SWC Activities - official record

Amethyst-animation

SWC November 2024 Weekly #1 - Dialogue

Intro (written by Reese)

“WELCOME BACK TO SWC!” Reese yelled suddenly, jumping out from behind a very large and eye-catching sign with the word “dialogue” printed on it. “Haven't you heard? It's time for your first weekly!”

Hey, legends! For this adventure, we're going to take a look at all things dialogue, from character voices, to effective usage, and finally foreshadowing – all of which will be tied together to ultimately create a cohesive script! Time to tap into your creative reservoirs, hand in hand with spoken words.

The POLAR BEARs wave one more time as you set off. “Enjoy the show!”

This weekly begins on November 3rd at 12:01 am UTC. Please wait until then to begin writing.

Part 1: Consistent Character Voices (written by Niko)

Welcome to the first part of this weekly! First, head over to this wonderful Mangos & Mayhem podcast by Mouse and Bella which should help you with this task. Please be aware that so far only the script exists - the podcast will be uploaded tomorrow! Now that you are familiar with writing consistent character voices, write a piece using that technique that is at least 450 words!

Part 2: Using Dialogue Effectively (written by Yume)

Oh, you’re back already? This might sound like something you’ve never seen before in SWC, but for this next part, your task is to… use dialogue effectively! The activity is simple- all you have to do is to write a piece using dialogue with tips from Eevee’s workshop which can be found here. Regular narration can, of course, be used. However! Like all good stories, there’s a twist- the dialogue portion cannot be any longer than 100 words. Try to express something life-changing, while still staying the word limit. With that, it’s time to create some dialogue!

Part 3: Foreshadowing (written by Gigi)

For the third part of this weekly, you'll be using dialogue in order to foreshadow an element of your story! After all, sometimes characters outside of your main POV may hold vital information that can slip out while they’re simply chatting with your POVs. For advice on how to do this effectively, you should head back to Eevee's workshop here to refresh yourself on the foreshadowing section. In order to complete this part of the weekly, make sure you write at least 300 words of a story where your characters foreshadow events through their usage of dialogue.

Part 4: Script (written by Vi)

Congrats! You made it to the end. It’s time to put everything you learned this week together. For this final part, you will be writing a script, like the kind you use in movies, using everything you have learned about dialogue in 200 words. Have fun!

Outro (written by Bookie)

Tell your characters that they can finally stop talking now because… drumroll, please! *drumroll* You’ve finished Weekly One! Give yourself a round of applause, you did an amazing job! Before submitting your weekly, ensure that you meet the following requirements:

1 - Write a piece involving consistency in character voice - min. 450 words
2 - Write a piece using dialogue effectively - max. 100 words
3 - Write a piece foreshadowing with dialogue - min. 300 words
4 - Write a script using the skills you’ve learned previously -min. 200 words

Your weekly should be a minimum of 950 words not including Part 2 for it to count. Submit it by November 9 at 11:59 pm UTC in the Main Cabin in order to earn 2000 points for your cabin! If you have any questions/concerns, contact a coordinator on one of their profiles, or you need an extension, please go to the extension requests linked in the description before the deadline.

Last edited by Amethyst-animation (Nov. 8, 2024 04:10:19)

-BookDragon-

Using Dialogue Effectively (+ Using Dialogue in Foreshadowing): An SWC Workshop by Eevee

Dialogue is an important part in our writing, in how characters talk and communicate with one another. It reveals personality, character, wants, needs, emotions- Suffice to say, it's a key role in our stories and part of the writing craft that should be given thought into. This workshop will be split into two parts: how to use dialogue effectively in your stories and using dialogue in foreshadowing. So let's get right into it!

Dialogue is just one of the many ways that characters can communicate with each other. They convey things through their actions, body language, facial expressions, words, and lack of any of these things. But through dialogue, we get to hear each of the character's voices and it's a clearer way to convey information between characters. In theory, it's simple. A conversation between people, like we would in everyday life. The hard part is understanding each of the character's minds and being able to translate the voices in our head into text that depicts it well.

With that being said, don't overthink dialogue too much. Unlike exposition, the narration in stories, dialogue doesn't need to have that perfect wording. If it's constantly filled with long words, perfect grammar, and no contractions, you may want to rethink your approach. Sure, these can be used, but that's not how most conversations go. Let the words flow naturally, like you would in a conversation! Of course, know what needs to be accomplished in that conversation to contribute to your overall story. Edits can always be made to add structure, but you don't want the dialogue to feel scripted.

Of course, each character and scenario has their little quirks, and you can adjust accordingly. A character’s background should be reflected in their dialogue, from the level of vocabulary to whether they use slang. There are a variety of factors that play to this. Think about where the characters grew up, their tone, word choice, phrases, etc. A modern forty year old Australian man will speak differently from a 15 year old in England during the Victorian era.

Remember: conversations are not linear. Most conversations are not straight back and forth, getting the point across quickly and effectively. With more characters, there are more interruptions, little rabbit holes to follow, and ending up at conclusions that weren't necessarily the focus in the beginning. They aren't structured or planned. Having a conversation read linearly can seem too structured, predictable, and unnatural. Let the dialogue flow, and go back and edit it later to help push things on topic. Or maybe, the characters do that themselves, going straight to the point after lingering off topic for a few lines. Because…

Each character has their own agenda and things affecting them when they go into a conversation. This could be something that has just happened, or in anticipation of something that will happen. Think about it, the way you respond to your friend saying “Hi!” can differ from if you came from an argument with your parents, a concert, waiting to go to lunch, or the doctor. Having their own agenda also means that they have different things they want to talk about. A conversation can be derailed entirely because one person wants to know this specific thing NOW!

The different mindsets will bleed into the conversation, and it's important to remind yourself of where they are coming from. For example: Person A may be dying to hear about what went on last night at the dance, while Person B wants to forget the whole thing. The conversation is likely not going to lead to an infodump about the dance, but we can get some interesting exchanges when trying to avoid the topic or attempting to sidetrack the conversation altogether. We could also learn main events from the dance from the way Person B glazes over information or refuses to open up about certain aspects of it.

Which is why subtext is important as well. We, as readers, don't need to know every detail in order to capture the key elements and how it affects the characters. Dialogue can be misused to tell the readers too much. Your characters will naturally have more knowledge on what they are saying than the readers. It gives the reader something to look forward to finding out as the story unfolds. Think about a conversation with your friends. There likely won't be too many essay length paragraphs, split up neatly into categories. No, there will be questions and random tangents, as well as skipping over some information. Things are implied and that's enough to fill in the gaps. We may know from the context, we may find out clearly later, we might not. Saying less, or even nothing, can be good. The silence after an argument or in response to a question can say a lot more than words can. Same with hesitations. Why were they hesitating? What is unsaid in the silence? We pick up on these things naturally in conversations and so will the reader.

This can be a great place to use things such as ellipsis, to indicate a pause or hesitance. Punctuation and formatting can play a big role in how readers, well, read and internally verbalize the words. You'll take “Come on, get out.” differently than you would "Come on! Get. Out." They give off different meanings, even if the words themselves are the same. Play around with formatting and the punctuation to convey the meaning of the words without dialogue tags to help.

While making sure that words can come off correctly without dialogue tags, making sure that the delivery of the lines are written properly as well is important. After all, it’s not just the words that we say, but how we say them. There are a couple of ways that you can go about this.

The easiest ways are directly naming how they are saying the words or their emotions.

Jacob whispered, Alice said angrily.

While this does show the general intention of the words, it doesn’t paint a clear picture or show us any personality traits of a character. They also aren’t the most interesting to read.
(Said is valid to use, but everyone has their own stance on this)

The more advanced way would be to use actions and reactions to better convey emotions.

Nyx glances around the room and steps closer. “You won’t tell anyone, right?”
Jordan’s face pales. “No.”

The details that you choose to share should be the most important, revealing what you want the reader to know the most. In this case, Nyx is cautious, but threatening, and Jordan is scared.

By showing how a character acts and reacts to a situation, we can understand what a character means. Let’s take those two lines of dialogue, first with dialogue tags and no actions and then with different actions and reactions.

Nyx confirms, “You won’t tell anyone, right?”
“No,” Jordan says, flippantly.

—

Nyx surveys the room and crosses her arms. “You won’t tell anyone, right?”
Jordan rolls his eyes. “No.”

See the difference? While they give off the same general emotions, we get to see how Nyx is being more serious while Jordan is not really taking her seriously. We’re also given more imagery on what they are doing rather than just what they are saying.

There is no “perfect” way to show how a character is giving their lines, but there’s a lot of ways to play around with it.

Filler words are not necessary to use in dialogue. Things like “um” and “uh” can appear a lot in our everyday language, but it can weigh down our written dialogue. This is not to say that it should always be excluded, because they can convey meaning to a certain extent. However, in many cases they can be removed and still get the same point across.

And, when in doubt, read it out loud. Does it sound natural? Can you hear your character saying this? (…this may require a bit of voice acting or your imagination

)

Moving on to foreshadowing! So, what is foreshadowing?

It's a literary device that is used to hint at something coming later in the story. It can help bring intrigue, suspicion, and connect the dots once the reveal comes. It's often used in mysteries to point towards the next step in the puzzle, but this can be done successfully in any kind of story and help to connect all of the moving pieces.

How is foreshadowing used in dialogue? you may ask.

Well, dialogue can hint at something in terms of a joke or offhand comment, by having a greater hold on reality than we may initially think. Conversations can also reveal something about a character's personality or motives that we may see play out later on. The absence of something is also crucial and can be used to foreshadow as well. As mentioned earlier, subtext is important and can help in foreshadowing! An example could be Person A adamantly refusing to say anything about the incident because “they don't know anything,” only to reveal later that they were the mastermind.

Before you start adding in foreshadowing, you need to know what you are going to foreshadow and the details that are involved in that. It's a good idea to write out your story/scene/etc without the foreshadowing, before you go back to add it in. This will give you a clearer idea on where you could sprinkle in little hints and what to hint about.

A few things to be mindful about when foreshadowing:

Plan the trail of breadcrumbs as early as you can. Having it too close to the actual event itself can be anticlimactic as you're hinting at it right before you reveal. Having smaller hints leading up to the event will make it more effective and having the crumbs sprinkled throughout can make it a great rereading experience as well. Connecting the dots when you realize a character made a small reference to a future event can be really fun!

Make sure that you aren't being too obvious with your foreshadowing and vary them. You don't want to continually point at one sign. Find different ways to nod towards the event and make sure to space them out. Keeping a good balance is key to using foreshadowing effectively. Revealing too much loses the suspense and giving away too little can be confusing or ineffective. Having something mentioned briefly as a slip up, or a character having an unusual amount of knowledge on a subject are ways that you can foreshadow different events.

Questions to Get Started

What mindset and emotions do your characters have going into a scene? How do you act with a similar mindset or emotion?

What do they want to get out of the conversation? The tea on happened last night, intel, catching up on last week, etc.

What is the bare minimum that needs to be said to make this conversation effective to your story? Make sure that the most important points get conveyed.

How might this character hint at a future event/a secret they have? Are they discreet or terrible at lying?

My final piece of advice I'll give is to observe. Observe conversations you hear out in public, in media, in your own life! What makes the conversations flow and makes each person uniquely their own? And by getting to know your own story more, you'll be able to figure out how to add foreshadowing into it effectively. It's all part of the writing process, my friend. Have fun~

Main Sources

https://www.valpo.edu/writingcenter/resources-for-students/handouts/writing-effective-dialogue/
https://www.thenovelry.com/blog/writing-dialogue
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-foreshadowing-foreshadowing-literary-device-tips-and-examples
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-great-dialogue

Last edited by -BookDragon- (Nov. 3, 2024 22:06:23)

-NightGlow-

November 2024 Dailies

(Friendly reminder that dailies only count for points while they're up on the Main Cabin description. These are just for reference if you'd like to go back and redo a missed activity. Have fun!)

