HASA Reviewed Stories August 2012

Since the previous Bulletin, no stories passed through review while there are currently 9 stories waiting for reviewers. Make an author’s day and review a story!  

Member participation is crucial for reviews. The more people are involved in reviewing, the more different opinions are represented. Having more people involved also means that stories pass through review more quickly – which is good for everyone. If you are an active reviewer, why not go and check out a story?

Or, if you are a writer, take the plunge and submit a story for review; and when you do, please remember: Put one in, take one out.

By submitting a story for review, you are asking nine other members to read and evaluate it. So why not do for the other authors who have a story in review what you’d like other reviewers to do for you: check out one of the stories already in review and give it a read.

Becoming a reviewer

If you’re not an active reviewer, but think you can spare a bit of time... – even if you just review one or two stories in a month, every review is welcome. If you are logged in, you can sign up here if you've been a member of HASA for thirty days or more.

Daunted by the idea of reviewing? Don’t be, reviewing at its simplest comes down to asking yourself: “Would I recommend this story to someone?” Then, whether the answer is ’yes’ or ’no’, you can make a choice from the capsule reasons to clarify your decision. If you want to, you can add a few more words to convey what you (dis)liked about the story, but just the capsule reason is perfectly fine as well.

And remember: even if you think you're too critical or not critical enough: your review is only one of nine, and all points of view are welcome. Not every reviewer has to review every story and in the end it does all level out to a balanced judgement.

HASA news - Birthdays, Challenges, Stories

August Birthdays

Is your birthday in August, and would you like a drabble about your favourite character or topic? You can request it here. But that is not all! Be sure to read the whole message, because there are some changes to make writing Birthday Cards even more fun: From now on, you will be able to add the cards you wrote for your fellow HASA members directly to the annual Birthday Challenge. Also, during the first week of each month all birthday cards you wrote the month previous and entered into the challenge will be featured on the homepage, in honour of the birthday celebrants and to showcase your gifts.

Challenges

The Nuzgûl of the Summer will run until September 1. Come and join in the fun!

Don’t forget to read (and perhaps comment on) the stories written for HASA’s tenth birthday Challenge.

July 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 you read is always a nice thing to do, whether the story is new or old.

Every fifteen minutes HASA highlights a story chosen at random from the Reviewed and General stories in the archive. Read the currently featured story on our front page.

Many talented writers are publishing every day. In July:

--- 6 Reviewed Stories were published or updated.

--- 37 General Stories were published or updated.

--- 3 Beta Stories were updated.

(Please note, you need to be logged in to view beta stories.)

Thank you for reading at HASA. Enjoy!

HASA Challenges - July

Birthday Cards

There is still a week to go in the July Birthday Cards, so there’s still enough of time to write or request a drabble...

Not sure what the birthday cards are about? Have a look at some older stories written as birthday cards.

One special birthday this month is HASA’s 10^th! Of course the only possible Challenge for that is a 10^th Walker Challenge…

Nuzgûl of the Summer

No Nuzgûl of the Month this time, but three older nuzgûl and one new one to choose from for the summer:

• Brotherly Advice
• One-on-One Instant Conversation
• Tam Lin meets Feanor
• Kindly donated by maeglin: The War of Wrath made the Ring War seem like a skirmish, and must have been thought (at the time) to be "the war to end all wars." It was also the only opportunity Mortals had to observe the Valar in-action, up close, and at length. How did its survivors feel? Proud? Scarred? Both? For the Amanyar or Noldorin Exiles, did it change the way they felt about the Valar, and if so, how?

This Challenge will run until September 1. Come in and join the fun!

Thank you for reading at HASA. Have fun!

HASA How-tos - July 2012

How do I...

...find my way in Resources?

Obviously, the Resources area provides resources to writers, but it is also a great place to look around in for a non-author who is looking for information about characters or places.

The core of Resources is the Research Library, which contains many facts and citations from the Ardaverse. There are detailed articles on people, places, things and the events that tie them together. There is also a URL library linking to sites of interest to the JRRT fandom. There are research articles and critical essays written by our members, and a discussion forum on wide ranging topics.

The Reference Library

The Reference Library is designed to gather the facts about various subjects in one easily searchable area. It currently consists of Character Biographies, Events, Places, and Things. Each entry is referenced to a quote in Tolkien, so the member may refer to the original source. Members who are authors can link their stories to any of the Research Library entries.

Character Biographies

All the listed characters have simple fact sheets, containing very basic information such as date of birth and death when known, close relatives, and physical description.

For some characters the fact sheets are a starting point, in contrast to some of the minor characters where the fact sheets contain everything that is known. A number of fact sheets are associated with essays that are more detailed, and which may contain speculation supported by references.

Timeline Events

You can look up Timeline events alphabetically, by event type, by era and by date range. They are presented in chronological order, and are cross-referenced to other research library entries.

If you want to know exactly who did what, when, where and how, timeline events can probably provide the answer.

Places

Places contains information on locations mentioned by Tolkien, whether in the text or on the maps he drew. Our goal is detailed information on the complete list of places, with accompanying references.

Things

The Things section contains detailed information on various objects, from the physical such as ships or weapons, to songs, to constructs such as the White Council.  

The URL Library

The URL Library is a collection of web page links, organized by general categories, covering both Tolkien's works and other topics of general interest to HASA members. Members are encouraged to submit interesting links.

Research Articles and Critical Essays

These are non-fiction works about a particular subject useful to fanfic writers or to anyone who wants to know more about a subject. Current articles and essays range from personality traits of horses to in-depth character studies to geopolitics. Any subject involving Tolkien's writing, fanfic, or life in Middle-earth or the West is fair game.

Who writes Research Articles and Critical Essays?

HASA members write them. Many authors have done research in preparation for a story and then contribute their knowledge in the form of an article or Reference Library entry. There are several articles posted and HASA is always eager to expand the section. If you write a research article or a critical essay, please link it into Resources by going to the Articles & Essays pages.

What kind of searches can I do?

A-Z Index - This part of the site provides alphabetical lists of all the Research Library entries. Each kind of research item (People, Places, Things, Events) also has alphabetical listings.

Full text search - This takes a little more practice. This search can do complex Boolean free text search of the contents of all the research library entries.

Each library entry type has a search available to sort, slice and dice on its main categories for quick filtering of entries.

What is the Resources Forum?

This is the gathering place for the Resources geeks and anyone who wants to pick their brains.

You can discuss just about anything to do with Tolkien's works, what life might have been like in Middle-earth, or the intricacies of writing about it. Geography, character speculation, daily life, grammar, economics... You think it up, someone will probably want to discuss it.

Many discussions start as research questions. This is the place to ask questions, and bring your expertise to answer others. This is also a place to discuss the nuts and bolts of writing, beta reading, and associated issues.

 

If there is any topic you’d like to see in the how-to, please let us know!

HASA Reviewed Stories July 2012

As I type this, there are 7 stories waiting for your review (remember to log in before you follow the link).

Member participation is crucial for reviews. The more people are involved in reviewing, the more different opinions are represented. Having more people involved also means that stories pass through review more quickly – which is good for everyone. If you are an active reviewer, why not go and check out a story?

Or, if you are a writer, take the plunge and submit a story for review; and when you do, please remember: Put one in, take one out.

By submitting a story for review, you are asking nine other members to read and evaluate it. So why not do for the other authors who have a story in review what you'd like other reviewers to do for you: check out one of the stories already in review and give it a read.

Becoming a reviewer

If you're not an active reviewer, but think you can spare a bit of time... – even if you just review one or two stories in a month, every review is welcome. If you are logged in, you can sign up here if you've been a member of HASA for thirty days or more.

Daunted by the idea of reviewing? Don't be, reviewing at its simplest comes down to asking yourself: "Would I recommend this story to someone?" Then, whether the answer is 'yes' or 'no', you can make a choice from the capsule reasons to clarify your decision. If you want to, you can add a few more words to convey what you (dis)liked about the story, but just the capsule reason is perfectly fine as well.

