Sunday, June 29, 2008

HASA Announcement - Reviews

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?

Linaewen (June 17) requested "a tale of pre-Quest Boromir – specifically, a tale of him having an adventure on his way to Rivendell."

The following drabbles have been written in the following week:

Fording the Greyflood by Jay of Lasgalen for Linaewen
Arrival by Larner for Linaewen

And the July thread is up! If you have a birthday in July and would like a drabble about your favorite character or topic, you can request it here.




This Week's Focus:

REVIEWS



The review process is probably one of the trickiest aspects of the HASA website. Here we ask members to decide whether a story should be recognized as examples of outstanding JRRT fanfiction. Whenever something is judged, especially something as subjective as good fanfiction, there is the potential for unfairness and hurt feelings. Members are provided with criteria to consider when evaluating a story, but the final decision in most cases rests with those members who choose to review.

For more on HASA Reviews, check out the following links (you must be logged in):

--- Reviews Overview
--- Review Policies
--- Review Criteria

As you can perhaps guess, member participation is crucial. The more people that are involved in the review process, the more opinions will be represented, and the less impact any one opinion will have on the process. Having more people involved also means that stories pass through review more quickly – which benefits everyone.

If you've been a member of HASA for thirty days and think this might be an area you'd like to get involved, it's easy to get started. Ready the pages I link above, and then click "Reviews Home" and click on the link to "Activate my status now." You'll be taken to a list of stories awaiting reviewers. Click on the title, read it, and enter your review.

Here's a simple thing to try. You're all familiar with the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." By submitting a story for review, you are asking nine other members to read and evaluate it. So why not do until other authors in reviews as you'd like other reviewers to do unto you: check out one of the stories already in review and give it a read. Put more simply: put one in, take one out.

There are currently fourteen stories waiting for reviewers. To whet your appetite, here are a few of the stories you can choose from.

"Here You Cannot Leave Me"
A poem about Arwen's final farewell to Estel.

"A Maid Waiting"
Some who came to Minas Tirith did so in hopes of pursuing a larger ambition. For Systerien of Celebstrand in Dor-en-Ernil and Ivormil of Bidwell in Lossarnach, to find themselves in the presence of the King Returned served to put those ambitions into perspective.

"To Establish Ties"
Gil-Galad meets his future herald for the first time. Drabble.

So go forth and review!

Marta

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

Sunday, June 22, 2008

HASA Announcement - Stories + Forum Posts

Hey guys,

Due to a mix-up on my part, last week's announcement wasn't posted. Ergo, this week you get all the features that would have been posted last week as well as this week.




BIRTHDAY DRABBLES



No members had birthdays last week or this week. If you're in the drabbling mood, you can still write a drabble for this month's sole birthday baby:

Beruthiel [June 7] requested "a scene between Pippin and Faramir, before Pippin leaves for the battle at the Black Gate."

The following drabble has been written in the following week:

For Want Of... by Larner for Beruthiel

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

The thread to request drabbles for next month isn't up, but it should be before too much longer. Keep an eye out for it!




Last 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

Drink a Cup by SheBit
A drinking song sung by the men of Gondor in remembrance of those who fought against Sauron over Mordor.

Why not go here and check out the currently featured story?

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

Reviewed Stories
My Shing Stars by Oshun
And now for something controversial: Elrond stands on the deck of the ship carrying him to Aman writing notes in a journal.

The Green Flash by DrummerWench
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
Prince of Horses, Lord of Stone by Elen Kortirion
Prince Theodred is prevented from travelling to the Fords of Isen by a strange message, and is sent to Parth Galen to rescue Boromir... 'where the quest balances on a knife-edge'... and the changes this entails, when Theodred eventually fights at the Pelennor and Boromir at the sieges of Lothlorien and Dol Guldur. (Adult, WIP)

With Hope and Without Hope by docmon
One decision made differently - the Three Hunters run through that second night of their chase after the Orcs rather than rest - and everything changes. Well, not everything. They're merely captured by the Orcs like Merry and Pippin. Not in the plan. (WIP)

~*~

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

A Woman of Valor by Red's Head
The Return of the King told through the eyes of a Haradrim woman, a tale of her escape from enthrallment to the redemption of her spirit. (WIP)

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. (AU)




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?

HASA Birthday Card Forums
Subject: Re: June 2008 Birthdays

Prospective Challenges
Subject: Re: Challenge Proposal: Tiny AUs

MEFAs – The Middle-earth Fanfiction Awards
Subject: MEFA 2008: A Reminder for Nominated Authors

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.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

HASA Announcement - Recent Resources Additions

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?

Beruthiel requested "a scene between Pippin and Faramir, before Pippin leaves for the battle at the Black Gate."

The following drabbles have been written in the previous week:

"At the Sign of the Prancing Pony" by Nath for Dwim
"Inevitable" by Gwynnyd for Dwim

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




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 at http://www.henneth-annun.net/resources/index.cfm.

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 at http://www.henneth-annun.net/about/contact.cfm.

What's new in Resources:

Timeline Events:
Tidings of Sauron's passing reach Minas Tirith. (25 March, 3019 T.A./1419 S.R.)
Elven Smiths of Eregion begin to Forge Rings of Power (1500 S.A.)

Character Biographies:
Nahar
The Tooks

Places
Straight Road
Sirion

Things:
Thains of the Shire
Laurelin

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.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

HASA Announcements - Bday Drabbles, Funding Update, Challenges

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: $220.78
To provide funding through: June 2008

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




BIRTHDAY CARDS



No birthday drabbles have been requested for June. Get those requests in so we can write you something!

The following drabbles have been written in the following week:

--- "Least Expected" by Imhiriel for Dwimordene
--- "The Stitch in Time" by Dwimordene for Nath
--- "(untitled double drabble)" by Aiwendiel for Dwimordene
--- "Cerin Amroth" by Elena Tiriel for Nath
--- "Winnowing" by Gwynnyd for Dwimordene
--- "The Least of Rings" by Marta for Dwimordene

--- "A New Road or a Secret Gate" by Marta for Dwimordene
--- "Inevitable" by Gwynnyd for Dwimordene
--- "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony" by Nath for Dwimordene

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




This Week's Focus:

CHALLENGES



Unfortunately, there are no ongoing challenges right now, except the ongoing birthday drabble challenge. Why not select a new one? If we get five people interested we can get another challenge going.

Suggest challenges at the Prospective Challenges forum.

You can also peruse the Nuzgul Hutch (for ideas that have never been challenges) here, or the Oliphaunt Pen (where you can enter pieces for past challenges) here.




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.