- - -

Nov 01: Welcome back, adventurers, to another session of SWC! Whether this is your tenth session or your first, we couldn't be more thrilled to have you in our wonderful corner of the internet. For your first daily, go ahead and introduce yourself in the comments! Then, try responding to a few other people - maybe someone has the same favorite book as you, or the same musical artist! We're so excited for an incredible session, and we can't wait to see what adventures the next month hold <3

Nov 02: “Dear Future SWCers, What’s up? I’m writing from the past to ask you to write a letter to the future! It’s time travel!! For this daily, write a letter of 250 words to your future self, earning yourself 300 points with an extra 100 for sharing proof. What questions do you have for yourself to reflect on? What do you want to remember from today? Include at least one hope you have for the coming month and at least one good thing that happened today. That’s all from me for now. Happy writing! Sincerely, Past Polar Bears”

Nov 03: In today's daily we're going to get to know our cabinmates better! To start off, head on over to the profile of someone in your cabin that you don't really know and have a little chat - introduce yourself, and get to know them. From there, use any phrase written in their bio/wiwo as a prompt to write a 300 word story. Completing this daily will earn you 250 points, with an extra 200 points for sharing proof. Have fun, and here's to an amazing session filled with new friendships and memories!

Nov 04: Are you ready to fight? Before you pull out your candlesticks and wrenches, there isn't a need for them! That's because we'll be fighting with words! Please give a warm welcome to Word Wars as they make their debut for this session! All info can be found in the project: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1090878699/ and don't worry if you miss out on them today- they'll be around all session! Have fun- and hey! Put away that candlestick!

Nov 05: It’s time for another SWC classic: the flower daily! During Victorian times, people often sent each other secret messages through flower arrangements. In 300 words, write a piece that includes at least 3 different flowers, incorporating their unique meanings into your work. This will earn you a total of 350 points, with an additional 150 points for sharing proof! A collection of flowers and their meanings can be found here, courtesy of the wonderful Alba: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/741579314/.

Nov 06: What if Spider-Man was a super villain and the Green Goblin a hero? Or if the Great Prophecy was about Annabeth while Percy grew up at Camp Halfblood? Today we’ll be diving into the world of fanfiction with a classic trope: role-reversal. Take two (or more) characters from the same story and imagine their positions have been swapped. Consider the impacts on their personality, the plot, and the world. For 300 points (extra 100 for proof), write 400 words exploring this new version of the story.

Nov 07: Have you ever heard of 10-word stories? Well, we’re bringing them to SWC with this daily, but with a bit of a spin on it! To complete today’s daily, post 10 words. It can be 10 random words or a sentence, it’s up to you <3 Next, find someone else’s 10-word comment and make a story out of it with at least 250 words. Following along? Now, claim 200 points for completing the daily, and earn an additional 50 points for sharing it! It's fascinating to see what you can make out of only 10 words!

Nov 08: Happy steam day, everyone! Today, you'll write about a truly fantastic scientific theory — one that went terribly, horribly wrong when put into practice. Be sure to make your daily as wild and wacky as possible, and for 350 points, with an additional 100 for proof, write 400 words documenting the experience!

Nov 09: "Get out your pipes, candlesticks, and wrenches–and your favorite place to write in, too–because today is cabin wars! Before you begin, make sure to read over this: ( https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/695082/?page=3#post-8223368 ) and remember to have fun, be kind, and sleep at a reasonable time! "

Nov 10: Time to put your shields down and call a truce, mighty warriors, because the day of battle has passed, and peace is imminent! Peace by means of sharing and editing and critiquing… indeed the glorious day of the Critiquitaire has returned. Take some time to read through the description of this project and start working on your first critique, perhaps there's just as much possibility to be held shaking hands with enemies as there is battling with them: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1094168839

Nov 11: Have you ever wondered how you would write if the alphabet only had 25 letters? Well today, you’ll get to find out, because this daily is all about using lipograms, which is where you write a piece normally, but omit a certain letter. Write a piece that is at least 200 words long, incorporating lipograms! Doing this will earn you 100 points and an additional 100 points for sharing proof!

Nov 12: Did you wonder why Gurtle kept eating our links? Or why Skog and Blahaj had this massive showdown during cabin wars? Well today's your chance to find out! For this daily, the tyrants have generously lent us classified access to all the mascots from past sessions. The only catch is that these mascots are very busy people, and if you'd like to ask them some questions… well, they'd like to see a podcast script of at least 350 words beforehand. Earn 300 points for completing the daily, and an additional 150 for proof. Get ready to cause chaos ;D

Nov 13: All those other girls, well, they're beautiful, but would they write a daily based off of a song for you? NOPE! Long story short, I promise that you'll never find another one like this daily - today we're writing a story based on a song! Pick any song - the jury's out, but the choice is yours - and write a story about it! You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes, but today, by writing at least 200 words, you win 150 points for your cabin (plus 100 for proof). You'll be on a winning streak!

Nov 14: The smell of ink, a crackling fireplace, and the comfort of a favorite book - that's right, today we're curling up on the couch with a new story written by a swcer - it's bestselling bookstore day! For today's daily, please write 200 words describing a book you'd like to write. Then, browse through the main cabin comments and leave 3 positive reviews on stories that you'd like to read! This daily will earn you a total of 100 points, with an extra 150 for sharing proof. Happy reading, everybody!

Nov 15: Today is national recycling day, so don't you put that milk carton in the trash! You can also recycle in writing, by finding an abandoned idea of yours – whether it's a story, world, character, plot twist, or something else – and turn it into a brand new story! Reduce, reuse, and recycle this idea into a 300 word piece and submit it for 300 points (plus 50 for sharing proof)!

Nov 16: Welcome to day 1 of our mystery bi-daily! For today you will form a group of three with two other people in the comments, and together you will brainstorm and make a list of 3 red herrings and 3 clues. These red herrings and clues can be anything all of you want it to be! Tomorrow we will be using this list to make our own mystery, so look out for that! Share your list to claim 100 points in the main cabin <3

Nov 17: "Woohoo! It's time for the second part of this bi-daily. Yesterday you made a mystery with a couple red herrings and clues. Today you will be take those clues and red herrings and turn them into a short story! Whether its solving who locked you into a mysterious house or who stole the mangoes, write 300 words for 300 points (and an extra 100 for proof), good luck detectives!”

Nov 18: What did you do this morning? Evening? Did you brush your hair, make your bed, tie your shoes? These things all seem so everyday and commonplace, but what if they were the strangest things in the world? Today, write 400 words turning a habitual activity into a completely and utterly bizarre occurrence, and for your efforts, you'll earn a grand 350 points - plus 100 for proof!

Nov 19: Scratch Writing Camp? More like Super Whale Camp! For this daily, create an SWC acronym of your choice. From Skibidi Warrior Camp to Super Winter Chefs, the options are endless! Once you're done coming up with your acronym, share it in the comments, then search through the comments and find an acronym written by someone else to use as a story prompt! Make sure to write 250 words, and, in return, you'll get 100 points (with an additional 100 for proof). Good luck!

Nov 20: It's time to take matters into your own hands and decide your destiny–it's pick-the-plot day! For today's daily, post the start of a story in the main cabin along with 3 options for how to continue it. Then pick someone else's story, along with 1 of their options, and write 250 words continuing the story for 200 points. You can earn an extra 100 points for sharing proof! Where will your path lead you?

Nov 21: “GUYS!” Amethyst screeches as she runs into the main cabin, attracting some concerned looks from campers hanging around. “IT'S TIME FOR ROLEPLAY DAY!” “What's roleplay day?” someone asks.“Anything you say today should be in roleplay format!” Amethyst replies, grinning with excitement. “Although it's not worth any points, you can add any words you write today in roleplay format! Have fun!”

Nov 22: RED ALERT! RED ALERT! The POLAR BEAR team has quit! Quick – write a letter filled with reasons why they should come back to work, or there will be no more dailies! With the fourth weekly coming right around the corner, YOU need to do something now… Submit your 300 word letter and a lasagna donation for 350 points (and an additional 100 for sharing proof!) and maybe the POLAR BEARS will return…

Nov 23: It's that time again… welcome, one and all, to the second Cabin Wars of this SWC session! Arm yourself with pen and mango as you prepare for the chaos of the day- and always remember to put real life (and sleep!) over SWC <3 Now, without further ado- who's ready for some Cabin Wars craziness?!

Nov 24: Well, it looks like our no-strike letters from yesterday weren't really convincing to our POLAR BEAR team… The only way for us to get back our fun activities is to unionize and work together! Today, we'll be dipping our toes into media representation! Choose one thing you think is underrepresented in media - this can include culture, background, neurodivergence, gender, disabilities, interests, or anything else! Write a 400 word story for 400 points accurately representing this into a character while avoiding cliches. An extra 100 points can be earned for sharing proof!

Nov 25: Today, we'll be taking inspiration from our favourite neon green, mildly threatening owl and turning his wise words into poetry! Duolingo frequently asks you to translate sentences when learning a language, and more often than not, the phrases are entirely nonsensical. For this daily, you'll take these wacky prompts and use them as inspiration for an epic poem of at least 250 words to earn 100 points! An additional 100 points can be won for your cabin by providing proof ;D

Nov 26: If a colour had human emotions, what would it be like? Would red constantly be angry? Would yellow be the epitome of happiness? For this daily, you are going to personify a colour using pathetic fallacy! This essentially means that you'll give a colour human emotions and characteristics in your writing - so choose a colour and write 200 words using this method, to gain 200 points for your cabin, plus 100 for sharing proof!

Nov 27: Do you have writer’s block? Are you looking for a source of inspiration? Not to worry, today’s daily will help get your creative juices flowing again! Using this elements of literature spinner (link), write a piece that is 400 words long. This will earn you 350 points upon completion, and an additional 200 points for sharing proof!

Nov 28: “Once there was. A daily that. Used three words. At a time. That's right, the beloved SWC daily is back: three word stories! For this daily, start by posting three words of a story in the main cabin. Afterwards, find someone else's story to reply to (remember to only use three words at a time!), and make sure to keep track of how many words you've written–every word you write counts towards your word goal!”

Nov 29: Today marks the day of our iconic honorary hostie's birthday (go wish Alia a very happy birthday <3)! In honour of this amazing day we've decided to complete the constellation daily for our very own star in the sky! Constellations have become a huge part of our society over the centuries, from using them to track crop growth, to navigation in the night, to even retelling legends about they were created. For this daily, write 300 words as to how your favorite constellation came to be. Complete this daily to earn 250 points and an additional 100 for sharing proof. Happy birthday, Alia! We love you so much <33

Nov 30: Well, everybody, it's the final day of the session - how lucky we are to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard! For the last daily of November 2024, we'll be writing thank-you notes to people within this vibrant community who have made an impact - whether that be your leader, a fellow camper, or a sibling cabin. If you need help writing your notes, feel free to check out Moss's workshop on writing thank-yous, and happy writing, everybody - what an amazing session its been <33

Last edited by -NightGlow- (Dec. 29, 2024 00:06:14)

Vienradze

Wait, so we need the poadcast to do part 1, right? And we have to do part 1 before doing part 2, right? So we can't do anything for this until the poadcast appears, can we?

-NightGlow-

Hello! Just a reminder to all scratchers that it would be great if you could refrain from commenting in this thread unless preapproved. Please redirect anything you might wish to say here to my profile comments instead! If you're looking to share your daily/weekly for proof, please do so in the megathread.