And remember: even if you think you're too critical or not critical enough: your review is only one of nine, and all points of view are welcome. Not every reviewer has to review every story and in the end it does all level out to a balanced judgement.

Reviewed story spotlight

These stories have passed through review since the previous bulletin. Congratulations to all authors; well done!

Daisy Chains by Linda Hoyland
Rating: General
Era: 3rd Age - Ring War
Genre: Romance
Completion: Complete
Summary: In the Houses of Healing, Faramir tries to win at least a smile from Éowyn. With thanks to Raksha and Deandra.

Fallen by Aliana
Rating: Adult
Era: 3rd Age - Ring War
Genre: Drama
Summary: It's one thing to survive the Siege of Minas Tirith, and quite another to imagine rebuilding one's city--and oneself. A coming-of-age story for Gondor's "greatest generation."

Silver Rain by Tanis
Rating: General
Era: 1st Age
Genre: General
Summary: B2MEM 2011 Challenge - Beguilement. Thingol contemplates the seduction of his wife and the new life they will create.

Two Poems for Daeron by losselen
Rating: General
Era: 1st Age
Genre: Poetry
Completion: Complete
Summary: Daeron sings of Doriath in the days of his youth, and of Eriador when he strayed there. Two sonnets.

Other Things by Wheelrider
Rating: General
Era: 3rd Age - Ring War
Genre: Drama
Summary: Boromir's dream is different.

Olive by Virtuella
Rating: General
Era: 3rd Age - Post-Ring War
Genre: General
Summary: Spring has come to Esgaroth and the daughter of a wealthy merchant finds her life changed by encounters with the mysterious Elven King. But not all is as it seems.

Echoes of Distant Waves by Larner
Rating: General
Era: 3rd Age - Post-Ring War
Genre: Drama
Summary: When Folco Boffin finds his friend and cousin looking westward in longing, Frodo seeks to explain.

Beyond Healing by Nienna Finduilas
Rating: General
Era: 3rd Age - The Kings
Genre: General
Summary: Finduilas is "re-housed" in Aman and muses on things that have and things that have not changed. A double-drabble.

Autum Leaves by Imhiriel
Rating: General
Era: 3rd Age - The Stewards
Genre: Drama
Summary: As the leaves are falling, Denethor takes a walk with his son. Drabble.

Make an author's day, review a story or post a comment.

HASA news - Birthdays, Challenges, Stories

July Birthdays and Challenges

Is your birthday in July, and would you like a drabble about your favourite character or topic? You can request it here. But that is not all! Be sure to read the whole message, because there are some changes to make writing Birthday Cards even more fun: from now on, you will be able to add the cards you wrote for your fellow HASA members directly to the annual Birthday Challenge. Also, during the first week of each month all birthday cards you wrote the month previous and entered into the challenge will be featured on the homepage, in honour of the birthday celebrants and to showcase your gifts.

Keep an eye out for the HASA 10^th Birthday Challenge, which will be posted today or tomorrow as well, and don’t forget this summer’s Nuzgûl of the Month…

June 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 you read is always a nice thing to do, whether the story is new or old.

Every fifteen minutes HASA highlights a story chosen at random from the Reviewed and General stories in the archive. Read the currently featured story on our front page.

Many talented writers are publishing every day. In June:

--- 2 Reviewed Stories were published or updated.

--- 33 General Stories were published or updated.

--- 1 Beta Story was updated.

(Please note, you need to be logged in to view beta stories.)

Thank you for reading at HASA. Enjoy!

HASA How-to - June 2012

This week we take a look at how to enter a story in a Challenge

How do I...

..enter a story in a Challenge?

1. Go to Open Challenges, and find one you would like to enter, for example one of the Challenges to choose from in the Nuzgûl of the Summer.
2. Just below the description of the Challenge, look for the "Enter this Challenge!" box. If you don't see it, check to see if you are logged in.
3. In the box you will see a drop-down menu with all of your stories that are eligible to be entered in the Challenge, plus a Challenge Placeholder.
4. Select the story you want to enter or else the placeholder.
5. Click "Enter".

You are now entered in a Challenge!

If you have entered a Challenge and have a Placeholder that you want to replace with a real story, this is what to do:

1. Be sure you are logged in.
2. Select "My Challenges" from the Challenges main navigation menu.
3. On the My Challenges page, locate the challenge and the placeholder.
4. Click "Edit Entry".
5. The page will refresh and you will see a drop-down menu with all of your eligible stories.
6. Select the story you want to have in the Challenge.
7. Click "Edit".
8. Your entry is updated.

A story may be entered in as many Challenges as are appropriate for it. It may only be entered once in a particular Challenge.

Have fun writing and reading!

HASA Reviewed Stories June 2012 – and more!

Birthday Challenge Stories on the home page
Don't forget to request a birthday drabble if you have a birthday in June...

From now on the stories written for the Birthday Challenge will be featured on the home page the first week of the next month, so the June stories will be featured in the first week of July. All you have to do as a June birthday babe is to set up a story in the 2012 Birthday Challenge and add your birthdays gifts to it (if you're not entirely sure how it works, look for next week's How-to).

Also, for the next week general stories will be featured at the top of the home page, meaning that your recently updated works will be highlighted there!

Nuzgûl of the Summer
No Nuzgûl of the Month this time, but a slightly longer challenge with three nuzgûl to choose from:

• Brotherly Advice
• One-on-One Instant Conversation
• Tam Lin meets Feanor

This Challenge will run until September 1 in the regular Nuzgûl of the Month area. Come in and join the fun!

Reviews
Since the previous Bulletin, two stories passed through review while there are currently 12 stories waiting for reviewers. Make an author's day and review a story!

Member participation is crucial for reviews. The more people are involved in reviewing, the more different opinions are represented. Having more people involved also means that stories pass through review more quickly – which is good for everyone. If you are an active reviewer, why not go and check out a story?

Or, if you are a writer, take the plunge and submit a story for review; and when you do, please remember: Put one in, take one out.

By submitting a story for review, you are asking nine other members to read and evaluate it. So why not do for the other authors who have a story in review what you'd like other reviewers to do for you: check out one of the stories already in review and give it a read.

Becoming a reviewer
If you're not an active reviewer, but think you can spare a bit of time... – even if you just review one or two stories in a month, every review is welcome. If you are logged in, you can sign up here if you've been a member of HASA for thirty days or more.

Daunted by the idea of reviewing? Don't be, reviewing at its simplest comes down to asking yourself: "Would I recommend this story to someone?" Then, whether the answer is 'yes' or 'no', you can make a choice from the capsule reasons to clarify your decision. If you want to, you can add a few more words to convey what you (dis)liked about the story, but just the capsule reason is perfectly fine as well.

And remember: even if you think you're too critical or not critical enough: your review is only one of nine, and all points of view are welcome. Not every reviewer has to review every story and in the end it does all level out to a balanced judgement.

Reviewed story spotlight
These stories have passed through review since the previous bulletin. Congratulations to all authors; well done!

Larksong and Morningstar by Armariel
Rating: General
Genre: Humor
Era: 4th Age
Summary: A pregnant Goldberry gets a visit from her two younger sisters, who bring some disturbing news.

Cabed Naeramarth by SometimesKate
Rating: General
Genre: Drama
Era: 1st Age
Summary: A very, very short character sketch involving characters from the Silmarillion.


Make an author's day, review a story or post a comment.

HASA news - Birthdays, Challenges, Stories

June birthdays, the Story Pledge Challenge and links to the stories written or updated in May.

June Birthdays

Is your birthday in June, and would you like a drabble about your favourite character or topic? You can request it here.

Not sure what the birthday cards are about? Have a look at stories written for previous requests.

The Story Pledge Challenge

The Story Pledge Challenge has come to an end. A heartfelt thank you to everybody who took part, either by pledging an amount or by writing a story. All in all, ten stories were written for the Challenge, raising $325, which HASA’s Secret Admirer will match, for a total of $650! (That’s over four months of hosting!)

You can read the stories that have been written for the Challenge here: Story Pledge Challenge stories

May 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 you read is always a nice thing to do, whether the story is new or old.

