, it's still open. I'll give it a week or two and see what goes down. If I get more entries I might continue but I can't do much with just two ^^
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I am completely unable to play Minecraft at all. Besides, it is difficult to find time to make a whole world anyways. Don't be too upset. I'll try to fix it as soon as possible, but I don't even have a single idea.
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It's a writing contest, sweetheart. There's no physical world building involved.
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We've only received two entries and today is the last day after an extension. Unless there's enough interest in this I'm probably going to discontinue it. Kind of unfortunate almost everyone that entered seems to have forgotten about it entirely.
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Extending until Wednesday, July 20th. Lots of people are dropping out and there are plenty who may not submit entries so this might end up being cancelled if we don't get enough entries.
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I'm out.
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Withdrawing for personal reasons, apologies.
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Well, I'm out then. Sorry but I'm not interested in a pure writing contest.
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Are we required to post these on a PMC submission?
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heed our message please we are not alone anymore people are dying please let us go
Begin forwarded message:
From: 128312-38@mail.net
Subject: we surrender stop please our capital is gone
Date: 30th July 2090 at 1607:30
To: worldwidenewspress@mail.net
http://www.planetminecraft.com/blog/13- ... ng-league/
Begin forwarded message:
From: 128312-38@mail.net
Subject: we surrender stop please our capital is gone
Date: 30th July 2090 at 1607:30
To: worldwidenewspress@mail.net
http://www.planetminecraft.com/blog/13- ... ng-league/
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But... where's your build?
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No builds are required for this contest. The "Worldbuilding" is primarily metaphorical.
Also @Ludicrous, it doesn't have to be. It could be just about any form of written media, as long as we can see it.
Also @Ludicrous, it doesn't have to be. It could be just about any form of written media, as long as we can see it.
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Wait what? That was the sole reason I joined, I was hoping that this would be different than just a boring writing contest...
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Well, I mean, it does say "Writing Contest" in the title. Sorry to disappoint.
(candlevera has confirmed this)
(candlevera has confirmed this)
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Wait what? What build?
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Round One has begun! You have until the night of Sunday, July 17th to finish your entry! There is a longer deadline for this round since you must create an entire world. More details are contained in the original post.
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PepijnI'm out, apparently people think it's okay to just start building before the contest has started. If Candle is fine with this he should have announced it so we could all have started around the same time.
Who started doing that? It states pretty clearly in the rules that a new world must be created for the contest. (e.g. not before) The theme hasn't even been announced yet. Please don't try to start drama with vagueposting and please PM me about it.
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Random message, no reason this was edited at all... totally not.
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I'll join!
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Sweet, sign me up!
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I'll enter, but I can judge if you need one.
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I might join... might not have time.
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Count me in
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I'm in, but if I happen to make top three someone else can have my prize. xD
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Finally, something interesting.
I'd like to get a try at this.
I'd like to get a try at this.
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I would like to enter
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I am in.
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Having exams but screw it! I'm joining!
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ChroncandleveraChronI'm in as whatever you want me to be, fam. (Judge or entrant)
It would be helpful to have you as a judge! Feel free to create entries if you'd like, too. They just won't be eligible to win like with Official PMC Contests.
I'll go ahead and be a judge. I might make my own stuff on the side. *wink*
Also, a question that Zath had but I forgot to pass on to you: is it okay if the entries aren't in the form of blogs, but rather some other form of written media?
Entirely acceptable and encouraged!
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candleveraChronI'm in as whatever you want me to be, fam. (Judge or entrant)
It would be helpful to have you as a judge! Feel free to create entries if you'd like, too. They just won't be eligible to win like with Official PMC Contests.
I'll go ahead and be a judge. I might make my own stuff on the side. *wink*
Also, a question that Zath had but I forgot to pass on to you: is it okay if the entries aren't in the form of blogs, but rather some other form of written media?
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Sounds like fun, I'll join as well.
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Crap, I don't have time to do this, but I want some of those prizes, mmmm.
I'm in. World-building is one thing I'm (probably?) pretty good at.
I'm in. World-building is one thing I'm (probably?) pretty good at.
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I can also create trophies if you want, but as a participant I'm not sure if this is possible.
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That's perfectly fine. I don't have any problems with participants creating trophies if you'd like to do that!
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Awesome! If you want to PM me with details of what you want the trophies to look like or otherwise, you can do that.
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ChronI'm in as whatever you want me to be, fam. (Judge or entrant)
It would be helpful to have you as a judge! Feel free to create entries if you'd like, too. They just won't be eligible to win like with Official PMC Contests.
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I'm in as whatever you want me to be, fam. (Judge or entrant, though preferably entrant)
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:O Sounds interesting. Might wanna try.
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Count me in.