Thank you, and happy SWC <3

-BookDragon-

Consistency of Character Voice - A Mangoes & Mayhem Weekly Workshop (text version - written by Mouse)

(MOUSE)
Hey writers! Welcome to the first workshop of the first weekly of SWC–today, you’ll be learning about character voice and how to keep it consistent! We’re your hosts–I’m Mouse,

(BELLA)
And I’m Bella! We’re so excited to be talking about character voice–it’s one of our favorite topics. But before we talk about consistency, let’s talk about character voice–what is it, and why is it important?

(MOUSE)
Character voice is how each character communicates with others and reacts to things. Your character’s voice is as much of their way of speaking as it is their internal dialogue. Just like how in real life everyone has a unique way of speaking, it’s your job as the author to make your character’s are the same.

(BELLA)
Exactly! And it’s super important to having a fully-realized story: Not only does character voice give life to your characters and makes them more realistic, it also helps readers differentiate between characters and helps them get to know the characters better.

(MOUSE)
To create a unique character voice, you first need to think about what makes real people’s voices different. Why do they choose the words they do, or the phrasing, or the tone? A lot of it has to do with their backstory and where they grew up. There’s also regional accents–for example, in America, on the west coast a shopping cart is usually called a shopping cart–but on the east coast it’s usually called a carriage–and this is only one example! Regional accents differ from coast to coast, state to state, and even city to city, town to town, and family to family–but the closer you zoom in, the smaller the differences become.

(BELLA)
Another thing to think about is backstory. Were they brought up with English tutors that made sure their grammar was impeccable? Did they grow up on the streets or in another world? What time period are they from? All of these will affect word choice and sentence structure.
Their family could also have a role in word choice–they could be in a really stuffy family that won’t even let them say things like “gonna”, or they could be in a chill family that lets them say whatever they want.

(MOUSE)
The next thing to note is personality. A really angry person will choose different words than a bubbly, happy one, and their sentence structure might be different–the angry character could talk in short, pointed fragments, while the bubbly character might speak in an explosion of short sentences, one after the other, running into each other in excited bursts. Additionally, things like traumatic happenings, life changing events, life lessons learnt, or secrets discovered could change the way they speak!

(BELLA)
One final thing to think about is who they’re with. You probably talk differently around strangers than you do your family, and your characters are the same. They probably appear much more professional around potential sponsors or business partners and a lot more relaxed around their friends. Friend groups also tend to talk more like each other the closer they are! So consider who they’re interacting with in each scene and their relationship with that person–their voice will probably change slightly depending on the situation.

(MOUSE)
All that said, that is a LOT to think about. But with practice, you can easily master your character’s voice. Ultimately, the goal here is to create a realistic, relatable character that feels like a real person. And if you do it right, your readers will be able to tell the difference between your characters in a conversation without having lines like ‘Crystal said’ at the end of every line! This isn’t a necessity, though–just a small goal to keep in mind. And finally, we’ll give you the answer to the question you’ve all been waiting for: how do you keep character voice consistent?

(BELLA)
Once you have a good idea of your character’s voice, the best way to keep it consistent is to keep it in mind while writing. Really get into the headspace of that character. And to get really proficient at it, all you have to do is practice! Write from the point of view of that character, whether in the story they’re intended for or little side stories to get to know them better. There’s a reason your character’s voice is stronger in the middle of the first draft of your story than the end–you’re much more familiar with this character most of the way through the piece than at the beginning. And with a little revising, the character’s voice can be strong and fully realized all the way through!!