Every fifteen minutes HASA highlights a story chosen at random from the Reviewed and General stories in the archive. Read the currently featured story on our front page.

Many talented writers are publishing every day. In May:

--- 5 Reviewed Stories were published or updated.

--- 37 General Stories were published or updated.

--- 2 Beta Stories were updated.

(Please note, you need to be logged in to view beta stories.)

Thank you for reading at HASA. Enjoy!

Happy HASA Site Support News

Please note Ang's Challenges Fundraiser update, it is progressing wonderfully. http://www.henneth-annun.net/index.cfm

We are down to our final 7 days of the Challenge. Authors, consider entering a new work in the challenge by Friday next week. Challenge entries will stay on the home page through Saturday, June 2nd. All of our contributors have maxed their pledge amounts for a total of $325. HASA's Secret Admirer is matching those contributions for an overall Story Pledge Challenge amount of $650. That is more than 4 months of hosting!

Thank you to all the writers and pledges. You still have time to submit more stories and more pledges, and join the fun.

HASA thanks our regular subscribers for your steady and much appreciated anonymous support of the site. You may not be known to the membership and get the public thanks you deserve, but rest assured that your contributions are the foundation that keeps HASA running.

Thanks for enjoying & supporting HASA!

Julie

HASA How-tos - May 2012

How do I...

..enter a story in a Challenge?

1. Go to Open Challenges, and find one you would like to enter, for example the May Story Pledge Challenge.
2. Just below the description of the Challenge, look for the "Enter this Challenge!" box. If you don't see it, check to see if you are logged in.
3. In the box you will see a drop-down menu with all of your stories that are eligible to be entered in the Challenge, plus a Challenge Placeholder.
4. Select the story you want to enter or else the placeholder.
5. Click "Enter".

You are now entered in a Challenge!
If you have entered a Challenge and have a Placeholder that you want to replace with a real story, this is what to do:

1. Be sure you are logged in.
2. Select "My Challenges" from the Challenges main navigation menu.
3. On the My Challenges page, locate the challenge and the placeholder.
4. Click "Edit Entry".
5. The page will refresh and you will see a drop-down menu with all of your eligible stories.
6. Select the story you want to have in the Challenge.
7. Click "Edit".
8. Your entry is updated.

A story may be entered in as many Challenges as are appropriate for it. It may only be entered once in a particular Challenge.

Challenge stories may also be entered for review. In that case all references to the Challenge should be removed before submission as reviewers are asked to judge the story on its own. Authors should bear in mind that some entries which are excellent in context of a Challenge may not strike readers as a complete story when disassociated from that Challenge.

When your Challenge story is submitted for review, it will temporarily disappear from the Challenge listing until it has received the requisite nine decisions from the reviewers. After the review is complete, you will need to reset the status on the story so it will reappear in the Challenge.

May Story Pledge Challenge

The May Story Pledge Challenge is still open! Come to the Forum and enter the Challenge or pledge an amount to donate.

Don't forget: any story that you  have posted at HASA this month can be entered. All we ask is that you don't post it anywhere else until June. Enter the Challenge and help put HASA in the black.

Have fun writing and reading!

HASA Reviewed Stories May 2012 – and more!

In this week’s news an overview of the most recent reviewed stories, as well as an update of the Story Pledge Challenge!

Story Pledge Challenge
The Story Pledge Challenge will run until the end of May, and is a challenge for both authors and readers. You can read all about how the Challenge works here.

So far, three stories have been entered in the Challenge, and two authors are working on theirs. Pledges are coming along as well: four people have put up pledges for donations! Come join in the fun, either as an author or a donor, or just to cheer on authors!

Reviews
Since the previous Bulletin, three stories passed through review while there are currently 9 stories waiting for reviewers. Make an author's day and review a story!

As I type this, there are 9 stories waiting for your review (remember to log in before you follow the link).
Member participation is crucial for reviews. The more people are involved in reviewing, the more different opinions are represented. Having more people involved also means that stories pass through review more quickly - which is good for everyone. If you are an active reviewer, why not go and check out a story?

Or, if you are a writer, take the plunge and submit a story for review; and when you do, please remember: Put one in, take one out.

By submitting a story for review, you are asking nine other members to read and evaluate it. So why not do for the other authors who have a story in review what you'd like other reviewers to do for you: check out one of the stories already in review and give it a read.

Becoming a reviewer
If you're not an active reviewer, but think you can spare a bit of time... - even if you just review one or two stories in a month, every review is welcome. If you are logged in, you can sign up here if you've been a member of HASA for thirty days or more.

Daunted by the idea of reviewing? Don't be, reviewing at its simplest comes down to asking yourself: "Would I recommend this story to someone?" Then, whether the answer is 'yes' or 'no', you can make a choice from the capsule reasons to clarify your decision. If you want to, you can add a few more words to convey what you (dis)liked about the story, but just the capsule reason is perfectly fine as well.

And remember: even if you think you're too critical or not critical enough: your review is only one of nine, and all points of view are welcome. Not every reviewer has to review every story and in the end it does all level out to a balanced judgement.

Reviewed story spotlight
These stories have passed through review since the previous bulletin. Congratulations to all authors; well done!
The People of the Stars by Shirebound
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 4th Age
Summary: It's not only the Sea that calls to Legolas, and he asks Gimli to accompany him on a very special journey... to a very special place. Book-verse, complete in one chapter.

Pure Morning by curiouswombat
Rating: Adult
Genre: General
Era: 3rd Age - The Stewards
Summary: When Denethor suggests a marriage between Boromir and Éowyn, despite an 'understanding' of why he, like her cousin the heir to The Mark, is still single, she has reasons to agree. MEFA Winner 2010. Somewhere between drama and romance, this contains scenes of male/male and male/female sex.

From the Inside by Adonnen Estenniel
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 1st Age
Summary: Lost on the ice, Aredhel begins to doubt herself. An unwelcome conversation with her least-favorite cousin brings fear into perspective.


Make an author's day, review a story or post a comment.

HASA news - Birthdays, Challenges, Stories

May Birthdays

Is your birthday in May, and would you like a drabble about your favourite character or topic? You can request it here.

Not sure what the birthday cards are about? Have a look at stories written for previous requests.

The Story Pledge Challenge

Here is a Challenge for authors and readers alike!

For each story posted to this challenge, readers pledge to donate a certain amount of money, up to a total amount the reader determines. Each story written for the challenge will be featured on HASA's home page.

There are already two entries and two pledges. Read all about it here and join the fun. Start writing now, or make a pledge (or even both)!

April 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 you read is always a nice thing to do, whether the story is new or old.

Every fifteen minutes HASA highlights a story chosen at random from the Reviewed and General stories in the archive. Read the currently featured story on our front page.

Many talented writers are publishing every day. In April:

--- No Reviewed Stories were published or updated.

--- 27 General Stories were published or updated.

--- 4 Beta Stories were updated.

(Please note, you need to be logged in to view beta stories.)

Thank you for reading at HASA. Enjoy!

Are you enjoying HASA?

Please join the May Challenge. See the links below and at the top of the Home page. How it works: for each story that is written for this challenge, readers can pledge to donate a small amount of money (which our Secret Admirer will match up to $250, for a total of $500). If we can gather stories and pledges to use all the possible matching funds, HASA hosting will be taken care of through midsummer, with the help of the existing subscriptions. HASA homepage: http://www.henneth-annun.net/index.cfm or go directly to the Challenge: http://www.henneth-annun.net/challenge/challenge.cfm?ngid=579 or join the discussion here http://www.henneth-annun.net/forums/messages.cfm?confID=0&forumID=934&messageID=54594 Thanks, Julie

HASA How-tos - April 2012

How do I...

...add an item to the Research Cabinet?

The quickest way to get started with the Research Cabinet is to add a few items to it. It's as easy as finding an item to add and clicking a button!

