Sunday, May 25, 2008

HASA Announcement - Recently-Updated Forums

BIRTHDAY DRABBLES



The following members have birthday this week. If you're in the drabbling mood, why not write them 100 words as a birthday card?

Dwim [May 25] requested any AU drabble or "fics dealing with political situations.

The following drabbles have been written in the following week:

--- "Mercy" by illereyn for Dwimordene
--- "Our Lily" by thelauderdale for Dwimordene
--- "Narn i Hîn Elrond" by Jay of Lasgalen for RiverOtter, Nath, and Dwimordene
--- "(untitled)" by maya_ar for Dwimordene
--- "Land Stroke" by Elena Tiriel for Dwimordene
--- "Least Expected" by Imhiriel for Dwimordene

If you have a birthday in May and would like a drabble about your favorite character or topic, you can request it here.

The thread to request drabbles for next month is not up yet, but should be soon. If you have a birthday in June, be on the lookout for it.




This week's focus:

FORUMS



One of the best ways to get involved at HASA is through our forums. People are discussing research questions and stories as well as having fannish squees regularly there.

Some useful forum links:

"On Our Minds" displays the ten most recent posts in forums open to all HASA members. It's a good way to catch up on what you've missed, though the page can move quickly when lots of forums are active at once.

If you've been out of touch for longer than a few days you might want to use the "One Month of Posts" page. This page has just what it sounds like: a list of forums that have been posted to in the last month, beginning with the most recently updated.

Workshops are specialized writing communities. They allow you to share stories you aren't ready to post to the whole site, and many have interesting forums attached to them. Explore workshops to find a group of members interested in similar topics. (You must be logged in to see this link.)

Now, here are some of the most recently-updated threads in HASA forum. Don't be shy. If any interest you, why not jump in?

May 2008 Birthdays (in HASA Birthday Card Forum)

Question About Avari Elves – Physical Appearance (in Research Questions)

Science in Middle-earth (in Prospective Challenges)

Here's hoping this week finds you having many interesting discussion about all things Tolkien. Because, really, you were trying to cut back on sleep anyway, right?

Until next time,
Marta

PS- Do you have something in particular you would like included in next week's announcement? If so, please contact me here.

Monday, May 19, 2008

HASA Announcement (May 19-26) - Recently Updated Stories

BIRTHDAY DRABBLES



The following members have birthday this week. If you're in the drabbling mood, why not write them 100 words as a birthday card?

Nath (May 18) requested, "I would like anything related to 'time', any characters and any rating, though my current favourites are the Northern Dúnedain."

Dwimordene (May 25) requested, "I realize that it can be tough to write an AU in only 100 words, but give for my birthday, I'd like to see you give it a shot. Choose your time, your incident, and your desired divergence. Alternately, if the AU idea is just too big to be reducible to 100 words, I have to teach a socio-political philosophy course next term. So fics dealing with political situations would be welcome. (Especially if they have to do with the Kin-strife in Gondor.)"

The following drabbles have been written in the following week:

at http://henneth-annun.net/forums/messages.cfm?confId=0&forumId=482&messageId=51739
--- "Mercy" by Illereyn for Dwimordene
--- "Our Lily" by thelauderdale for Dwimordene

Also, Larner wrote a belated longer story for RiverOtter, "Embassy to a New Age".

If you have a birthday in May and would like a drabble about your favorite character or topic, you can request it here.




This week's focus:

RECENTLY UPDATED STORIES



All of us writers love feedback. It is the lembas and miruvor that sustains us as we write our story, and leaving a few words about a story is always a nice thing to do, whether the story is new or old.

Every fifteen minutes HASA hilights a story chosen at random from the Reviewed and General stories in the archive. The current story is

Sam I am by Vistula the Dunadan
Sam and Frodo meet for the first time when Frodo comes to live with his cousin Bilbo in the Shire. Also includes Hamfast Gamgee.

Why not go to http://www.henneth-annun.net/ and check out the currently featured story?

Many talented writers are publishing every day. Check out these stories just added to HASA:

Reviewed Stories
Seeking the Sun by lindahoyland
While most of Minas Tirith celebrates the end of the Ring War, one war-wrecked soul is filled with anger toward the new King. With grateful thanks to Raksha.

Full Brothers in Blood by Oshun
Written as 2007 holiday gift for Dawn Felagund to following prompt: "Fingon and Turgon, younger, in Valinor. You hint about their relationship--or lack thereof--a lot, and I find myself thinking on this when reading your stories. So I'd like to see a scene between them. It doesn't have to be serious or even revealing; just a hint of what there was between the two brothers in Aman."

~*~

General Stories
An Elf By Any Other Name by Marta
...or, A Short Speculative History of a Certain Elven Emissary. An attempt to construct a history for the emissary sent by Cirdan to the Council of Havens from the hints sprinkled through canon, that also functions as a case history in how to characterize minor characters.

Opus of Tales Untold by Tinni
What happened to Maglor? Does Elured and Elurin live? Did the sons of Elrond choose the doom of man or the fate of the eldar? Find out in the Opus of the tales untold!

~*~

Beta Stories
(Please note, you need to be logged in to view these stories.)

Orcs in Hobbiton by The Lauderdale
AU. Two years after Sauron won the war, his Orcs have come to a Shire under Saruman's dominion. The hobbits that are its proper inhabitants are caught in the middle. Told in drabbles and double-drabbles. (WIP)

Ways Round, Ways Through by Larner
Not all who have been maimed in war acquiesce to remaining on the sidelines afterwards.




And now for your mid-month nuzgul. Because the only way to get stories to read is for someone to write them, and that requires our fangy little friends.