(MOUSE)
We hope we’ve helped teach you about character voice and keeping it consistent, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! We’d be happy to answer all of them. Have fun with the weekly, and keep writing!

~~~

Sources:

https://maxonwriting.com/2020/10/12/being-a-better-writer-keeping-character-voice-consistent/
https://nybookeditors.com/2015/11/character-development-how-to-create-a-consistent-voice/
https://www.dabblewriter.com/articles/finding-a-characters-voice

rocksalmon800

SWC CABIN WARS #1
november 9, 2024

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Cabin Wars officially begin at 00:00 UTC on November 9th. Do NOT send wars or start writing towards a war before then.

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Happy cabin wars, campers! Read over everything before you begin warring, please <3

RULES:
• If you require help with a cabin war from people outside your cabin, you can request the services of a mercenary! If you do ask one, please try to make sure their words get counted towards the war ^^
• You may not plan wars with other cabins (e.g. strategically planning to war an ally or get a war yourself), but you may plan wars within your own cabin. The one exception to this is asking generically for “a war” (not a specific one!) in the main cabin.
• A cabin can opt to write half the required words for ONE war every cabin wars day.
• Valid wars cannot be taken back.
• Your cabin may not war another cabin twice in a row.
• A cabin cannot be warred the same war nor extra challenge twice in a row.
• You must use the given wars. You may not make up your own.
• There is a 3 hour shield time, where a cabin may not be warred for 3 hours between each war.
• Leaders and cos may end their cabin's shield early if they wish, but they must lower it by commenting in the studio of their cabin.
• Each word you write may only count towards one war at a time.
• You do not have to ask before warring a cabin, though your leaders can set guidelines (based only on cabin relationships, not rankings).
• Cabin wars must be sent manually (not with bots).
• There is no penalty if you break a rule; the war just won’t count.
• SLEEP > SWC <3

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VALID WARS:

Cabin Wars! Write 4000 words as a cabin in the next 9 hours or lose 900 points.

Cabin Wars! Write 3500 words as a cabin in the next 8 hours or lose 800 points.

Cabin Wars! Two people must write 500 words each in the next 8 hours. If not, you lose 750 points.

Cabin Wars! Write 2000 words as a cabin in the next 4 hours, or lose 1000 points.

Cabin Wars! Write 1000 words as a cabin in the next 3 hours or lose 500 points.

Cabin Wars! At least three people in your cabin have to collaborate to create a short story of at least 700 words. You have 24 hours, or else lose 1000 points. (each cabin can only receive this war once)

Cabin Wars! Write 4500 words as a cabin in the next 7 hours, or else lose 700 points.

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CHALLENGES:
Every war is required to have an extra challenge. They all earn the same amount of points, and can potentially make things more fun for the people being warred.
Completing a challenge is optional.

Extra challenge: stretch, take a walk, and/or drink some water (and do a penguin waddle - if you're daring) after every 500 or less words you write. Every person who does this consistently while writing towards the war wins 50 points each for their cabin. This applies for up to three campers (resulting in 150 points earned maximum.)

Extra challenge: Attempt a fifty headed hydra (500 words in 5 minutes!) Every cabin member who attempts this monstrous challenge can claim 25 points for their cabin. Your attempt does not need to be successful in order to win these points! This applies for up to six campers (resulting in 150 points earned maximum.)

Extra challenge: Character swap! To complete this challenge, at least two cabin members must share a short biography of one of their original characters in their cabin comments. They must then claim a character that is not their own, and write 300 words from the perspective of that character. This applies for up to six campers (resulting in 150 points earned maximum.)

Extra challenge: Write 200 words in an archaic or old-fashioned style! Every cabin member who does this can claim 25 points for their cabin. This applies for up to six campers (resulting in 150 points max).

Extra challenge: Use three song titles in your writing! Every cabin member who does this can claim 25 points for their cabin! This applies for up to six campers (resulting in 150 points earned maximum.)

Extra challenge: Ask any other swc-er for a writing dare, and complete it! The dares given out should be able to be completed within a short time frame; any dares that set a word goal over 500 or a time goal over 15 minutes are ineligible. Every cabin member who does this can claim 25 points for their cabin! This applies for up to six campers (resulting in 150 points earned maximum.)

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good luck, detectives - and remember to sleep <3

TheBibliophile7

SWC Nov '24 Weekly #2 - Cabin Creation

Intro (written by Amethyst)
Hello campers, and welcome to your second weekly of this session! Picture your dream cabin, with all it's awesome ideas, storyline, matching PFPs and campers. Got that cabin in your mind? Great, because in this weekly, we'll be bringing that cabin to life! That's right — this week, you'll magically become a leader, and you can create, design and share your perfect cabin. You can choose any genre you like, and let your imagination run wild with the storyline!

This weekly begins on Nov 10 at 12:01 am UTC.

Part 1: Storyline Description (written by Lora)
Welcome, legends, to the first part of the weekly! To start off, please make sure to take a look at Luka's amazing workshop
( https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1071896686/ )! It'll teach you all you need to know about coming up with a cabin idea.
After you've done that, we'll be exploring how to write a storyline description for your incredible cabin concept. Look at the idea you've just framed—do any sparks come to your mind? If not, don't fret! You could assign a vague genre/cabin to your concept, and think about where you want to go from there. For example, a lyrical/poetry cabin's storyline description could be filled with riddles and rhapsodic lines, while a horror cabin's storyline description could be filled with fast-paced sentences that bring out a sense of thrill. Any mythological/fictional references, the point of view, and your tense could truly make your storyline description to life! Make sure to confine it within 150 - 300 words so it can fit in your imaginary description, and good luck— we can't wait to see your end result.

Part 2: Aesthetic Set (written by Luka)
Time for the next part of our weekly! We hope you're enjoying the cabin making experience so far. For this part, we're gonna turn to a classic daily we all love: cabin aesthetics! Your task is to create an aesthetic set for your new cabin, making sure to capture its overall theme and vibe. It should be in a project, and you must have a minimum of 5 images. Let your design skills go wild, and have fun!

Part 3: Cabin Parody (written by Lora)
Welcome to the third part of the weekly! Pull out your thinking hats and your quills—in this section, you will be writing your very own cabin parody! If you don't know what that is, a cabin parody/anthem involves taking a lyrical song—or any song with words—and changing up the lyrics to match your cabin storyline. So, using that theme you've been working with, create a 200 word parody to accompany it! We can't wait to see the incredible parodies you come up with.

Part 4: Short Story (written by Bookie)
Look at all the hard work you’ve put in so far! Revel in it for a moment before moving on to the fourth and final part of this weekly! Throughout this weekly, you’ve carefully crafted your very own cabin, a cabin that’s absolutely brimming with possibilities! Your anthem may have some hidden double meanings, or maybe your storyline has multiple possible outcomes! Now, it’s time to combine all of these lovely ideas and turn them into a story! This story should be at least 400 words. When writing this story, take your new cabin’s premise and incorporate it into the world somehow. Be inspired by your work! Maybe this means that your cabin shapes the setting, or the main character in your story is a camper from your cabin. The possibilities are endless! Good luck, dear writer!

Outro (written by Yume)
Welcome back! We hope you had fun creating your very own Super Wonderful Cabins <3 You've officially planned the cabin of your dreams! And who knows? One day, it might just be in the session lineup… Once again, we hope you all enjoyed this journey of cabin creation— until next time, keep dreaming, keep planning, and most importantly- keep writing! <3
Before we all return to the equally wonderous SWC Main Cabin, please make sure you've met the following requirements:
1 - Write a cabin storyline description - between 150-300 words
2 - Create an aesthetic set to represent your cabin - min. 5 images
3 - Write a cabin song/anthem parody - min. 200 words
4 - Write a story in the setting and world of your cabin - min. 400 words

Your weekly should be 750 - 900 words (and 5 images) for it to count. Submit it by November 16th at 11:59 pm UTC in the Main Cabin in order to earn 1500 points for your cabin! If you have any questions/concerns, contact a coordinator on one of their profiles, or you need an extension, please go here before the deadline.

Last edited by TheBibliophile7 (Nov. 12, 2024 11:48:41)

Amethyst-animation

SWC November 2024 Weekly #3 - Journalism

Intro (written by Alia)

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! BREAKING NEWS fresh from the Polar Bears Press this week: the theme for the third weekly has finally been announced! After months of investigation, we've learned straight from the source…this week we'll be focusing on journalism! For this weekly, you'll be stepping into the shoes of a journalist yourself, learning how to report on events, detect bias, and edit articles.

This weekly begins on November 17 at 12:01 am UTC. Best of luck, investigators!

Part 1: Fictional Events (written by Vi)

Welcome to the first part of the third weekly! This weekly will be focused on journalism. However, in order to write an article on something, we need to select an event to report on! For this part, write a short story of a fictional event that includes the who, what, when, where, why, and how of an event occurring in 500 words. This story will be one that another writer will report on, so have fun with writing some chaos.

Part 2: Bias (written by Bookie)

Great job on the first part of the weekly! Now let’s move on to the second part.

Before you do anything else for this part, go here and share the link to your event from part one there!

Next, go through the comments of that studio and look through the events that other people have shared. Select one, and make sure that you keep track of where it is. Once you’ve finished everything, consider sharing your work with the person from whom you got the event!

Before moving on, go to Gigi’s wonderful workshop here. The workshop provides invaluable information that will help you greatly!

Now that you’re equipped with your event, as well as your knowledge from the workshop, write two different articles. The first article you’re going to write is going to be as unbiased as possible. Alternatively, the second article WILL be biased somehow!

Once you’ve finished everything, consider sharing your work with the person from whom you got the event! Each article should be at least 250 words.

Part 3: SWC Events (written by Eevee)

Now that you've worked a bit with writing articles, let's pause and take a look around at what's going on in SWC! Any big inside jokes or intense cabin competition? For this part of the weekly, you will be writing an article reporting the events going on in SWC. Have fun putting your own twist on recounting what's going on in the main cabin, between friends, or cabins! This article should be at least 450 words; good luck reporters.

Part 4: Editing (written by Niko)

Congrats reporter! You've reached the last part of this weekly, and your article is ready to be sent over to the editor! For this activity head on over to the Critiquitaire and swap your article reporting on another person’s story with someone else. Edit that person’s article to the best of your abilities - it could be grammar mistakes, something that is worded strangely, or anything you think needs to be changed!

Outro (written by Em)

Congrats aspiring journalists! You've reached the end of this weekly, ready to claim 2500 points for your endeavors in reporting. Well, I hope you are! Before you do that, make sure that you've completed each part of the weekly shown here:

Part 1 - Written a short story about a fictional event that includes who, what, where, when, why, and how, and answer them in at least 500 words
Part 2 - Written two articles, a biased and unbiased version reporting events from someone else's short story from part 1, with a minimum of 250 words each
Part 3 - Written an article reporting events happening in SWC with at least 450 words
Part 4 - Swapped articles from Part 3 with someone else and gave critique and feedback to each other

Once again, kudos to you for finishing the 3rd weekly, and remember to always be a reporter at heart <3

Your weekly should be a minimum of 1450 words for it to count. Submit it by November 23rd at 11:59 pm UTC in the Main Cabin in order to earn 2500 points for your cabin! If you have any questions/concerns, contact a coordinator on one of their profiles, or you need an extension, please go here before the deadline.

Last edited by Amethyst-animation (Nov. 16, 2024 23:48:49)

Amethyst-animation

How to detect bias | A SWC Workshop written by Gigi

Before we can detect bias, we have to know what bias is. By definition, it's a preference towards an opinion that maes it hard to have an objective opinion. This by itself isn't really helpful though because everyone holds opinions, instead we need to focus on how makes people hold bias'. For your convinience, here's a list of the main ones.

Anchoring Bias: Where you rely heavily on one piece of evidence to make decisions.
Availability Bias:Overestimating the liklihood of events.
Confirmation Bias: Only looking for things that back up your beliefs.
False Priors: Our initial beliefs that affect our current beliefs. Influences can include but aren't limited to stereotypes.
Framing Bias: How the way infomation is framed at us, affects our beliefs.

These biases can come in more specific forms than discussed there. However, they are the most common ones in the way that covers the most range. For example: Anchoring bias can come in the form of only considering research that uses a certain method OR changing your beliefs to accept the new evidence without discounting old evidence.

As a result, the best way to detect bias in other peoples writing is to consider what the article is telling you. Does the article feature a wide range of sources, not just number wise but from different researchers, using different methods. That can help you figure out if anchoring bias is occuring. Simularly, when claims are stated as if fact when they are in fact beliefs, can be as a result of false priors. Detecting bias in people's writing is, to fact check, when possible.

Of course, few reporters want to admit to being biased, since it's seen as an attack on their writing. They won't always make things easy for you. It's important to look out for words such as “claims” instead of “said” for example. The different connotations with the words may be an expression of the reporters own bias and their attempts to guide you into believing them. Simularly, the structure of a report will create framing bias in the reader. Whose opinion are they expressing first? Are the opposing opinions given as much depth? What did the writer think was important? Even when the article aims to only express fact, language, form and structure are still ways to express biases.

So now you know how to detect bias, can you use it in your own writing?
You sure can!