1. Log in to HASA.
2. Go to the Resources section of the site.
3. Browse for a Research Library item you would like to add to your cabinet. The items you can add are:
   a. Timeline Events
   b. Character Bios
   c. Places
   d. Things
   e. Full Text Searches (Note - you have to save a search before you can add it to your Cabinet)
4. Once you have found the Library item you want to add to you Research Cabinet, look for the right-hand menu box labeled "Research Cabinet".
5. In the Research Cabinet box, click the "Add this [item] to research cabinet".
6. The page refreshes and the item is added to your cabinet.

At this point, you can leave the item loose in the Cabinet, add it to a Notebook, and/or create a Research Note to go with it; and we will look at how to do that in the next few months. The great thing about the research cabinet is that you can organise your information so that it makes sense to you.

The May Story Pledge Challenge

A HASA member recently sent in a proposal for a site fundraiser, and it is great! In short:

1. We use a Nuzgûl or Oliphaunt challenge, or perhaps come up with a new one.
2. The challenge starts May 1 and runs until June 1.
3. Authors write a story to meet the challenge prompt.
4. These challenge entries will be featured on HASA's home page in place of the usual reviewed stories as soon as there are three entries and will remain on the home page all during the challenge.
5. Readers will offer pledges for each story that is posted to the Challenge - they have to be a full story, not just a story placeholder.
6. For each dollar raised in story pledges, HASA's Secret Admirer will put up a matching dollar, up to $500.

Want to know more? Then come to the Story Pledge Challenge Forum. We look forwards to your ideas and thoughts! Or perhaps you already know you want to pledge an amount or have an idea you want to write for one of the prompts that have been posted…

HASA news - reviews (and more)

A HASA member recently sent in a proposal for a site fundraiser, and it is great! In short:

1. We use a Nuzgûl or Oliphaunt challenge, or perhaps come up with a new one.
2. The challenge starts May 1 and runs until June 1.
3. Authors write a story to meet the challenge prompt.
4. These challenge entries will be featured on HASA's home page in place of the usual reviewed stories as soon as there are three entries and will remain on the home page all during the challenge.
5. Readers will offer pledges for each story that is posted to the Challenge - they have to be a full story, not just a story placeholder.
6. For each dollar raised in story pledges, HASA's Secret Admirer will put up a matching dollar, up to $500.

Want to know more? Then come to the Story Pledge Challenge Forum. We look forwards to your ideas and thoughts!

Reviews

Since the previous Bulletin, three stories passed through review while there are currently 12 stories waiting for reviewers. Make an author's day and review a story!

As I type this, there are 12 stories waiting for your review (remember to log in before you follow the link).

Member participation is crucial for reviews. The more people are involved in reviewing, the more different opinions are represented. Having more people involved also means that stories pass through review more quickly – which is good for everyone. If you are an active reviewer, why not go and check out a story?

Or, if you are a writer, take the plunge and submit a story for review; and when you do, please remember: Put one in, take one out.

By submitting a story for review, you are asking nine other members to read and evaluate it. So why not do for the other authors who have a story in review what you'd like other reviewers to do for you: check out one of the stories already in review and give it a read.

Becoming a reviewer

If you're not an active reviewer, but think you can spare a bit of time... – even if you just review one or two stories in a month, every review is welcome. If you are logged in, you can sign up here if you've been a member of HASA for thirty days or more.

Daunted by the idea of reviewing? Don’t be, reviewing at its simplest comes down to asking yourself: “Would I recommend this story to someone?” Then, whether the answer is 'yes' or 'no', you can make a choice from the capsule reasons to clarify your decision. If you want to, you can add a few more words to convey what you (dis)liked about the story, but just the capsule reason is perfectly fine as well.

And remember: even if you think you're too critical or not critical enough: your review is only one of nine, and all points of view are welcome. Not every reviewer has to review every story and in the end it does all level out to a balanced judgement.

Reviewed story spotlight

These stories have passed through review since the previous bulletin. Congratulations to all authors; well done!

Love is a dance by Lady Demiya
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 3rd Age - Post-Ring War
Summary: One-shot. A scene in which Eomer begins to notice Lothiriel. Set in Eomer's perspective; his wants and desires. Book-verse. POST-WOTR.

The Flower King by WindSurfBabe
Rating: General
Genre: Romance
Era: 4th Age
Summary: Years after King Elessar's passing, the laughter and music of the elves do not grace mortal ears anymore. The woods stand silent ; the time of Men has come. But an elf lingers in his father's realm. His choice is finally made.

Breath of an Elf by Tanis
Rating: General
Genre: Drama
Era: 3rd Age - Ring War
Summary: Third Age - a tag, with permission from Neoinean, to her 1st Place Teitho challenge story, ...and it was done. A little comfort after all the exquisite hurt in Neoinean's fabulous story. Revelations of a personal nature, though revealed by coercion, will change the course of one's ...

Make an author’s day, review a story or post a comment.

HASA news - Birthdays, Challenges, Stories

April Birthday Challenge

Is your birthday in April, and would you like a drabble about your favourite character or topic? You can request it here.

Not sure what the birthday cards are about? Have a look at stories written for previous requests.

Nuzgûl of the Month

Just as Challenges come from Prospective Challenges, Prospective Challenges come from Nuzgûl, and Nuzgûl need attention to grow from tiny ideas into big stories. Step into the Nuzgûl hutch. The bunnies don’t bite (much). And who knows what ideas you may come out with?

The Nuzgûl of the Month!

The April Nuzgûl, Follow My Leader, can be found here, and will run until the end of the month.

Come on over to the Nuzgûl of the Month Workshop and join in the fun. If you’ve written a story for any of the previous months, don’t forget to add it to the Playlist!

March 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 you read is always a nice thing to do, whether the story is new or old.

Every fifteen minutes HASA highlights a story chosen at random from the Reviewed and General stories in the archive. Read the currently featured story on our front page.

Many talented writers are publishing every day. In March:

--- 4 Reviewed Stories were published or updated.

--- 20 General Stories were published or updated.

--- 1 Beta Story was updated.

(Please note, you need to be logged in to view beta stories.)

Thank you for reading at HASA. Enjoy!

Donation request for March

HASA is currently at -$125 for February, and the $150 for March bill will be due the 27th. HASA depends on donations to meet hosting costs. While this means that we come 'begging' about once a month, the good news is that a little can make a great difference! Thanks to our seven monthly subscribers who pay for almost one third of our monthly costs, you’re much appreciated. Thanks also for individual donations.

HASA is in its tenth year of providing ad-free, fee-free JRRT fanfiction that is owned and operated by the fandom, not corporate interests. Your contact information is not for sale to marketeers. There are no tests to take to join, all genres, characters, ratings and story lengths are welcome, and we get hundreds of readers a day. If you are one of our regular visitors, please consider setting up a subscription. $5 = one day of hosting. Or, if you cannot commit to a regular donation, give an individual donation.

Economic times are tough, but every little bit helps. If you can't spare money, then please give something just as valuable – your time. There are stories that need reviews, a story comment can really make an author's day, we have forums for discussing any topic and of course you can post your own works for the enjoyment of everyone.

Thanks for enjoying HASA!

Julie

HASA News - Challenges

Birthday Cards

There is still a week to go in the March Birthday Cards, so there’s plenty of time to write or request a drabble...

Not sure what the birthday cards are about? Have a look at some older stories written as birthday cards.

Prospective Challenges, Oliphaunts and Nuzgûl

Challenges are born from Prospective Challenges, and the Prospective Challenges Forum is where you’ll find out what other people would like to spring on unsuspecting authors... If you have any ideas you want to share, head over to the Challenges Forum; or be inspired by what is already there and pick up an older idea instead.

Older ideas can also be found in the Oliphaunt Pen and the Nuzgûl Hutch… Why not take on an Oliphaunt or let a Nuzgûl bite you?

Nuzgûl of the Month

Just as Challenges come from Prospective Challenges, Prospective Challenges come from Nuzgûl, and Nuzgûl need attention to grow from tiny ideas into big stories. Step into the Nuzgûl hutch. The bunnies don’t bite (much). And who knows what ideas you may come out with?

The Nuzgûl of the Month!

The march Nuzgûl, Death, can be found here, and will run until the end of the month.

