Scratch Writing Camp FAQ

Instructions

Hello! Welcome to the official Scratch Writing Camp FAQ! [ made by @moonlark- on her alt account ] - - - Q: What even is SWC? A: Hopefully you figured this out before signing up :) SWC is a triannual writing camp where you set a word goal, pick a cabin, and write! Along the way, there are activities and a writing contest. Q: I've heard a lot about daily activities. What are they? A: A daily activity is posted each day in the main cabin (See helpful links section). They will be things like "Write a short story based off of a song! Minimum 500 words, earn 50 points for your cabin." You can complete these activities and post your writing in the main cabin to earn points for your cabin. Q: What are weekly activities? A: They're very similar to daily activities, but are longer, earn you more points, and often need to be shared in projects. Creating character aesthetics is one that I've seen before, where you find a few images that represent your character. Q: What are cabin points? Are they important? A: During SWC, the cabins are ranked from first place to last place. Earning cabin points from activities (and things like the writing contest) can help your cabin move up in the rankings. No, the winning cabin doesn't get a prize. Though you will earn my undying admiration. Q: I've heard a lot about cabin wars... what are they? A: Cabin wars are these super fun activities that happen twice during camp. Your cabin leader will probably explain them, but here's the abridged version: Cabin Wars are a special daily activity. Instead of earning points for your cabin, you can potentially lose points. In the main cabin, there will be a list of possible wars. These are things like "Your cabin must write 8,000 words in 9 hours, or you lose 1,000 cabin points." Post these in other cabins to force them to complete the war (attacking them). (WARNING: CONSIDER ASKING YOUR CABIN LEADERS BEFORE ATTACKING ANY OTHER CABIN). Cabin wars have a few important rules. A cabin can only be attacked (i think) 5? times a day. You can't attack the same cabin twice in a row, and after getting a war, the cabin has a 30 minute "shield" in which it cannot be attacked. Cabin wars are super fun, don't stress over them. AND MAKE SURE TO GET ENOUGH SLEEP OR ICY WILL YELL AT YOU. REMEMBER, SLEEP > SWC. Q: What is the writing contest? A: Roughly halfway through camp, a writing contest is released. You can enter a story or poem as long as it's within the word limit. If you win, and there are several categories you can win in, you get points for your cabin. Q: What are word wars? A: Basically where you and someone from an enemy cabin agree to write for a set amount of time. Whoever writes more wins. If you win, make sure to comment something like "I won a word war!" in the Main Cabin, because you get 50 points. You can only get points for winning a word war once a day, though. You also have to write actual stuff that makes sense. It can be as boring as "My chair in the corner is being loud and squeaky." It just has to make sense. Q: I've heard there's a memory book? A: Indeed! I am actually in charge of that this session with my friend, . If you are a leader/co leader, past or present, you can help with more directly with the memory book. If you are a camper, please be on the lookout for fun quotes and conversations to screenshot. If you find some, let your leaders know, and they can add the quotes/screenshots to the memory book. There will also be a cover contest anyone can participate in. Q: What are allies, neutrals, and enemies? A: These are terms for relationships with the other cabins as far as the competitive aspect goes. In cabin wars, attacking an ally may loose their friendship. For word wars, I think? (I'll have to check) you can battle neutrals, but maybe not. You can always attack enemies. Q: How much do I have to write? A: As much or as little as you like! We're not fussy, we just enjoy having you in camp with us. Q: How much time should I be active every day? A: Once again, as much or as little as you like. I recommend checking in to update your word count in your cabin at least twice a week, though more is better. I will be around as often as I can, but you could be on for 5 minutes a day if you wanted to. Q: What do I do in my cabin? A: In your cabin, you update your word count by commenting something like "+628 words in my story about flying cows," or "+572 words from the daily!" A cabin leader or co leader will then add the words to your total. When you reach your goal, you can raise it if you want. If your cabin has an in-cabin point system, you would also comment when you earn those (something like "+4 stars for doing the weekly"). Your cabin is where you interact with cabinmates and leaders.