When writing to be persuasive, purposely using bias can help you come across as more convincing. Present evidence that confirms your beliefs while not looking at other perspectives. If you have to consider other perspectives, you can downplay how convincing their evidence is and offer counter evidence for them. Undeniably, your own bias will exist regardless of whether or not you purposely use it to be convincing. The evidence you present helps guide the audiance towards an opinion. If the reader wants to find out more and question your belief, they have to do further research. Some readers will but some won't and they are the people you are most likely to convince.

Bias is more than just evidence as previously established and this is where you can get creative in your articles. To help understand this, I'm going to write a headline for the arrest of a gay couple for a failed bank robbery. That situation is too long to include all the details in a headline.
However, if I was writing a homophobic piece, I may make the headline, “Gay Couple Caught After Stealing From Honest Population.” - Catchy and places emphasis on the gay nature of the couple while also seperating them from the ‘honest’ population, aka the bank. This also exxagerates the harm of the crime committed.
If I was trying to praise the police, I would frame the headline closer to Our Police Prevent Bank Robbery.. Pronouns like ‘our’ incites a sense of pride and community with the police officer.
You can see here how the infomation offered can shape the readers opinion on the infomation, create bias and/or express their own.

To conclude: Knowing what bias' exist allows for them to be recognised and used. It exists both in the infomation presented and the language, form and structure that is used during.

TheBibliophile7

SWC Nov '24 Weekly #4: CultureSWC

Introduction

Alana:Oh, hey there! The dragon trainers have decided you're ready, and we have some exciting news for you.
Amethyst Amefish: For this weekly, you're going to be flying to 13 different ancient civilizations across the world to learn about their cultures and traditions. Did I mention you’ll be flying your dragon?
CJ: Each civilization will give you a task to complete, and once you successfully accomplish it, you will earn a key!
Mouse: These keys will help you unlock a secret rune location, hidden deep in the mountains. Quick! Select a dragon and take to the skies!
Reese: Oh, one last thing. The leaders from each cabin have graciously agreed to base their cabin at each location, so you’ll get to learn about each civilization from them. Hopefully that’ll help with the language barriers.
Rockie: You have one week to embark on this adventure and collect keys from different regions around the world.
Soki: Good luck, apprentice! We know you’ve got this… now take to the skies and fly high!
Time to Begin: Choosing Your Dragon

It's time to pick your dragon, explorers! Choose one of the following before you continue writing.
Peeles: “It is one thing to read about dragons and another to meet them.”
PERSONALITY: old and wise, deeply mysterious
HOBBIES: theatre kid at heart
STRENGTHS: amazing at charades
WEAKNESSES: cannot swim to save his life
Peeles once sneezed on the sun and caused a drought for a year.
Blahaj: “I can’t wait for this adventure! Can I bring my fish, too?”
PERSONALITY: cheerful, endless positivity!
HOBBIES: raising his fish pets
STRENGTHS: makes the best chocolate chip cookies
WEAKNESSES: burns everything else
Blahaj throws annual dance parties in which he invites all the fish to come jam to Kelplor Swift with him!
Mazasa: “Is it cold there? I can make us some scarves!”
PERSONALITY: sweet and huggable
HOBBIES: crocheting scarves for snowmen <3
STRENGTHS: can eat a whole cup of ice in one go and not bat an eye
WEAKNESSES: severely bad at icefishing
Mazasa bought a dinosaur costume to scare people away because he’s too lovable to be intimidating.
Skog: “I can’t wait to tell my butterflies all about our adventures!”
PERSONALITY: philosophical, lovable
HOBBIES: making unique pottery
STRENGTHS: always gets the best birthday gifts for people
WEAKNESSES: distracted by anything with balloons
Skog talks to anybody who comes up to him, and tells them all about the butterflies he saw that day <3
Location #1: Ancient Aztecs

Information about the Aztecs:
time period: 1325-1521CE
location: modern-day Mexico around Lake Texcoco
language: 200+

The Aztecs’ tradition states that their god told them that the place for their civilisation to start would be wherever they found an eagle on a cactus with a snake in its beak. After finding this eagle by Lake Texcoco, these people decided to build their civilisation on the lake, creating man-made islands and building off of pre-existing ones.

Prompt: Incorporate an image/symbol of some sort that unearths a memory in the main character
Location #2: Inuit

Information about the Inuits:
time period: 1000CE to present
location: alaska, canada and greenland
language: five main languages

The Inuit people are one of the Indigenous peoples of North America. Due to their location, they adapted to the cold weather. They also believe that all things have a spirit.

Prompt: Your character shows empathy and helps an animal
Location #3: Ancient Greece

Information about the Greeks:
time period: 1200 BCE - 323 AD
location: northeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea
language: Ancient Greek

The Ancient Greeks were the inventors of modern theater - some theaters they created had space in the audience for more than 15,000 people! However, only men or boys were allowed to act Greek plays - they wore theatrical masks while playing their parts.

Prompt: Incorporate the supernatural/spiritual into your writing
Location #4: Navajo Nation

Information about the Navajos:
time period: 1100 AD - present (officially founded in 1868)
location: south-western modern US
language: Diné Bizaad

In 1942, twenty-nine Navajo men were selected by the military to craft an unbreakable code based on their unique language. This code was wildly successful and gave the United States a critical advantage during WWII. However, it is important to note that, before the Navajo became instrumental in the war, they were stifled by the American government and forced into schools that forbade them from talking in their native language - which makes the US a tad hypocritical.

Prompt: Your character is forced to make a decision they didn’t want to do
Location #5: Swahili City States

Information about the Swahilis:
time period: 1000-1500CE
location: east africa
language: swahili

The Swahili City States stretched along the eastern edge of Africa. Muslim traders settled in this area, starting the civilisation. Their buildings were built out of stone-coral blocks, and they were considered an important trading centre in their time period.

Prompt: Write a part of a story in a play script format
Location #6: Ancient Rome

Information about the Romans:
time period: 625 BCE - 476 AD
location: grew to encompass England, most of continental Europe and Asia, northern Africa, and the islands of the Mediterranean
primary language: latin

Ancient Rome was said to be founded by twin brothers Romulus and Remus - Romulus eventually killed his brother and became Rome’s first king, succeeded by six others until the period of Roman monarchy ended in around 509 BCE.

Prompt: Character development in a protagonist that changes them from a “character” to “hero”
Location #7: Aboriginal Peoples of Australia

Information about the Aboriginal Peoples of Australia:
time period: ~63,000BC - current
location: all across Australia
language: 200+

Although these peoples all lived in Australia, there are hundreds upon hundreds of different groups and peoples within this term. Culturally, they believe in the Dreamtime, the stories of the creation of the world.

Prompt: Incorporate a Dreamtime character into writing
Location #8: Ancient Egypt

Information about the Egyptians:
time period: 3150 BCE - 30 BCE
location: northeastern africa
primary language: egyptian

The ancient Egyptians worshipped over 2,000 different gods and goddesses. Additionally, cats were considered to be sacred vessels of the gods, capable of granting good fortune to those who cared for them. Egyptians kept cats as pets and referred to them as miu, (prounced “meow”).

Prompt: Your main character has a “dark day”, a time where they doubt everything they've gone through, and question their choices, decisions and capability
Location #9: Maya Civilization

Information about the Mayans:
time period: 1500-1600 BCE
location: Central America
language: ~28 similar examples, one of most common was K'iche’

Mayans build themselves pyramid-like structures and stone monuments, but most of their civilization was made up of farmers and agricultural work, living in a tropical climate. They also were heavily religious.

Prompt: Include a "creation”/origin story about your character
Location #10: Mesopotamia

Information about the Mesopotamians:
time period: 3200 - 539 BCE
location: between Tigris & Euphrates rivers
primary language: wrote in cuneiform

Mesopotamia was split into city-states, and was one of the earliest civilizations. It was a mix of a lot of cultures and languages due to the separation between city states.

Prompt: Incorporate a poem or poetry into your writing.
Location #11: Kingdom of Aksum

Information about Aksum:
time period: 1st - 8th century
location: northern Ethiopia
primary language: Ge’ez (also Greek)

Aksum first developed through trade with Rome and India, and became a powerful kingdom in the 3rd through 6th centuries. It was also recognized for it’s religious affiliations and architecture, such as palaces and obelisks.

Prompt: Your character must trade or barter in order to receive something they want.
Location #12: Minoan Civilization

Information about the Minoans:
time period: 3000-1100 BCE
location: the greek isle of Crete
language: Minoan (currently undeciphered)

Women in Minoan culture held prominent roles in government, religious power, and social duties.

Prompt: Your character comes across writing that no one can decipher. They must figure out a way to decipher this writing!
Location #13: Ancient China

Information about the Ancient Chinese:
time period: several thousand years both BCE and CE, depending on the dynasty
location: China
primary language: Archaic (Old) Chinese

Ancient China is broken into multiple dynasties, but all were known for their use of silk, bronze, and multiple important inventions still used in modern society.

Prompt: Your character has a morally grey moment - a time where they do something that may not align with their regular morals.
Conclusion

Mouse: Welcome home! We’re so glad you took to the skies and had an adventure, and we hope this is only your first of many.
Rockie: We hope you had an amazing time and liked learning about all the civilisations. It’ll be important to keep in mind the beliefs and information about a diverse range of people in your future journeys.
Alana: So congrats–you’re officially a dragon trainer! We look forward to seeing you in the S(WC)kies, and until then, farewell <3
Congratulations!!

You've made it to the end! Write 100 words to finish off your story.
To submit this weekly, please make sure you have a minimum of 2800 words, for which your cabin will receive 4000 points!

-NightGlow-

March 2025 Dailies

(Friendly reminder that dailies only count for points while they're up on the Main Cabin description. These are just for reference if you'd like to go back and redo a missed activity. Have fun!)

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March 01: Welcome everyone, to the 24th session of SWC! For the first daily of March, we’d like to ask you to introduce yourself in the main cabin; share your interests, and maybe respond to others! Once you’ve done that, you can choose one aspect of what you’ve told others - or what others have told you - and reimagine it as a location! What sort of landmarks would it have? What would the people be like? Would there even be people? Have an amazing day, and we can’t wait to see what you come up with!

March 02: Quick! Go to the comments of the main cabin and post five words of your choice for someone to use in a story. Then, pick someone else’s five words to use in a story of your own! Write 300 words to gain 200 points for your cabin, and an extra 100 points if you decide to share your lovely writing piece with us.

March 03: I love brunch- waffles and juice and fruit, oh my! Brunch is what's called a portmanteau- combining two words to create a new word that contains the meanings of both of your original words, like cosplay (costume and play) or smog (smoke and fog). Comment three words and then claim two words someone else has commented. Combine those two words and write an advertisement for your new creation! Your ad should be at least 350 words to earn 300 points for your cabin, plus 150 if you share proof!

March 04: What’s that? You’re confused as to why we’ve been transported into this weird multiversal mega-train interchange station and hub where people are typing furiously? Oh, I must have forgotten to explain then. It’s the first day of word wars today! Head on over to the information desk containing all the information about word wars: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1140277309/ Have fun, and happy warring!

March 05: With our rivalry with our beloved enemies in order, perhaps in order to convince them to become an even better enemy with their epic tyranny would be to create some anthems for them! Create three anthems of 150 words each for your cabin’s enemies in order to get on their good side so you can betray their trust…I mean so you get a cool 250 points with an extra 100 points for showing proof!

March 06: Ancient sailors and wayfarers looked to the sky to guide themselves using the very same constellations we see today. There are currently 88 recognized constellations, so for 450 words and 350 points (plus 100 points for sharing), write about one of these starry collections for this SWClassic daily! You can write about the mythological meaning behind the group of stars, their role throughout history, or the constellations themselves—reach for the stars!

March 07: I don’t know how I’m going to write this daily message…Nothing really seems right but I can’t quite put my finger on it…What should I do? Oh! I know! I’ll go over to the Critiquitaire! If you’re struggling with writing something, just head over to https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1140278045/ in order to get some advice from others on your writing!

March 08: Today is International Women's Day! With that in mind, we're going to take the day to recognize and appreciate the outstanding accomplishments of the women in our life. Whether it be a family relative or somebody you look up to, today, you're going to be writing them a 300 word letter, thanking them for all their resilience. Complete this daily to earn 250 points and an additional 150 for sharing proof. Also a reminder that Cabin Wars is tomorrow, so get your mango canons ready!

March 09: Cabin Wars!

March 10: You've probably heard the phrase “A picture paints a thousand words”. But since we're writers, we can also do the opposite. While you hopefully won't be writing one thousand words today, pick a random picture and write however many words describing it and telling its story. However, there's a twist! Did you sleep enough during cabin wars yesterday? Well, the amount of hours you slept for indicates how much you need to write. To complete this daily, write 1200 - (hours slept x 100) words, the least amount of words you can write being 100. Completing this daily will earn you 400 points and an additional 100 points for sharing proof.

March 11: The legendary fairy tales- stories of old, a riveting narrative that stands the test of time. Today, we'll be taking these magical tales and turned a revitalized twist on it! Write 400 words for 450 points (an additional 100 for proof), writing a retelling of a fairy tale. Perhpas Snow White prefers guavas over apples? Or the Big Bad Wolf is simply misunderstood? The possibilites are endless!

March 12: A title is the seed of a story; a promise of the world it holds. But today, you won’t be planting your own. Instead, take a title from another writer in the comments and let it lead you somewhere unexpected. What kind of tale will grow? Write a piece of 250 words for 100 points. Earn an extra 150 points for sharing your inspired story!