Come on over to the Nuzgûl of the Month Workshop and join in the fun. If you’ve written a story for any of the previous months, don’t forget to add it to the Playlist!

Thank you for reading at HASA. Have fun!

HASA How-toes - March 2012

How do I...

... use My Stuff?

This month we look at My Stuff and what is in it.

How to use My Stuff at HASA

What is My Stuff for?

Like the name says, it is where you will find your own stuff.

You manage your profile, add and update stories here, see reviews, send alerts, and other activities. There are links here to take you to other sections of the site, in Forums, Challenges, Playlists and Workshop, where you have things to manage.

The home of My Stuff is customizable to hold information most important to you.

How does this area work?

When you sign up as a member on HASA, you automatically get a My Stuff section. You have to be logged in to see your information.

Your HASA profile has several parts: Member, Author and Reviewer. You use My Profile to manage the information in them.

Next, there is My Stories and all of the related activities. My Stories is where you create and manage your stories. You may add as many stories as you like to the database. In the reviews section, authors who submit stories for review and members who perform reviews can see the reviews given and received.

The links to Forums, Playlists, Workshops and Challenges all go to pages where you can take care of things in those areas.

My Stuff is like your dashboard for keeping track of everything you do on HASA. The My Stuff main menu is very long. To prevent it from taking up too much vertical space, it is folded up by default. Click the Main Menu title bar on any page to unfold and refold the menu. You can also mouse over the "My Stuff" button in the top navigation bar for a fly out menu of My Stuff sections.

You can customize the My Stuff home page

1. Log in.
2. Go to My Stuff home.
3. Click on the "Customize Page" link in the navigation column.
4. You now see a page where you can select one or more pods for the main column and the side column of the My Stuff home page. Detailed instructions for adding the pods are on the page.
5. After you add pods, you can set an order to them.
6. Return to the home page and do final adjustments for how many records to show in each pod.

If there is any topic you'd like to see in the how-to, please let us know!

HASA News - Reviews

As I type this, there are 13 stories waiting for your review (remember to log in before you follow the link).

Member participation is crucial for reviews. The more people are involved in reviewing, the more different opinions are represented. Having more people involved also means that stories pass through review more quickly – which is good for everyone. If you are an active reviewer, why not go and check out a story?

Or, if you are a writer, take the plunge and submit a story for review; and when you do, please remember: Put one in, take one out.

By submitting a story for review, you are asking nine other members to read and evaluate it. So why not do for the other authors who have a story in review what you'd like other reviewers to do for you: check out one of the stories already in review and give it a read.

Becoming a reviewer

If you're not an active reviewer, but think you can spare a bit of time... – even if you just review one or two stories in a month, every review is welcome. If you are logged in, you can sign up here if you've been a member of HASA for thirty days or more.

Daunted by the idea of reviewing? Don’t be, reviewing at its simplest comes down to asking yourself: “Would I recommend this story to someone?” Then, whether the answer is 'yes' or 'no', you can make a choice from the capsule reasons to clarify your decision. If you want to, you can add a few more words to convey what you (dis)liked about the story, but just the capsule reason is perfectly fine as well.

And remember: even if you think you're too critical or not critical enough: your review is only one of nine, and all points of view are welcome. Not every reviewer has to review every story and in the end it does all level out to a balanced judgement.

Reviewed story spotlight

These stories have passed through review since the previous bulletin. Congratulations to all authors; well done!

Ice and Tears by Adonnen Estenniel
Rating:General
Genre: Romance

Era: 3rd Age - Post-Ring War
Summary: Not all marriages are based on love. An unconventional glimpse into the union between Rohan and Dol Amroth. Told in 400 words. MEFA 2011 1st Place; Romance: General

Voice in the Night by Linda Hoyland

Rating: General
Genre: Drama
Era: 3rd Age - The Stewards
Summary: One night at an inn changes a young soldier's life forever. With thanks to Virtuella.

Hobbit Stew by Kara’s Aunty

Rating: General
Genre: Humor
Era: 3rd Age - The Stewards
Summary: Summary: A very hungry Bilbo Baggins spots something very tasty after a week of near-abstinence in the Elvenking's Halls; but getting his hands on it will not be as easy as he thinks ...

 

Make an author’s day, review a story or post a comment.

HASA news - Birthdays, Nuzgûl of the Month, Stories

March birthdays, the Nuzgûl of the Month and links to the stories written or updated in February.

March Birthday Challenge

Is your birthday in March, and would you like a drabble about your favourite character or topic? You can request it here.

Not sure what the birthday cards are about? Have a look at stories written for previous requests.

Nuzgûl of the Month

Just as Challenges come from Prospective Challenges, Prospective Challenges come from Nuzgûl, and Nuzgûl need attention to grow from tiny ideas into big stories. Step into the Nuzgûl hutch. The bunnies don’t bite (much). And who knows what ideas you may come out with?

The Nuzgûl of the Month!

The March Nuzgûl, Death, can be found here, and will run until the end of the month.

Come on over to the Nuzgûl of the Month Workshop and join in the fun. If you’ve written a story for any of the previous months, don’t forget to add it to the Playlist!

February 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 you read is always a nice thing to do, whether the story is new or old.

Every fifteen minutes HASA highlights a story chosen at random from the Reviewed and General stories in the archive. Read the currently featured story on our front page.

Many talented writers are publishing every day. In February:

--- 5 Reviewed Stories were published or updated.

--- 40 General Stories were published or updated.

--- 2 Beta Stories were updated.

(Please note, you need to be logged in to view beta stories.)

Thank you for reading at HASA. Enjoy!

Donation request for February

HASA is currently at -$25 for January, and the $150 bill for February will soon be due. HASA depends on donations to meet hosting costs. While this means that we come 'begging' about once a month, the good news is that a little can make a great difference! Thanks to our seven monthly subscribers who pay for almost one third of our monthly costs, you’re much appreciated. Thanks also for individual donations.

HASA is in its tenth year of providing ad-free, fee-free JRRT fanfiction that is owned and operated by the fandom, not corporate interests. Your contact information is not for sale to marketeers. There are no tests to take to join, all genres, characters, ratings and story lengths are welcome, and we get hundreds of readers a day. If you are one of our regular visitors, please consider setting up a subscription. $5 = one day of hosting. Or, if you cannot commit to a regular donation, give an individual donation.

Economic times are tough, but every little bit helps. If you can't spare money, then please give something just as valuable – your time. There are stories that need reviews, a story comment can really make an author's day, we have forums for discussing any topic and of course you can post your own works for the enjoyment of everyone.
Thanks for enjoying HASA!

Julie

HASA How-tos - February 2012

This month's HASA How-to looks at posting stories.

How do I...

... post my stories?

This month we look at how to post your stories at HASA.

How to post your story at HASA

Every HASA member can post as many stories as she likes to the site.

First, check you’re logged in. Then go to My Stuff and select My Stories. Choose Add New Story.

Now that you have done that, the next thing you have to do is create a story overview. In the story overview you put in the title, a summary, and some details like characters and the type of story it is.

Next, you can add chapters to your story.

Please be sure to read the onscreen instructions (on the righthand side of the page) the first few times you create stories, or if you run into problems. They will help you avoid the most common errors.

When you’re done, press Edit Story (at the bottom of the form).

You are returned to your story list. Now find the story you just added and directly select ‘add chapter’ in the story list. You can also click on the title of the story and add your chapter(s) from the Story Overview.

Once you’re in the chapter dialogue, enter a title for your chapter under Chapter Title, and paste in your chapter text in the Chapter Text window (mind to use the ‘paste from Word’ option if you are pasting from Word).

Take a minute to read the notes about the editor toolbar on the right – there are useful hints there.

Select a chapter status: private or public

Private means your chapter won’t be visible. Your default choice should be Public, unless you have specific reason to keep a chapter out of view for the time being.

Now ‘add chapter’. You will now see what your chapter looks like. You can make edits if you need to (‘edit this chapter’). Other options are ‘add chapter’, ‘convert line breaks’ (look at last month’s how-to; however this is only relevant if you are editing an older story), copy chapter and ‘return to story overview’.