Wanderers Speak
Write a story about a character overcome with wanderlust. Write about rangers trying to settle down or elves exploring in the early days. Maybe a hobbit has itchy feet? Or a dwarf leaves to search out new metals and discovers he loves to travel. Write about what is just over the horizon and the character who yearns to see it.

If you don't feel the tickle of little fangs in your ankle yet, there are many more potential stories just waiting to be written. Read all of HASA's many story prompts in our Nuzgul hutch.

Do you have a suggestion you'd like to see added to the hutch? Submit it using the "Submit a Story Suggestion" form.

Happy reviewing!
Marta
PS- Do you have something in particular you would like included in next week's announcement? If so, please contact me here.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

HASA Announcement (May 11-18)

BIRTHDAY DRABBLES



The following members have birthday this week. If you're in the drabbling mood, why not write them 100 words as a birthday card?

RiverOtter (May 6) requested, "I would like to see the Fourth Age of Middle Earth. Any place, any character is fine."

Nath (May 18) requested, "I would like anything related to 'time', any characters and any rating, though my current favourites are the Northern Dúnedain."

The following drabbles have been written in the following week:

http://www.henneth-annun.net/forums/messages.cfm?confId=0&forumId=482&messageId=51652
--- Ties of Love by Imhiriel for Ainaechoiriel

http://www.henneth-annun.net/forums/messages.cfm?confId=0&forumId=482&messageId=51739
--- (Untitled) by thelauderdale for Dwimordene
--- Seeds Under Stone by Raksha the Demon for RiverOtter
--- The King's Time by Larner for Nath
--- A Treasure Retrieved by Larner for Dwimordene
--- Amends by Nath for Dwimordene
--- Prisoner of Time by Raksha the Demon for both Nath and Dwimordene

If you have a birthday in May and would like a drabble about your favorite character or topic, you can request it here.




REVIEWS



There are several stories in HASA Review, a few of which have been there for quite a long time. All members who joined HASA at least thirty days ago, you can become a reviewer. To look at the available stories, log in to HASA and visit here.

To whet your appetite, here are the summaries of three stories currently available in Review.

"An adventurous Elwë (Thingol) and a lonely Nowê (Cirdan) form a friendship before the First Age. Slash"

"Short AU: Forgetting every impossibility, the Three Hunters overtake the Orcs and contrive a plan to save the two captives."

"This is one Orc's story of his time working the Mordor convoys. Not all of them saw battle, after all.."




This week's focus:

RESOURCES



The HASA Research Library is a very useful resource for writers as well as for online discussions on book canon. You can find entries on characters, settings, events, and items, containing cited quotes about the item you are trying to find more information on. This portion of the site is available to both members and non-members here.

Would you like to get involved with Resources? If you like researching and want to help develop this section of HASA you can contact the Resources & Research Library through the contact form here.

What's new in Resources:

Timeline Events:
Narsil reforged and renamed Andúril.
Merry and Pippin captured in the Orc-raid at Parth Galen.

Character Biographies
Denethor II
Will Whitfoot

Places
Withywindle
Cerin Amroth

Things
Palantíri
Old Man Willow

Good luck researching your story! If you enjoy this section of the site please feel free to thank the researchers, listed at the bottom of every entry.

And always remember, grasshopper: the path of wisdom leads through proper citations. *grins*

Marta

PS- Do you have something in particular you would like included in next week's announcement? If so, please contact me here.

Monday, May 5, 2008

HASA Announcement - Challenges

Hey guys,

Sorry, this is a day late. But better late than never, right? >:-E




HASA FUNDING UPDATE



No website is truly free. HASA does not display ads or charge for memberships, but there are still costs associated with running the website. The website depends on member donations to pay its monthly hosting fee of $150.00.

Currently available funding: $154.12
To provide funding through: June 2008

If anyone would like to make a donation, you may do so here.




BIRTHDAY CARDS



The following members have birthday this week. If you're in the drabbling mood, why not write them 100 words as a birthday card?

Nath requested, "I would like anything related to 'time', any characters and any rating, though my current favourites are the Northern Dúnedain."

And Dwim requested, "I realize that it can be tough to write an AU in only 100 words, but give for my birthday, I'd like to see you give it a shot. Choose your time, your incident, and your desired divergence."

(She also said, "Alternately, if the AU idea is just too big to be reducible to 100 words, I have to teach a socio-political philosophy course next term. So fics dealing with political situations would be welcome. (Especially if they have to do with the Kin-strife in Gondor.)")

The following drabbles have been written in the following week:

--- "Forty" by Nath for Fliewatuet
--- "Half a Life" by meckinock for Fliewatuet
--- "His Birthday Wish" by Larner for Fliewatuet
--- "Messengers from the West" by Jay of Lasgalen for Fliewatuet
--- "New Daughter" by Larner for Ainaechoiriel

All here.

If you have a birthday in May and would like a drabble about your favorite character or topic, you can request it here




There are currently no challenges so there is no Challenges bulletin this month. However, you can change that! There are some porspective challenges. Sign up for one, and we'll get some challenges rolling:

Science in Middle-earth, proposed by littlehobbitlost
She says, among other things, "If you landed in Middle Earth say during the War of the Ring (or your favourite age Gondolin? Hollin?) and survived through to see Aragorn become king-how would you like to contribute to society? With 21st Century knowledge how would you contribute?"

I also proposed a Minority Rulez! challenge

I said, among other things, "Why don't we have a challenge of our own in honor of the fact that a woman or minority might soon be the U.S. president? Write me a story, poem, drabble, or essay about the challenges a woman or ethnic minority might have faced in Middle-earth? "




Happy writing!

Fangedly yours,
>:-E Marta

PS- Do you have something in particular you would like included in next week's announcement? If so, please contact me here.