March 13: When words fail you and actions are naught, then rely on nature’s gift to us: the language of flowers. Falling back to one of our favorite classics of intrigue and vintage beauty, write 350 words of a story utilizing flowers and their meanings, weaving in at least 3 different blossoms for 250 points. For a guide, refer to Alba’s awesome project here: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/741579314/ . Share proof for an extra 100 points!

March 14: The Hindu Holi festival is celebrated by people throwing colored water and powders on one another, in a festival of spring and love. The bright colors involved in Holi evoke feelings of joy, happiness, and fun—just like the festival itself! Today’s daily is about incorporating color imagery—how do the color/s you’ve described represent the characters’ emotions, or reflect the mood of the scene? Using colors to symbolise feelings, write 314 words for 200 points—share proof for 100 extra points.

March 15: Is that the sound of fanfare? For today’s daily, give your character a throne and a palace, since it’s been decreed that they will rule for one day! For 250 words and100 points, write about whatever their majesty sees fit: royal edicts, national holidays, or even silly laws! You can earn an extra 50 points for sharing.

March 16: Today is your lucky day! You've gotten the exclusive opportunity to create your own SWC mascot - whether it be another ibex, goose, or even a turtle (help- I forgot that Gurtle was a turtle when writing this), let your imagination run wild! After you've come up with your own mascot, you're going to be hosting a little interview with them. Ask them any questions, both serious and fun so that the rest of the community can view their responses. In order to complete this daily, write an interview script of at least 550 words where you are interviewing your newly created mascot. Completing this daily will earn you 350 points, with an extra 150 for sharing proof.

March 17: Today, we're putting our feet in the worlds of modernism and postmodernism! Choose a modernism celebrity (from about the 1890s to the 1940s) and a celebrity from the postmodernism era (from about 1945 to now!) and write about them if they were to meet up and collab! Would they start a restaurant? Write a song? Run a school? The possibilities are endless! Write 400 words for this celebrity mashup and earn 300 points for your cabin, plus 150 points if you share what you wrote!

March 18: Hurry up! What are you waiting for! Go to the comments and post the worst simile you can think of! Sorry, I was going as fast as a turtle. I didn't mean to rush you. Today, you will be posting some of the absolute worst similes ever. Once you have chosen a simile, you will use it to create your own story. This story must be a minimum of 400 words in order to earn 300 points for your cabin and if you post your masterpiece, you will receive an extra 100 points! I'm just as excited as a kid watching explosions five miles away from their house to see what you come up with! (that was a bad one)

March 19: Hey everyone, hope you’ve had a great few days of camp! For this daily you’ve got to pop three words into the main cabin’s dropbox and then claim another person's three words from the main desk. Then it's up to you to craft their words into your very own 300 word story to donate to our library! Complete this and gain 250 points for your donation, with an additional 50 points for sharing proof!

March 20: Now in the depths of March, winter is swiftly melting away into spring with new beginnings rising under the warmth of the sun. With each year that passes, you look back and see what you’ve done, how you’ve improved, and just how far you’ve come. Get some tea and sip it as you let your mind freshen and prepare some rhymes! Turn that reflection and metamorphosis into an intricate poem of 150 words for 200 points. You can earn an extra 100 points for sharing proof.

March 21: Put your playlist on shuffle, and take the first line from whichever song comes up. Insert the lyric into our ever-trusty language assistant, Google Translate, and translate the line into as many languages as you’d like (the more the merrier!), before reverting it back to the original language. Using this new, possibly (and hopefully!) silly line, write a short story in at least 400 words. Completing this daily can earn you 300 points for your cabin, plus an extra 150 for sharing proof.

March 22: Ready your frying pans and keyboards, because today is cabin wars! Yes, the fateful day when fingers inevitably burn and mangoes are indubitably devoured! When allies are betrayed and revenge is enacted, head on over here: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/810702/?page=1#post-8440394 to get started. Good luck, warriors, and arm yourself for the chaos!

March 23: Imagine that you wake up one day with the magic powers of our beloved tyrants! What are some changes you would make to SWC? What are some suggestions you have? These can include serious ideas and silly ones, you’re the new host after all! Write 350 words of your plans for 300 points, and an extra 100 if you provide proof.

March 24: Ah, yes. Just another ordinary day in the Main Cabin… Or was it? It can’t just be me, but it does seem particularly quiet here. You see a commotion up ahead, and as curiosity inevitably draws you in, it finally occurred that today, was, in fact- “ROLEPLAY DAY!” All of a sudden, campers flooded the room, tossing flaming mangoes and waving all sorts of pens, paper, and the occasional frying pan. Well, just great. Looks like we’re talking in third-person today.

March 25: Holidays? More like holiYAYS! We all know of at least a few holidays, but what about the ones that have yet to be made? Well! Today, you'll be making your very own holiday! Your task is to write a 250 word description and create an aesthetic set for your brand new holiday! What day will it be on? Why are you celebrating it? Who celebrates it? What's it about? By completing this, you'll earn 300 points for your cabin, plus an extra 150 for sharing proof! Have fun and happy new holiyay daily day!

March 26: All aboard the SWC Time Machine! For today’s task, pick a daily that you’ve completed earlier in the session (or go even further back if you need,) and write up another submission for said daily, without referencing your previous writing! The SWC Activity Records, found here ( https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/695082/?page=1#post-7349242 ), have record of all past daily prompts, if you ever need reference <3 This daily is worth 400 points if you write 500 words! Plus, sharing proof will get you an extra 150 points!

March 27: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog—or perhaps the zealous SWCer deftly juggles sticky mangoes to acquire brave oxen? Pangrams, such as these, are sentences that contain every letter of the alphabet. Today, write your own pangram and post it in the comments! Then choose someone else’s, and taking inspiration from their pangram prompt, write a piece of 400 words for 350 points. Share proof for an additional 50 points.

March 28: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a part of another cabin for a day? Today, you’ll be doing just that, by swapping cabins with another person! Use their cabin aesthetic, participate in their storyline, and add words to their cabin! What you do with this daily is entirely up to you, so go wild

March 29: A story unfolds like a painting, colors spilling onto the page with vivid strokes. But today, you must banish “was,” “were,” and “is” from your palette. How will you describe without simply stating? How will you bring your scenes to life? Show us through movement, sensation, and depth. Write 400 words for 350 points, and earn an extra 100 points for sharing your work with us!

March 30: Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to- wait, wasn’t it your birthday yesterday? Oh, what? It’s your birthday /every/ day? Well, that seems right on topic as that’s the theme of today’s daily! Write 500 words about what you would do and how you would if it’s your birthday every day for 400 points and an extra 150 if you share proof!

March 31: It's the final day of the session! We hope you had an amazing month of SWC, created memories, and formed new friendships! Think back throughout the month. What are some of these memories? Who has made your session amazing and made an impact on you? For our final daily, thank these people! Let the people you are most grateful for know how much you appreciate them <3

Last edited by -NightGlow- (April 9, 2025 02:16:05)

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How To Incorporate Worldbuilding Into Writing
A SWC Workshop

By Kiara

Introduction

Worldbuilding is essential in all types of writing– whether it be a land far away, another galaxy, or even your hometown… there is worldbuilding in every style and genre. You can know every nook and cranny of your world, but that doesn’t always translate to the page. In this workshop, I’ll be going over how to incorporate worldbuilding naturally into your writing!

Why is worldbuilding important?

There are so many reasons why worldbuilding is crucial, but the main one is it allows the reader to see and understand your world, whether it be fantastical or based in reality. Each place in the world is slightly different, and it is the individuality in a setting that allows it to shine!

When adding worldbuilding into your writing, you never want to burden the reader with information. In many cases, less is more when it comes to worldbuilding. Readers only need to know the things that directly affect your characters and plot.

Worldbuilding in fantasy writing

Worldbuilding in fantastical writing often encompasses the entire world. Magic systems, if they exist, government structures, customs, cultures… When writing a fantastical piece, there are many things to cover!

The main thing to keep in mind when describing things in fantasy settings (and many other types of settings as well) is that even though readers might not know what exactly you are talking about if you compare it to something they are familiar with, then you can get your point across more quickly.

For example, if you are describing a species in your world that resembles a wolf, but has scales like a dragon, you could say:

The beast was four-legged and about the size of a small log, with a wide snout and sharp teeth, and covered in thick, armor-like scales.

That gets your point across, but is a lot of words and actually quite vague overall. Instead, you could say:

The beast was the size and build of a wolf, and covered in scales, not unlike a dragon

This gets your point across in fewer words and gives an overall clearer picture!

Keep in mind that often, short and snappy descriptions are the way to go about introducing your reader to your world. You can very simply describe a mermaid, and you can describe a bumblebee in great detail. Even if the reader isn't innately familiar with your creatures, magic system, or setting, it is easy enough to get your point across by comparing it to something the reader is familiar with.

Of course, this is by no means the only way to go about writing in description of creatures or things in your world, but it is a way to clearly introduce it to the reader!

Worldbuilding in contemporary writing

The term ‘worldbuilding’ is usually associated with fantastical worlds, but even contemporary writings have worldbuilding in them! While readers are familiar with the world as a whole, there are still small bits of an individual world that make it unique. When thinking about worldbuilding in contemporary stories, I’d recommend thinking about the vibe that you want your story to have and incorporating it into the setting and word choices you use to build your world.

For example, if you’re writing a mystery, you’d describe your setting using darker, moodier words that build suspense! The end goal is still the same as in fantastical writing– allow the readers to see and understand your world!

3 things to consider when adding in worldbuilding

How much would your character know?

In stories like Keeper of the Lost Cities or Harry Potter, where the character is brand new to the world, this question is easy: they don’t know anything. This way, you can add in more general sections of information, as your character is noticing every little detail that is different from the world that they are used to. In Harry Potter, Harry doesn’t know anything about the wizarding world– the currency, the customs, or even the basics of magic– so the reader learns it along with your character.

If your character is a native to the world, however, then incorporating worldbuilding is a little harder, but certainly not impossible. If your character has already been in your world for some time, then they don’t notice anything, they just take it to be normal. For example, if you got into your car, you wouldn’t think: “The technology of today has improved, so we can use these four-wheeled vehicles to get around to places faster.” Since you wouldn’t think it, why would your character?

Does your reader need to know this information now?

Readers care about your characters– even if you have a wonderfully well-built world full of unique intricacies, it is the characters that give your story life. When readers pick a book up, they want to escape and be able to feel something– be able to care about your characters. They begin to care about the world when it affects your characters.

Even if there is a part of your world that you love, if it doesn’t advance the plot or affect your characters, then readers don’t need to know it, and it doesn’t need to be included. If the government in your world doesn’t affect your characters or advance the plot, you don’t need to explain the whole government structure!

Show, don’t tell

Chances are you’ve heard this advice before, so I won’t touch on it too much. However, this is very important to keep in mind as you go about introducing worldbuilding into your story!

If the kingdom in your story is full of crime and has a strong military presence, don’t simply tell your reader this, instead, consider showing the officers stationed at every corner and the way that the character scans the crowd to check for any pickpockets or thieves!

Of course, this advice is in no way all-encompassing, for there are certainly some times when telling your reader something is the easier and more direct way to convey information quickly to your reader!

Ways to incorporate worldbuilding into your writing

Daily interactions

When incorporating worldbuilding into your story, a lot of it can also show things about your character as well. Going back to my previous example of a place riddled with military and crime, you can show your character being stopped by an officer on the street and asked if they’ve seen a thief. If your character simply gives the straight answer of “No, I haven’t seen them” and continues with their day, this shows a lot about what is ordinary in their world, and how they react to situations!

Along with that, characters can also notice other people interacting. Are the interactions mostly cordial, or are they more hostile? What are the people around them wearing, what are they talking about? Just these simple daily interactions and your character's reaction to them can reveal a lot, both about the character and the world around them!

Introducing something out of the ordinary

Another way to add worldbuilding into your story is by introducing something that breaks the status quo and draws your character’s attention. For example, if most people in your world have short hair, introduce somebody with longer hair. This draws your characters’ attention, as this isn’t something that they are used to. Through this, you can also compare your new character to what the character considers “normal.”

Diary entries, newspaper clippings, etc

The last way I’m going to cover in this workshop are things such as diary entries, newspaper clippings, and the like. These can be inserted between sections or chapters, revealing more information about the world around the character without the character directly interacting or noticing these things.