Select ‘return to story overview’. Now comes an important step in making sure your story can be read: Set chapter numbers. Your chapters do not appear to readers if the chapter number is ‘0’.

Select your chapter number. If you have more chapters listed already, select Reorder List.

Now you can add another chapter(s) if you like.

Done?

 

Check if all your chapters are set to public and have a number greater than ‘0’.

Done!

 

If there is any topic you’d like to see in the how-to, please let us know!

HASA News - Reviews

Since the previous Bulletin, no stories passed through review while there are currently 16 stories waiting for reviewers. Make an author's day and review a story!

As I type this, there are 16 stories waiting for your review (remember to log in before you follow the link).

Member participation is crucial for reviews. The more people are involved in reviewing, the more different opinions are represented. Having more people involved also means that stories pass through review more quickly – which is good for everyone. If you are an active reviewer, why not go and check out a story?

Or, if you are a writer, take the plunge and submit a story for review; and when you do, please remember: Put one in, take one out.

By submitting a story for review, you are asking nine other members to read and evaluate it. So why not do for the other authors who have a story in review what you'd like other reviewers to do for you: check out one of the stories already in review and give it a read.

Becoming a reviewer

If you’re not an active reviewer, but think you can spare a bit of time... – even if you just review one or two stories in a month, every review is welcome. If you are logged in, you can sign up here if you've been a member of HASA for thirty days or more.

Daunted by the idea of reviewing? Don’t worry, reviewing at its simplest comes down to asking yourself: “Would I recommend this story to someone?” Then, whether the answer is ’yes’ or ’no’, you can make a choice from the capsule reasons to clarify your decision. If you want to, you can add a few more words to convey what you (dis)liked about the story, but just the capsule reason is perfectly fine as well.

And remember: even if you think you're too critical or not critical enough: your review is only one of nine, and all points of view are welcome. Not every reviewer has to review every story and in the end it does all level out to a balanced judgement.

Make an author’s day, review a story or post a comment.

HASA news - Birthdays, Nuzgûl of the Month, Stories

February Birthday Challenge

Is your birthday in February, and would you like a drabble about your favourite character or topic? You can request it here.

Not sure what the birthday cards are about? Have a look at stories written for previous requests.

Nuzgûl of the Month

Just as Challenges come from Prospective Challenges, Prospective Challenges come from Nuzgûl, and Nuzgûl need attention to grow from tiny ideas into big stories. Step into the Nuzgûl hutch. The bunnies don't bite (much). And who knows what ideas you may come out with?

The Nuzgûl of the Month!

The February Nuzgûl, Lord of Men, Lord of Elves, can be found here, and will run until the end of the month.

Come on over to the Nuzgûl of the Month Workshop and join in the fun. If you've written a story for any of the previous months, don't forget to add it to the Playlist!

January 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 you read is always a nice thing to do, whether the story is new or old.

Every fifteen minutes HASA highlights a story chosen at random from the Reviewed and General stories in the archive. Read the currently featured story on our front page.

Many talented writers are publishing every day. In January:

• 20 Reviewed Stories were published or updated.
• 59 General Stories were published or updated.
• 9 Beta Stories were updated.
  (Please note, you need to be logged in to view beta stories.)

Thank you for reading at HASA. Enjoy!

Donation request for January

Hi all! Thanks everyone for helping to get HASA into the black for December, we’d like to keep it that way. The January bill has been paid and we need $90 to get HASA back into the black.

Thanks to our seven monthly subscribers who pay for almost one third of our monthly costs, you’re much appreciated. Thanks also for individual donations.

HASA is in its tenth year of providing ad-free, fee-free JRRT fanfiction that is owned and operated by the fandom, not corporate interests. Your contact information is not for sale to marketeers. There are no tests to take to join, all genres, characters, ratings and story lengths are welcome, and we get hundreds of readers a day. If you are one of our regular visitors, please consider setting up a subscription. $5 = one day of hosting. Or, if you cannot commit to a regular donation, give an individual donation.

Economic times are tough, but every little bit helps. If you can't spare money, then please give something just as valuable – your time. There are stories that need reviews, a story comment can really make an author's day, we have forums for discussing any topic and of course you can post your own works for the enjoyment of everyone.

Thanks for enjoying HASA!

Julie

HASA news - Challenges

In this week’s news: birthdays, current and prospective Challenges, and the Nuzgûl of the Month.

Birthday Cards

There is more than a week to go in the January Birthday Cards, so there’s still plenty of time to write or request a drabble...

Not sure what the birthday cards are about? Have a look at some older stories written as birthday cards.

Prospective Challenges, Oliphaunts and Nuzgûl

Challenges are born from Prospective Challenges, and the Prospective Challenges Forum is where you’ll find out what other people would like to spring on unsuspecting authors... If you have any ideas you want to share, head over to the Challenges Forum; or be inspired by what is already there and pick up an older idea instead.

Older ideas can also be found in the Oliphaunt Pen and the Nuzgûl Hutch… Why not take on an Oliphaunt or let a Nuzgûl bite you?

Nuzgûl of the Month

Just as Challenges come from Prospective Challenges, Prospective Challenges come from Nuzgûl, and Nuzgûl need attention to grow from tiny ideas into big stories. Step into the Nuzgûl hutch. The bunnies don’t bite (much). And who knows what ideas you may come out with?

The Nuzgûl of the Month!

The January Nuzgûl, Alternate Perspectives, can be found here, and will run until the end of the month; the February 2012 Nuzgûl will be revealed close to February 1.

Come on over to the Nuzgûl of the Month Workshop and join in the fun. If you’ve written a story for any of the previous months, don’t forget to add it to the Playlist!

Thank you for reading at HASA. Have fun!

HASA How-tos - January 2012

How do I...

... convert line breaks in older stories?

This month we look at how to convert line breaks in older stories where the paragraphs are 'broken'. If you are an author who posted stories on HASA in 2005 or earlier, this How-To may be just the fix for your stories.

What is converting line breaks?

Some older stories, specifically ones posted between April 2004 and June 2005, lost their paragraph formatting as a result of a site upgrade interfering with these older pages. Up to now, the only way to fix these stories was manually. Either the author had to find her old chapters in a word processing document and repost them, or else she had to open up the chapters online and insert line breaks one by one.

Now, however, you have a one-click fix for missing line breaks in any of your stories that are affected:

1. Go to My Stuff/My Stories to find a story that is affected.
2. Open a chapter in that story
3. Click the “Convert Line Breaks” button

The conversion page will show you:

• How your chapter should look with line breaks
• How HASA readers currently see it (Ugly! Unreadable!)

This lets you review your changes on a chapter by chapter basis. Click the “Convert Chapter” button to fix the chapter. That’s it! You can do more editing on it with the regular editor afterwards in case it stuck in a few too many lines. Be sure to take advantage of the newest in-page editor to put in the special formatting that was too much trouble to do six (or more) years ago on the Web.

If there is any topic you'd like to see in the how-to, please let us know!

HASA News - Reviews

As I type this, there are 10 stories waiting for your review (remember to log in before you follow the link).

Member participation is crucial for reviews. The more people are involved in reviewing, the more different opinions are represented. Having more people involved also means that stories pass through review more quickly – which is good for everyone. If you are an active reviewer, why not go and check out a story?

Or, if you are a writer, take the plunge and submit a story for review; and when you do, please remember: Put one in, take one out.

By submitting a story for review, you are asking nine other members to read and evaluate it. So why not do for the other authors who have a story in review what you'd like other reviewers to do for you: check out one of the stories already in review and give it a read.

Becoming a reviewer

If you're not an active reviewer, but think you can spare a bit of time... – even if you just review one or two stories in a month, every review is welcome. If you are logged in, you can sign up here if you've been a member of HASA for thirty days or more.

Daunted by the idea of reviewing? Don’t worry, reviewing at its simplest comes down to asking yourself: “Would I recommend this story to someone?” Then, whether the answer is 'yes' or 'no', you can make a choice from the capsule reasons to clarify your decision. If you want to, you can add a few more words to convey what you (dis)liked about the story, but just the capsule reason is perfectly fine as well.

