Monday, April 30, 2012
Are you enjoying HASA?
Sunday, April 15, 2012
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!
- Log in to HASA.
- Go to the Resources section of the site.
- 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) - 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".
- In the Research Cabinet box, click the "Add this [item] to research cabinet".
- 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:
- We use a Nuzgûl or Oliphaunt challenge, or perhaps come up with a new one.
- The challenge starts May 1 and runs until June 1.
- Authors write a story to meet the challenge prompt.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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…
Sunday, April 8, 2012
HASA news - reviews (and more)
A HASA member recently sent in a proposal for a site fundraiser, and it is great! In short:
- We use a Nuzgûl or Oliphaunt challenge, or perhaps come up with a new one.
- The challenge starts May 1 and runs until June 1.
- Authors write a story to meet the challenge prompt.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
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!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Donation request for March
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
Sunday, March 25, 2012
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!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
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 HASAWhat 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
- Log in.
- Go to My Stuff home.
- Click on the "Customize Page" link in the navigation column.
- 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.
- After you add pods, you can set an order to them.
- 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!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
HASA news - Birthdays, Nuzgûl of the Month, Stories
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!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Donation request for February
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
Sunday, February 19, 2012
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!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
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.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
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!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Donation request for January
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
Saturday, January 21, 2012
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!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
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:
- Go to My Stuff/My Stories to find a story that is affected.
- Open a chapter in that story
- 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!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
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.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
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!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
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!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
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.