Examples of this in pre-existing books include the diary entries in Scythe and the search results in Aurora Rising!

With this method, however, be careful it doesn’t come across like a textbook– it still should advance what is currently happening in the plot and be relevant to what the reader needs to know about your characters! A fun way to help with this is to give the author of these sections an unique personality– if you include newspaper clippings from a newspaper that exists in your fictional world, give the “author” of these clippings an interesting personality that has the reader enjoying these sections just as much as the regular story!

Conclusion

And with that, this workshop comes to a close! I hope that through reading this, you learned something new and can tackle incorporating worldbuilding into your writing with a little more confidence– best of luck and happy writing <3

Main Sources

https://www.bookish-delights.com/how-to-introduce-readers-to-your-fantasy-world-without-info-dumping/

https://amiekaufman.com/podcast/season-1/episode-3-how-to-show-worldbuilding/

The Kate and Abby Show (Podcast) – Demystifying World Building (available on Y0utube, Spotify, and several other audio streaming services!)

Last edited by cb2jkl (March 2, 2025 23:52:42)

cb2jkl

SWC March 2025 Weekly #1 - Worldbuilding

Intro (written by Em)

Welcome to the first weekly of this crazy joyride of a session! For this week, we'll be focusing on worldbuilding and how you can use it skillfully to develop your own story with it! Starting from the basics, we'll go from designing your own world's culture to using those details while writing to make your story deeper and richer than it would've been before <3 All aboard, and get ready for the time of your lives!

This weekly begins on March 3rd at 12:01 am UTC.

Part 1: Language and Culture (written by Reese)

Worldbuilding is more than just physical landscape; the people of your land are the ones that bring it to life, giving the rolling hills and crashing seas a purpose beyond simply existing. Mull over this for a moment, and then explore the characteristics of these people. What are their traditions and beliefs? How about the structure of their society? For the first part of this weekly, write 350 words describing the language and culture of those who inhabit your glorious world!

Part 2: Geography and Memorable Locations (written by Fini)

We hope you had fun writing about your world's culture and language! For this next part, you're going to create three aesthetic boards capturing important places, cultures and biomes in your story. Ensure that your aesthetic board includes at least five images. Go off the rails (in the best way)!

Part 3: Technology (written by Kiara)

Now that you've created aesthetics for your world, the next step is to add in some technology! Technology exists in so many ways around us, and it should exist around your characters too. For this part, you will be adding unique technology to your world and writing 500 words about a conflict that occurs because of it. Best of luck and happy writing!

Part 4: Incorporating Your World Into Your Writing (written by Chuey)

You're almost there, legends, so let's finish strong! Now that you have a good idea of what your new world looks like, it's time to bring it to life. Whether it's an alien landscape or a fantastical paradise, write 800 words of a story introducing your world, using pointers from Kiara's workshop here to help. The world is yours - go do something amazing with it!

Outro (written by Rockie)

Congratulations, everybody - you've reached the end of 2025's very first weekly! <3 We hope you enjoyed learning a bit about how to create your very own worlds with just a paper and pen - but before you submit this weekly to earn some lovely points, please make sure you've completed all of the following parts!

Part 1: 350 words of description about your world's language and culture,
Part 2: At least 3 aesthetic boards, with at least five images each, each describing different locations and environments from your world,
Part 3: A conflict, written in at least 500 words, relating to a unique piece of technology that only exists in your world,
Part 4: And lastly, a story written in at least 800 words that introduces your world, using Kiara's amazing workshop!

Okay, have you completed every part? Yes? Wonderful - you've just built your very own world with its own language, technology, culture, and setting! You should be very proud of yourself <3

This weekly is due at 11:59 PM UTC on March 9th - so make sure you've got it posted somewhere on Scratch, then head over to the Main Cabin to comment your proof and claim a grand total of 2000 points for your lovely cabin before the deadline! And if you need a bit of extra time, no worries - extension requests are available here here. <3

Last edited by cb2jkl (March 2, 2025 23:56:52)

cb2jkl

Breaking Common Writing Rules in Your Writing

An SWC Workshop

By Kenzie

Introduction

You’ve probably heard of all the different writing rules from teachers, videos, SWC, articles, and books. Some common ones that we are told include “show, don’t tell,” “don’t use said,” or “avoid adverbs.”

But today, we’re going to be breaking those so-called rules.

Which rules of writing can you break?

To put it simple, you can break any rule that you'd like! After all, the story is yours.

But, some authors like to keep their audience in mind when writing the story. If you want your readers to understand what's going on, you'll want to make sure you don't overuse the rule or break it too much.

Finding a Balance

You don’t need to have an all or nothing mindset when it comes to writing rules. Instead, find an in-between.

For example, when using the “don’t use said” rule, you don’t need to always use other words. But, that doesn’t mean you should always use said either. Find a way to vary in dialogue! You can use said, adverbs, synonyms of said, actions, or nothing. It doesn’t always have to be “she said” or “he said”, but it should also not always be “he shouted” or “she whispered.”

Find an in-between!

When should I break the rule?

Each rule varies. For example, use adverbs when you’re describing something to convey emotion in your writing, tell something to the reader when passing time, or use said every so often.

You can also read your writing out loud or ask a friend to critique it if you are unsure if it sounds good or not.

Make sure that if you were reading it from your reader’s perspective, they’d still be able to follow along and know what’s going on. In the end, it all comes down to how you want your ideas to be seen.

Why should I break the rules?

Breaking the rules causes variety in your writing! It'll set your writing apart from others and give you your own unique style.

Conclusion

To summarize, you can break rules as much or as little as you’d like! It is your story after all. But, if you want to make sure it’s understandable for your readers, make sure to have a good balance in-between.

When in doubt, ask a fellow writer for feedback or critique!

cb2jkl

Using Incorrect Grammar Purposefully In Narrative Writing
A workshop

“In the writing world you can only get away with breaking the rules, if it is obvious you are doing it on purpose.”

By Lora

Introduction

Welcome, SWCers, to another workshop! In this, we will be going through why we use incorrect grammar purposely, as well as how to implement it while keeping a balance–all in narrative writing. However, please keep in mind that you should use this only if they fulfill a purpose in your story, and not only for the sake of it. That being said, let’s dive in!

Reasons to implement incorrect grammar:

1 - Using incorrect grammar as a form of characterisation

This essentially means deliberately using incorrect linguistics as a way of making characters more distinct, or different. In this itself, there are several ways to set characters apart from one another.

Way of making them more ‘human’, showcasing how people make errors.

Example: “I don’t know what I’m gonna do! He—he just left and now, what do I—what do I even do now? It's like, everything was fine and then—then it wasn't!”

In this, the character speaks using inconsistent tenses, incomplete sentences, repetition of words, run-on sentences, and lack of proper structure to showcase this, creating an impact or an effect that truly shows us how flustered or worried they are. This could work better than using complete sentences and consistent grammar.

A way of showcasing the impact of mental health disorders

Example: ‘In a community college English lit class, we read a book told from the perspective of someone suffering from PTSD. It was non-linear. The story jumped through time as a representation of the main character’s mental instability.’
(Taken from a website)

The non-linear structure of the story, jumping through time, reflects the main character’s mental instability, mimicking the fragmented, disjointed way someone with PTSD experiences time. This shows the character’s chaotic, jumbled thought processes, displaying their emotional turmoil of living with trauma.

A way of displaying illiteracy

If you’re working on a story narrated in the first person, and the narrator is uneducated, you could plan on writing their voice that way–with poor grammar, or even spelling mistakes.

Example: Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is probably the most famous example in American literature of sustained deliberate bad grammar. There are a few misspellings, with words that Huck himself doesn't know how to spell. He says "The Widow Douglas she took me for her son and allowed she would sivilize me".

You could also use it as space for character development. For example, in a book about a girl named Claireece, who struggled with illiteracy and had limited knowledge of English, the story shows her growth. As Claireece progresses , her grammar improves, and her vocabulary steadily expands, showcasing her character development.

A way of showcasing traditional customs

In a story set in a more rural community, people might have a different traditional style of talking.

For example: “We don’t do them things like the city folks do. In our ways, we learn from the land and listen to the winds, and them winds don’t lie, no sir.”

This dialogue intentionally uses incorrect grammar to convey a sense of regional dialect that truly convinces the audience that they're from that particular place. For example, instead of having your character say ‘I come from Texas’, you could have them say ‘I’m from Texas, ain’t no doubt.’ This makes us clearly understand which place they're from, another feat that the use of intentional incorrect grammar fulfills.

2 - To create an effect

We can be deliberately ungrammatical for effect— to be folksy, humorous, emphatic, etc. as in an example when a person uses ain't. This extends to effects such as sensational spelling and exaggerated pronunciation like Tony the Tigers cereal catchphrase ‘They’re grrrrrreat!’ and ‘Our computer is so sloooow.’

Using limited punctuation to create urgency/anxiousness

You can't get that creative with semicolons or colons, but you can play around a bit with commas, dashes, and periods. You can also see what happens when you neglect punctuation altogether, though this technique should be used sparingly and for a very clear purpose. If your protagonist is enduring emotional turmoil, and your story is being told from their perspective, you might omit some punctuation to reflect a state of mind during a key event.

For example: Before I knew what I was doing, I was running up and down the aisles of the store, my sandals slapping the cold tile with each pounding step, and I was yelling—no, screaming—for my son. My mind was racing, my breathing hard. Oh God what have I done where is he my son please God I can't have lost him oh God I lost him I lost him I lost him.

Fiction can be enhanced by the deliberate misuse of grammar. Plenty of writers use fragment sentences to create urgency. Run-on sentences have gotten a work out in fiction, too. Faulkner wrote individual sentences that lasted pages. Jack Kerouac often used run-ons to create rhythm and momentum, creating the definitive style that is showcased in On the Road.

Creating a gentle, aesthetic or dreamy effect

Sometimes, in a story, you might want to create a moment of vulnerability where the character reveals their thoughts, or you might be capturing a dreamy, fantastical scene. In these cases, you might want to consider dropping capitalization and using only lowercase letters. This is because using capital letters could just collapse that vulnerabilty and feel too harsh for the gentler aura you're trying to go for.

For example: she gazed at the starry night, padding softly in the lush green grass as she hummed a sad tune: the world outside, blurry and distant. she laid down on the ground as her thoughts drifted, unearthed, like the wind. maybe in another life, we would've been something more, she thought as tears stubbornly dripped down her face. something more.

In this, lowercase helps create a world that feels more fluid and immersive, blurring the lines between the real and the imagined. It gives a sense of weightlessness, making the story feel like a journey through an unfamiliar, magical realm where the rules don’t necessarily apply.

Throwing special attention to a certain scene

Breaking grammatical rules can create an intentional pause or stumble, drawing attention to certain moments and forcing the reader to slow down and reflect.

For example (after paragraphs of normal grammatical structure): the sky—so dark, so endless—wasn’t supposed to be like this. there should have been stars. there should have been something. but all there was, was this empty blackness, swallowing everything. and she stood there, frozen, staring. frozen.

After a series of normal grammatical sentence structures, fragmented sentences can help draw more attention to specific scenes, as well as the emptiness of the moment. Again, the lack of capitalization in this sector makes it feel more vulnerable and gentle, which enhances the event immensely.

How to implement intentional use of inpropper grammar.

Now that you know most of the cases in which to use incorrect grammar in narrative writing, it's time to implement it. It's vital to know that you're using this to achieve a particular goal, and before you start writing, spend a few minutes to think about it.

Is your character going through literally development? Are they from a place where the dialects spoken have a traditional twist? Are they in a sort of emotional turmoil that puts them through something? Are they going through mental instability or disorders? These are all things that you need to consider before using incorrect grammar, as well as more factors like the ones explored above.

Now that you've done that, it's almost time to wrap it up. However, before you go, along with the above advice–keep your incorrect grammar consistent. This is extremely integral towards the writing of your story. Using English as an example, a New Yorker with bad grammar wouldn't make the same mistakes as a South African with bad grammar, who wouldn't make the same mistakes as an Irishman with bad grammar. Some things might be closer in different countries, but never the same. If you suddenly switch traditional dialects in the middle of a dialogue, that just doesn't make sense!

Conclusion

Congratulations, you made it through this workshop! In this, you should have learned why and how to use incorrect grammar intentionally in narrative writing. Head back to your weekly and complete the designated task–I hope you had fun learning about this. Good luck, campers–we can't wait to see what you come up with!

Last edited by cb2jkl (March 9, 2025 23:53:08)

cb2jkl

SWC March 2025 Weekly #2 - Rule Breaking

Intro (written by CJ)

Welcome rebels, to the second weekly of this session! This weekly is focused on rule-breaking, going beyond what is considered “normal” writing. You’ll explore topics from non-sequitur dialogue to purposefully using incorrect grammar, battling Grammarly. Hopefully, by the end, you’ll have the writing police after you. Prepare your pencils, and get ready to rumble!

This weekly begins on March 10th at 12:01 am UTC.