And remember: even if you think you're too critical or not critical enough: your review is only one of nine, and all points of view are welcome. Not every reviewer has to review every story and in the end it does all level out to a balanced judgement.

Reviewed story spotlight

These stories have passed through review since the previous bulletin. Congratulations to all authors; well done!

Western Duty, Eastern Desire by Adonnen Estenniel
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 2nd Age - Pre-Rings
Summary: The impossible choice comes to all: a time when the balance of the scales depends upon whether or not one does the right thing. But the 'right thing' is often subjective, as two Istari must learn.

Where no Birds Sing by Linda Hoyland
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 4th Age
Summary: When Roheryn goes lame, Aragorn and Faramir are stranded in a stormand forced to seek shelter. A story for Halloween.

Tales of the Steward by Itarille1
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 4th Age
Summary: Short pieces concerning the seven-and-twentieth (Ruling) Steward of Gondor, as recorded by one of his grandson. Book-verse, late Third Age – early Fourth Age Gondor.

Make an author’s day, review a story or post a comment.

HASA news - Birthdays, Challenges, Stories

First, before anything else: Happy New Year, and happy writing!

Second: Thank You! to everybody who helped HASA to meet our donations goal and end 2011 in the black.

January Birthday Challenge

Is your birthday in January, and would you like a drabble about your favourite character or topic? Keep an eye out for the January Birthday Challenge to appear!

Meanwhile, if you received any stories in 2011, remember to make a Birthday story for your gifts. Create a story, make each present into a chapter in your story (copy/paste), and then link the collection of stories to the 2011 Birthday Challenge; feel free to ask for help if you need a hand.

Not sure what the birthday cards are about? Have a look at some stories written for previous requests.

Nuzgûl of the Month

Just as Challenges come from Prospective Challenges, Prospective Challenges come from Nuzgûl, and Nuzgûl need attention to grow from tiny ideas into big stories. Step into the Nuzgûl hutch. The bunnies don’t bite (much). And who knows what ideas you may come out with?

The Nuzgûl of the Month!

The January Nuzgûl, Alternate Perspectives, can be found here, and will run until the end of the month.

Come on over to the Nuzgûl of the Month Workshop and join in the fun. If you’ve written a story for any of the previous months, don’t forget to add it to the Playlist!

December 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 you read is always a nice thing to do, whether the story is new or old.

Every fifteen minutes HASA highlights a story chosen at random from the Reviewed and General stories in the archive. Read the currently featured story on our front page.

Many talented writers are publishing every day. In December:

--- No Reviewed Stories were published or updated.

--- 33 General Stories were published or updated.

--- 3 Beta Stories were updated.

(Please note, you need to be logged in to view beta stories.)

Thank you for reading at HASA. Enjoy!

HASA news - Challenges

Birthday Challenges

There is another few days to go in the December Birthday Challenge, so there's still time to write or request a drabble. Meanwhile, keep an eye out for the January Birthday Challenge!

Not sure what the birthday cards are about? Have a look at the stories already written this year.

Prospective Challenges, Oliphaunts and Nuzgûl

Challenges are born from Prospective Challenges, and the Prospective Challenges Forum is where you'll find out what other people would like to spring on unsuspecting authors... If you have any ideas you want to share, head over to the Challenges Forum; or be inspired by what is already there and pick up an older idea instead.

Older ideas can also be found in the Oliphaunt Pen and the Nuzgûl Hutch… Why not take on an Oliphaunt or let a Nuzgûl bite you?

Nuzgûl of the Month

Just as Challenges come from Prospective Challenges, Prospective Challenges come from Nuzgûl, and Nuzgûl need attention to grow from tiny ideas into big stories. Step into the Nuzgûl hutch. The bunnies don't bite (much). And who knows what ideas you may come out with?

The Nuzgûl of the Month!

The December Nuzgûl, An Excellent Arrangement, can be found here, and will run until the end of the year; the January 2012 Nuzgûl will be published on January 1.

Come on over to the Nuzgûl of the Month Workshop and join in the fun. If you've written a story for any of the previous months, don't forget to add it to the Playlist!

Thank you for reading at HASA. Have fun!

HASA News - Reviews

Since the previous Bulletin, 3 stories passed through review while there are currently 10 stories waiting for reviewers. Make an author's day and review a story!

On a 'side-note', we're well over halfway with our December drive to put HASA in the black. A big thank you! to everyone who has donated. You rock!

On to reviews: As I type this, there are 10 stories waiting for your review (remember to log in before you follow the link).

Member participation is crucial for reviews. The more people are involved in reviewing, the more different opinions are represented. Having more people involved also means that stories pass through review more quickly - which is good for everyone. If you are an active reviewer, why not go and check out a story?

Or, if you are a writer, take the plunge and submit a story for review; and when you do, please remember: Put one in, take one out.

By submitting a story for review, you are asking nine other members to read and evaluate it. So why not do for the other authors who have a story in review what you'd like other reviewers to do for you: check out one of the stories already in review and give it a read.

Becoming a reviewer

If you're not an active reviewer, but think you can spare a bit of time... – even if you just review one or two stories in a month, every review is welcome. If you are logged in, you can sign up here if you've been a member of HASA for thirty days or more.

Daunted by the idea of reviewing? Don't worry, reviewing at its simplest comes down to asking yourself: "Would I recommend this story to someone?" Then, whether the answer is 'yes' or 'no', you can make a choice from the capsule reasons to clarify your decision. If you want to, you can add a few more words to convey what you (dis)liked about the story, but just the capsule reason is perfectly fine as well.

And remember: even if you think you're too critical or not critical enough: your review is only one of nine, and all points of view are welcome. Not every reviewer has to review every story and in the end it does all level out to a balanced judgement.

Reviewed story spotlight

These stories have passed through review since the previous bulletin. Congratulations to all authors; well done!

Silmarillion Chemistry by Barazinbar
General
Humor
Era: Other
Summary: The characters of the Silmarillion, according to a chemistry textbook. Featuring Feanor as a dipole-inducing cation, a very polar Curufin, and more!

Tales from the Rangers by Cirjin
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 3rd Age - Ring War
Summary: Shadowy figures roam the four Farthings of the Shire, stealing about on errands that cannot be guessed (or even fathomed) by the little locals. What could lurking Big Folk be up to? No good… no doubt, but not until little Robart Nortook stumbles into trouble does the real danger become clear! ...

When Bright Things Fade by Adonnen Estenniel
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 4th Age
Summary: After departing from the Golden Wood, Galadriel and Celeborn rest for a time in Imladris, where Celeborn reveals the doom that has laid heavy on his heart for some time, much to Galadriel's discontent.

Make an author's day, review a story or post a comment.

HASA How-tos - December 2011

How do I...

... find my way in Resources?

This month we continue November's theme of Resources, taking a quick look at a few things in there.

How do I contribute a Research Article?

After you have written your article or essay, be sure you are logged in to the site before you begin.

1. Double check your story - Is it spell checked? Are all the chapters set to "Published" status and do they all have chapter numbers set to something besides "0"? Is the story set to General or Reviewed status?
2. Mouse over the Resources button in the main navigation bar and select from the drop-down menu.
3. On the main Articles & Essays page, look in the side bar for the box . At the bottom of that box you should see a link
4. Click and go to the add page.
5. There will be a form with a drop-down list of your stories that have been categorized as either Research Articles or Critical Essays, and with a multi-select box of research topics.
6. Choose your story and select topics which apply to the work.
7. Click .

If you have already added stories to Articles & Essays, you will also see them on that page. If you want to change topics for any of them, click the button.

How do I add a link to the URL Library?

1. Be sure you are logged in - only members can contribute links.
2. Go to the URL Library in Resources.
3. Find the "URL Categories" box in the navigation column.
4. In the box below the form will be a link to add a URL.
5. In the URL form, fill in:
   
   • the URL address (be sure to add the http:// part!)
   • the web page name
   • the URL category for the site
   • a brief summary
6. The summary must be under 250 characters long (this includes blank spaces), and any Adult content should be indicated.
7. Click on the "Add URL" button.

