Sunday, November 25, 2007

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?

Aranel Took requested "some Dwarven romance, because Dwarves need love too! Any era, any pairing, OCs are welcome."

Also, the December forum is up. If your birthday is in December, please request a birthday drabble here.




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 Cards Forum
Subject: November 2007 Birthdays

Prospective Challenges
Subject: Lord of the Rings/Harry Potter Crossover Challenge

Prospective Challenges
Subject: Naked Yule Fic Challenge

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 email me.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Birthday Drabble Requests



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

Nieriel Raina requested anything with Glorfindel and Ecthelion prior to the Fall of Gondolin, Thranduil as the Elvenking, or serious Legolas and Gimli. No slash please. Or to really make my day how about something het with Erestor?




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

Erin's 2005 Birthday Prezzies by various authors
Erin's 2005 Birthday Drabbles: gifts from the kind muses of others. My B-day drabble request is: I would like to see any interaction between any Rohirrim, canon or oc, and any Dunedain. Wherever your imagination places you!

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
The Wink of an Eye by Linda Hoyland
Everyone has a need for fun, even fallen Maiar. See what Sauron does for kicks in the late Third Age.... 100 Words as counted in MS Word. With thanks to Raksha.

Tying Notes by Imhiriel
Faramir at a reception of the Ambassador of Harad. Drabble.

~*~

General Stories
The Reluctant Warrior by Aiwendiel
Gandalf, thirteen Dwarves and one hobbit are about to depart from Rivendell on their adventure. But Gandalf’s sense of ominous foreboding is strong. Serious doubt has awakened in the wizard after hearing Elrond translate the runes carved on a very old sword, causing him to question his claim on it. Two Elf Lords help an Istari face up to and overcome his hidden fear.

The Lion and His Lady by Lialathuveril
How did Éomer, King of Rohan, meet his wife? This is a series of oneshots describing different scenarios, some long some short, some serious some less so. No connection with each other or any of my other stories.

~*~

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

Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair by Marta
Five moments in the lives of Denethor and Aragorn. Slash. (WIP) (Adult)

Finding Arwen by Lady Donalwen
A-U if Arwen went missing for a couple of years and Aragorn meets and marries someone else. Arwen is found, but Aragorn is engaged to another woman and Arwen and firends must break the engagment before its too late. (WIP)





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.

Lord of the Rings/Harry Potter Crossover
There's a potential challenge to write Tolkien/Potter crossovers, set in the world of Middle-earth. The prompt:

"The challenge is asking for cross-over stories no longer than 30.000 characters (approx. 20 pages). The stories should feature the characters, settings, and major story line of The Lord of the Rings as their main setting. I'd love for the stories to stick as close as possible to canon, thus please no OCs. Slash stories are welcome."

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 at http://www.henneth-annun.net/members/challenge/suggest.cfm.

Happy reviewing!

Marta

PS- Do you have something in particular you would like included in next week's announcement? If so, please email HASANews@henneth-annun.net.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

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?

Elfethiria Baggins (November 13) requested "My birthday is on the thirteenth and for my request I would love anything with angst for Frodo. I don't mind other characters popping in too though. No slash."

Nieriel Raina (November 18) requested "anything with Glorfindel and Ecthelion prior to the Fall of Gondolin, Thranduil as the Elvenking, or serious Legolas and Gimli. No slash please. Or to really make my day how about something het with Erestor? "




HASA Reviews



There are several stories in HASA Review that have been in there for a few weeks. Also, a lo of stories were submitted last weekend, so there are also several *new* stories you may not have seen yet if you try to review stories regularly.

Why not review one of these stories? Your opinion matters. Members can find stories currently in review 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 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.

What's new in Resources:

Timeline Events:
Faramir sets out on an errand across the Anduin, March 1 3019 T.A.
Masters of Buckland established by Gorhendad Oldbuck, 2340 T.A.

Character Biographies
Miriel Serinde
Silmarien

Places
Ea
Barrowfield

Things
Great Music
Stone of Erech

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 email me.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

BIRTHDAY CARDS



November birthday babies: the thread to request drabbles for your birthday is up. If you have a birthday this month, please visit the below link and post a request.

http://www.henneth-annun.net/forums/messages.cfm?confId=0&forumId=482&messageId=51215

And don't forget to set up a story for any stories written for your birthday. If you have questions about how to do this, just post at the above forum.

There are no drabble requests for this week. To see requests for later this month, just go to the above forum.




NEW VOLUNTEER



Imhiriel has agreed to manage the birthday drabbles forum and the associated challenges and workshop. Feel free to ask her if you have any questions about anything connected to birthday drabbles.




This Week's Focus:

CHALLENGES



Birthdays!

November 13 - Eleftheria Baggins: My birthday is on the thirteenth and for my request I would love anything with angst for Frodo. I don't mind other characters popping in too though. No slash.

November 27 - Aranel Took: I'd like some Dwarven romance, because Dwarves need love too! Any era, any pairing, OCs are welcome.

Post your request at the Birthday Cards Forum

Please create your story and add it to the birthday card workshop. This lets others put drabbles they write in an easily accessible location. Enter your story in the challenge for NOVEMBER drabbles. All birthday stories will also now be listed in a master playlist. There are instructions on how to do all this at the top of each thread in the Birthday Cards Forum; if you need help with the workshop, just ask the Workshop Manager, Gwynnyd.

New Challenges
Make a suggestion in the prospective Challenges thread. When five people accept, you have created a new Challenge.

Suggest a new challenge here.

Old Challenges
New Members 2006 - 2007 October 29 2007

This is a challenge for new members. By definition, a new member is any member who has been a member for fewer than four months or who, at the time of reading this, has written three (3) or fewer Tolkien fanfics.

Choose one of the following - there are choices from any Age, from "The Hobbit," from "Lord of the Rings," from "The Silmarillion", from "Unfinished Tales", and three choices from the Peter Jackson "Lord of the Rings" - movies.

Write a story on any of these prompts. There are no page limits.

X takes the Ring - AU Challenge March 25 2008
I have seen a few stories over the years where for instance Galadriel takes the Ring when Frodo offers it to her. But what would happen if others were to take it, for any reason, good or evil? Aragorn? Boromir, Gandalf, or Pippin perhaps? Or Sam abandons Frodo at Cirith Ungol and goes on alone to try to destroy the Ring...

It wouldn't have to be a member of the Fellowship; maybe Barliman Butterbur finds a golden ring in the room the Hobbits usedŠ or Bilbo loses it on one of his walking trips in the Shire.

These could be anything, serious, funny, dark; from drabbles to multi-chapter AUs, and anything in between.

Keep a New Year's resolution.

Wander over to the Nuzgul pen and adopt one today.

Review one story weekly.

Browse the Resources.

Leave a comment monthly.




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 email me.