Part 1: Breaking Common Rules (written by Wari)

Whether you're a novice writer or a master of the craft, you've likely been exposed to so-called rules of writing in school, previous SWC workshops, style guides, video essays, or your own experience. Although these rules can be helpful when trying to improve your writing and structure your ideas, they're not necessarily set in stone, as Kenzie illustrates in her wonderful workshop here.

After you've read Kenzie's workshop, it's time to put those new rule-following and rule-breaking skills into practice!

First, write at least 250 words of a scene where you overuse writing rules. These can be things like “show, not tell,” “don't use said,” and other writing rules that you might have come across in Kenzie's workshop or by yourself.

Then, it's time to break free and write another scene of at least 250 more words where you purposefully break some of those writing rules!

This should give you at least 500 words across two scenes, and you'll have completed the first part of this weekly!

Part 2: Purposefully Incorrect Grammar (written by River)

Before beginning this part, hop on over here and read Lora’sexplanations of how to use purposefully incorrect grammar as a stylistic choice! Now that you've been enlightened, it's time to use your newfound knowledge. In a story of 250 words, use purposefully incorrect grammar as many times as you can. Good luck!

Part 3: Asyndeton (written by Rockie)

For the third part of this splendid weekly, we'll be exploring the use of asyndeton to evoke emotions in a reader! Asyndeton is essentially deliberately omitting a conjunction in your writing, which is usually used to evoke a sense of urgency. To complete this weekly part, first choose a random emotion! Then write a scene, in 300 words, that encapsulates that emotion with the use of asyndeton! Happy writing <3

Part 4: Non sequitur dialogue (written by Lora)

Now that you've done that, we'll be trying a new element–non sequitur dialogue! In this final section of the weekly, you'll be writing a piece of 350 words where one of your characters abruptly reveals something that changes the plot dramatically and unexpectedly, without any foreshadowing beforehand. Maybe they reveal that there is a betrayer amongst the characters, or that their entire journey was for nothing at all… The possibilities are endless. Good luck!

Outro (written by Reese)

Just because a rule exists, doesn't mean it has to be followed, right? In this weekly, you explored the structured guidelines of writing, and how to tastefully ignore them! So with a snap, you've wrapped up this session's second weekly <3

Before submitting, please make sure you've completed the following: (and unfortunately, this is a rule you must follow)

Part 1: Two 250 word scenes, one overusing writing rules and the other breaking them
Part 2: 250 words with as much intentionally improper grammar as you can fit
Part 3: 300 words evoking a particular emotion through a use of asyndeton
Part 4: 350 words in which a character makes an abrupt revelation that alters the plot dramatically

To finish off, post your finished product in the Main Cabin by March 17th 11:59 pm UTC to collect 2500 points! If you need an extension, feel free to head over to this link here; happy adventuring campers, you've got a long road to walk along the railroad tracks, but now you have experience in rule breaking to pass the time!

Last edited by cb2jkl (March 10, 2025 01:25:38)

cb2jkl

SWC March 2025 Weekly #3 - Writing Tropes

Intro (written by Alia)

Welcome, writers, to the third weekly! SWC is full of traditions and age-old lore: mangoes, procrastination, and sleep deprivation, just to name a few. You could even say that some of these have turned into SWC tropes - which is what we'll be focusing on in this weekly! You'll dive into what tropes are, when to avoid them, and how to use them well in your writing.

This weekly starts on March 17th at 12:01 UTC. Good luck, and have fun!

Part 1: Trope Pros and Cons (written by Kenzie)

A trope is something in a plot or character that is so common it’s almost conventional. Some common tropes include “The chosen one” or “Enemies-to-lovers”, but there is a large variety that exist out there! For the first part of our weekly, pick five tropes from literature that you can think of. Then, write 50 words for each trope listing their positives and negatives (in your opinion). In total, you should have at least 250 words for this part.

Part 2: Favourite Trope(written by Eevee)

You've got your list of tropes? Great! Now we've got to do some digging. Do some research on each of tropes: the origins, the most popular usage, etc. I mean, who knew that ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover' was popularized by a murder mystery? With this newfound knowledge, write at least 400 words incorporating your favorite trope in a story.

Part 3: Unique Twist(written by Amethyst)

Harry Potter is the “chosen one”. An “ancient prophecy” sets the scene for the five main characters in Wings of Fire. Morrigan Crow finds “chosen family” in the Hotel Deucalion. These are all examples of common tropes in the books we read and love. But what happens if we put a unique twist on it? What if the “chosen family” Morrigan has found is not all what it seems? What if… well, you get the point - the possibilities are endless. For this part of the weekly, take a story with a trope in it, and put a unique twist on it. Consider how the story changes and write 500 words.

Part 4: Implementing Them(written by Mabel)
Woohoo! You've made it to the last part of this weekly! I hope you've had fun learning and writing about tropes, because now you’re going to write a story implementing three tropes. This story should be at least 700 words. Have fun, and good luck!

Outro (written by Amethyst)

Stories have tropes, and while some might think this is a bad thing, it's the core of many books we love. In this weekly you learnt about utilising these tropes to your advantage. So good on ya for completing this weekly!

Before you claim those scrumptious points for your cabin, let's make sure that you have all your parts:
Part 1: Five tropes, 50 words each on their positives and negatives. 250 words total for this part
Part 2: 400 words incorporating your favourite trope into a story
Part 3: Put a unique twist on a novel with a trope and rewrite a 500 word excerpt of it
Part 4: 700 words of a story implementing three tropes

Your weekly should be a minimum of 1850 words for it to count. Submit it by March 23rd at 11:59 pm UTC in the Main Cabin in order to earn 3000 points for your cabin! If you have any questions/concerns, contact a coordinator on one of their profiles, or you need an extension, please go here before the deadline.

Nice job. Now stand up, take a stretch break and feel good about yourself ;D

Last edited by cb2jkl (March 16, 2025 23:55:55)

Eeveedonut

SWC March 2025 Weekly #4: SWCaboose

Introduction

Camper: Whoaaa! This is a large train! I wonder why it’s parked here…
Mascot: Helloooo? Is someone there?
Camper: Uh, yes! I’m from Scratch Writing Camp. Who are you?
Thor: No way. I’m Thor- I’m also from SWC, but I’m the mascot this session! I need help- I’m organising a reunion but I’m running late with the invites! Would you be happy to assist me?
Camper: Of course! What can I do?
Thor: Hop on, I’ll show you!

Thor: This is the conductor’s room. It’s where I drive the train, make sure everything’s up and running, choose which track to pick… everything a conductor could ever need!
Thor: But… Each mascot is in a different place in SWCLand. I can drive you to each spot, but I’ll need you to go and invite each one to the train. Then, after I’ve collected everyone, we can drive to our reunion place.
Thor: These buttons on the control panel will help me keep track of where we’re heading to. Press the next button in the sequence to travel there.

Action: Peeles

Peeles: Hello there, traveller! What brings you out here to the far reaches of the Galaxswc?
Camper: Peeles! Boy, am I glad to see you. You see, we’re having a reunion for all the mascots of SWC, and we’d love to have you there!
Peeles: A reunion? I LOVE reunions! Oh, I haven’t seen all my lovely friends in so long! Yes, I’d be delighted to tag along. But before we set off, could you help me out with a little something?

Peeles: Your task is to write about your character getting out of their comfort zone aaand please write 200 words for it!

Adventure: Mazasa

Mazasa: Oh! I spy a camper! Who are you?
Camper: I’m . You’re Mazasa?
Mazasa: The one and only.
Camper: Perfect! You’re invited to a SWC Mascot Reunion next week and I’ve been sent to deliver the message.
Mazasa: A reunion? Will there be arson?
Camper: I think that’s unavoidable, yes.
Mazasa: Sounds amazing, I'm in! Buuut before I can come, could you do this thing for me?

Mazasa: Soooo the ice caps are melting. Write about your character completely changing their appearance. oh yeah, also, write 200 words. ty!

Bi-Fi: Marc Mangoson

Marc Mangoson: Ooh, a camper, been a while since I've seen one of them. Nice to meet you, what’s your name?
Camper: I'm , are you Marc Mangoson?
Marc Mangoson: That's me, Marc Hamilchaos Mangoson at your service. What brings you here?
Camper: I'm here because you’ve been invited to a SWC mascot reunion party next week. Are you interested?
Marc Mangoson: Oh, it would be lovely to see all my friends again. I'll be there! Wait… but before I go, could you help me out with something?

Marc Mangoson: Write about your character struggling to let something go for 200 words, okay?

Dystopian: Blahaj

Blahaj: A FRIEND!
Camper: Oh, hi there! Are you Blahaj?
Blahaj: Yes, I am! And what’s your name?
Camper: I’m from SWC.
Blahaj: Oh, SWC! I love that place. What can I do for you?
Camper: In a week, there’s going to be a reunion for all the mascots of Scratch Writing Camp, and we were… Well, we were wondering whether you wanted to come?
Blahaj: Awesome! I’ll be able to see my bestie Skog again! He lives so far away in the forest and it breaks my heart.
Camper: So… is that a yes?
Blahaj: Yes! I’ll be there! But first, you gotta help me out…

Blahaj: I need you to write 100 words where something a character believed was great/perfect turned out to be flawed/bad.

Fairy Tales: Skog

Skog: hullo! am skog! who are you?
Camper: Skog! I’m from SWC.
Skog: swc? skog love swc! why need me?
Camper: There’s going to be a reunion for all the mascots of Scratch Writing Camp, would you like to come?
Skog: ah yes! skog love to come and see blahaj! even if skog will have to see mean turtle…
Camper: Great! Are you coming?
Skog: surry…skog only can come if you do something for skog…

Skog: if not too much trouble, skog like you write about your character overestimating their abilities for 200 words.

Fan-Fi: Maestro Maroon

Maestro Maroon: Hello there! Who are you? I seem to not recall ever meeting you…
Camper: I’m from SWC. Are you Maestro Maroon?
Maestro Maroon: Ah yes, indeed I am.
Camper: In a week, there’s going to be a reunion for all the mascots of Scratch Writing Camp, we were wondering if you’d like to come?
Maestro Maroon: Ah, that’d be wonderful. I’d be able to see all the other geese. However, I’d only be able to come if you did something for me…

Maestro Maroon: Doodoodoodoo~ I love music so… hey, do you think you could write 150 words incorporating meaningful music/songs/lyrics into your story?

Fantasy: Pandora Pink

Pandora Pink: Hi hi hi! How are you? And who are you?
Camper: I’m from SWC! And you are…?
Pandora Pink: I’m Ms. Pandora Pink, or Ms. Pink for short, but you can call me Pandora, I suppose! Why do you wonder?
Camper: There’s a reunion for Scratch Writing Camp’s mascots… and we were wondering whether you’d like to come?
Pandora Pink: That seems splendid! But first, I’d appreciate your help with something…

Pandora Pink: Here's a cool and epic task for you… write 150 words where an everyday object takes on magical properties

Illu-Fi: Captain Celadon

Captain Celadon: Ahoy there! Who might you be?
Camper: I’m from SWC. Are you Captain Celadon?
Captain Celadon: Once upon a time, people called me that… Why are you here?
Camper: In a week, there’s going to be a reunion for all the mascots of Scratch Writing Camp, and we were… Well, we were wondering whether you wanted to come?
Captain Celadon: Oh. Well, that would be fabulous. I haven’t seen my dear friends in so long. Maestro Maroon… Pandora Pink… all my fellow duck friends… I would love to come, but I’m going to need you to do something for me before I can go.

Captain Celadon: Ahoy, I’ve got a task for you! Write about a bizarre or unexpected scenario happening to your character. And make it 200 words, aye?

Journalism: Baroness Bluebell

Baroness Bluebell: Hi dearie! I’m Baroness Bluebell, but who might you be?
Camper: I’m from SWC! Would you like to come to a reunion?
Baroness Bluebell: Why, that sounds simply lovely! I would be delighted to see my fellow geese friends again! But first, there’s something I’d like you to do for me first…

Baroness Bluebell: Hi, dear! If it isn’t too much trouble, could you write about your character learning something unexpected? Ah, and make sure it’s 100 words, that will do quite nicely!

Mystery: Gurtle

Gurtle: Ahaha…Who may you be?
Camper: I’m from SWC.
Gurtle: Ooh, SWC? I haven’t been there for a looong time!
Camper: We’re planning a reunion for the mascots of SWC, would you like to come?
Gurtle: A reunion? That’d be great! There’ll be lots of links there…right?
Camper: …Maybe? So, are you coming?
Gurtle: That would be awesome! I have some…plans on what to do there. However, could you perchance…do something for me first?

Gurtle: I have a task for you… write about your character receiving messages from an unknown person and 150 words would be great!

Myth: Smarlls

Smarlls: Hello there, what brings you to my mountain?
Camper: Oh, well, I'm and I'm here to invite you to a reunion all the SWC mascots are having next week. What do you say?
Smarlls: A reunion? Ooh, what sort of reunion would that be?
Camper: The type of reunion as full of chaos as anything else in SWC.
Smarlls: Chaos? Sounds perfect, count me in. just one thing I need you to do…

Smarlls: Write about your character working together with others in order to achieve a hard goal and make sure it’s 150 words!

Sci-Fi: Jim Flabsdz

Camper: A DRAGON?
Jim Flabsdz: Hmph. I’ll have you know, puny mortal, that I’m far greater than that—I am Jim Flabsdz, guardian of the skies and—
Camper: —keeper of the Galaxswc, you’re exactly who I’ve been looking for!
Jim Flabsdz: Oh am I, now?
Camper: Yes indeed! I’m from SWC—and we’re having a reunion for all the mascots. We’d love for you to be there!
Jim Flabsdz: A reunion? How charming….yes, I suppose I shall consider it. But you’ll have to—
Camper: —help you out with something first?
Jim Flabsdz: You’re catching on, I see. Yes, you’ll have to carry out a simple task for me…

Jim Flabsdz: Write 150 words where a character experiments with new or unfamiliar technology and I’ll come to your… party thing.

Thriller: Lieutenant Lilac

Lieutenant Lilac: LOOK ALIVE!
Camper: Sorry, what was that?
Lieutenant Lilac: TOO LATE!! You’ve been exploded in a fiery explosion. MANGOARSON RAHHHH!!!!!
Camper: I’m still here…?
Lieutenant Lilac: Yes, I can see that. Who are you, anyway?
Camper: That’s not—oh, whatever. I’m from SWC, and I’m here to—
Lieutenant Lilac: —invite me to a Scratch Writing Camp mascot reunion? Of course!
Camper: How did you—
Lieutenant Lilac: UNIMPORTANT, KABOOM!!! I will gladly accompany you, of course, but you’ll have to do me a teensy, tiny little favor…and it’s TOTALLY explosion-free! Definitely, 100%!
Camper: Somehow, I find that hard to believe…

Lieutenant Lilac: THIS IS A SUPER IMPORTANT TASK!!! do it ASAP!! or there will be explosions. Write 200 words where your character is put in a dangerous scenario! I recommend including plenty of arson!!!!! …please put in arson I’m begging you.

Conclusion

Thor: That reunion was such a massive success. It was so fun to see all my friends! I can’t even express how thankful I am for your help!!!

Congratulations!!

You've made it to the end! To submit this weekly, please make sure you have a minimum of 2150 words, for which your cabin will receive 4000 points!

Last edited by Eeveedonut (March 31, 2025 02:09:32)

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