Your URL will be added in draft status and the Resource Manager will be notified there is a URL waiting for review.

I see an entry that is not accurate

Accuracy is crucial as authors will use the information here in their stories. Entries are spot checked, but errors can creep in, so please help us correct anything inaccurate that you see. To point out a place for correction, email the Resources managers or post in the Resources forum.

Where can I ask about specific subjects in Forums?

Some particular discussions for specific subjects:

• English Grammar Discussion - the place to check the correct way to say what you want.
• Geography and Maps – ask those place related questions here.
• HoME Reference Requests – Members who own the History of Middle-earth series will take requests to find mentions of a character, place, thing or event.
• Languages in Arda – some of our members who are familiar with Sindarin, Quenya, Adunaic or Old English keep an eye on this one and will respond to requests.
• Research Questions - the grand-daddy question thread. Any question is fair game, from cooking to legal issues.
• Writer's aids – anything to do with writing.

These are some of the larger topics, but there are other threads and subjects as well.

There is no discussion for the subject I'm interested in. Should I start one?

Certainly, and starting one is extremely easy to do.

1. Go to the appropriate discussion.
2. If you don't see your subject, click 'Post New Topic' to start a topic.
3. If there is no appropriate discussion, go back up to the Resource Folder, and click 'Add Discussion.'
4. After the Discussion is created, click 'Post New Topic'.

That's all there is to it.

I want to contribute information to Resources

Great! There are a variety of ways to contribute to the Resources section:

1. Enter data - Timeline events, Character Bios, Places and Things can always use entries. If you would like to enter data directly, send an email to the Resource Managers and you will be given Researcher access to enter data.
2. Email data - If you prefer not to enter data directly you may send it in an email to the Resource manager. This will be slower, as the manager will enter it as time permits. Anyone who is interested in contributing a large amount of information should request Researcher access; your contributions will be very welcome.
3. Write and link a research article or critical essay – see details in the How Tos.
4. Add a URL link – see details in the How Tos.

If there is any topic you'd like to see in the how-to, please let us know!

Donation update: looking to get back into the black

HASA depends on donations to meet hosting costs. At the time of writing, our account is at -$563, after the December bill.

Please help us finish the year in the black!

We currently have six Monthly subscribers who together donate $40 every month to HASA. We also have two Annual subscribers who together donate $30 per year. Together, these regular donations provide $510 towards hosting every year, and cover 28%, just over 1/4, of HASA's annual bill.

Think of that! It takes just 8 people donating a few dollars every month or every year to cover more than a quarter of the site costs.

HASA is in its tenth year of providing ad-free, fee-free JRRT fanfiction that is owned and operated by the fandom, not corporate interests. Your contact information is not for sale to marketeers. There are no tests to take to join, all genres, characters, ratings and story lengths are welcome, and we get hundreds of readers a day.

Currently, our account is at -$548. If you are one of our regular visitors, please consider setting up a subscription. $5 = one day of hosting. Or, if you cannot commit to a regular donation, give something just in December as a festive gift to all your fellow readers and authors here at HASA. Please see message in the HASA Christmas Cards forum, “Put HASA in the black for Christmas!” Give something just in December as a festive gift to all your fellow readers and authors here at HASA.

http://www.henneth-annun.net/forums/messages.cfm?confID=0&forumID=931&messageID=54423

Economic times are tough, but every little bit helps. If you can't spare money, then please give something just as valuable – your time. There are stories that need reviews, a story comment can really make an author's day, we have forums for discussing any topic and of course you can post your own works for the enjoyment of everyone.

Thanks for enjoying HASA!

Julie

HASA news - Birthdays, Nuzgûl of the Month, Stories

This week's news features:

December birthdays, the Nuzgûl of the Month and links to the stories written or updated in November.

December Birthday Challenge

Is your birthday in December, and would you like a drabble about your favourite character or topic? You can request it here.

Not sure what the birthday cards are about? Have a look at stories written for previous requests.

Nuzgûl of the Month

Just as Challenges come from Prospective Challenges, Prospective Challenges come from Nuzgûl, and Nuzgûl need attention to grow from tiny ideas into big stories. Step into the Nuzgûl hutch. The bunnies don’t bite (much). And who knows what ideas you may come out with?

The Nuzgûl of the Month!

The December Nuzgûl, An Excellent Arrangement, can be found here, and will run until the end of the month.

Come on over to the Nuzgûl of the Month Workshop and join in the fun. If you’ve written a story for any of the previous months, don’t forget to add it to the Playlist!

November 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 you read is always a nice thing to do, whether the story is new or old.

Every fifteen minutes HASA highlights a story chosen at random from the Reviewed and General stories in the archive. Read the currently featured story on our front page.

Many talented writers are publishing every day. In November:

--- 3 Reviewed Stories were published or updated.

--- 24 General Stories were published or updated.

--- 2 Beta Stories were updated.

(Please note, you need to be logged in to view beta stories.)

Thank you for reading at HASA. Enjoy!

HASA news - Challenges

In this week’s news: birthdays, current and prospective Challenges, and the Nuzgûl of the Month.

Birthday Challenges

Birthday in December? Make your request here.

There is another few days to go in the November Birthday Challenge, so there’s still time to write or request a drabble.

Not sure what the birthday cards are about? Have a look at the stories already written this year.

Current and closing Challenges

There are no closing challenges this month.

Prospective Challenges, Oliphaunts and Nuzgûl

Challenges are born from Prospective Challenges, and the Prospective Challenges Forum is where you’ll find out what other people would like to spring on unsuspecting authors... If you have any ideas you want to share, head over to the Challenges Forum; or be inspired by what is already there and pick up an older idea instead.

Older ideas can also be found in the Oliphaunt Pen and the Nuzgûl Hutch… Why not take on an Oliphaunt or let a Nuzgûl bite you?

Nuzgûl of the Month

Just as Challenges come from Prospective Challenges, Prospective Challenges come from Nuzgûl, and Nuzgûl need attention to grow from tiny ideas into big stories. Step into the Nuzgûl hutch. The bunnies don’t bite (much). And who knows what ideas you may come out with?

The Nuzgûl of the Month!

The November Nuzgûl, To Rise Again, can be found here, and will run until Wednesday night, November 30, which is also when the December Nuzgûl will be published.

Come on over to the Nuzgûl of the Month Workshop and join in the fun. If you’ve written a story for any of the previous months, don’t forget to add it to the Playlist!

HASA Reviewed Stories November 2011

Since the previous Bulletin, no stories passed through review while there are currently 11 stories waiting for reviewers. Make an author's day and review a story!

As I type this, there are 11 stories waiting for your review (remember to log in before you follow the link).

Member participation is crucial for reviews. The more people are involved in reviewing, the more different opinions are represented. Having more people involved also means that stories pass through review more quickly - which is good for everyone. If you are an active reviewer, why not go and check out a story?

Or, if you are a writer, take the plunge and submit a story for review; and when you do, please remember: Put one in, take one out.

By submitting a story for review, you are asking nine other members to read and evaluate it. So why not do for the other authors who have a story in review what you'd like other reviewers to do for you: check out one of the stories already in review and give it a read.

Becoming a reviewer

If you're not an active reviewer, but think you can spare a bit of time... – even if you just review one or two stories in a month, every review is welcome. If you are logged in, you can sign up here if you've been a member of HASA for thirty days or more.

Daunted by the idea of reviewing? Don’t worry, reviewing at its simplest comes down to asking yourself: “Would I recommend this story to someone?” Then, whether the answer is 'yes' or 'no', you can make a choice from the capsule reasons to clarify your decision. If you want to, you can add a few more words to convey what you (dis)liked about the story, but just the capsule reason is perfectly fine as well.

And remember: even if you think you're too critical or not critical enough: your review is only one of nine, and all points of view are welcome. Not every reviewer has to review every story and in the end it does all level out to a balanced judgement.

Make an author’s day, review a story or post a comment.