dawn_felagund: Skeleton embracing young girl (Default)
Dawn Felagund ([personal profile] dawn_felagund) wrote in [community profile] b2mem2013-01-08 06:36 pm

B2MeM 2013 Is Coming!

Yes, that time of year is almost here again: time for our annual Back to Middle-earth Month event! Once again, the Silmarillion Writers' Guild, Many Paths to Tread, and Arda Inspired will be teaming up to bring the Tolkien fandom a month of fun, creativity, and community.

We are currently in the planning phases for this year's challenge, and we need help and feedback from our community to help us decide the challenge we want to run this year. If you have an idea for an event, please do share it in a comment here! (If you want to see what kinds of events we've run in the past, we have links to them all on the SWG site here: http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/specialprojects.php.)

Even if you don't have a specific idea for an event, if there's a past event that you loved (or a past event that you'd rather not see something similar to this year), please comment and let us know.

We have only one requirement for B2MeM events: They should be open to the entire Tolkien fan-writing and -art communities. Ideally, this should also allow people to participate whether they have one or thirty-one days free to work on challenges.

We look forward to hearing everyone's ideas and getting this year's event ready to roll!

[identity profile] heartofoshun.livejournal.com 2013-01-09 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
I have all the Kindle books that are out and lots of other wonky e-copies of the HoMe, etc. Locating a text takes me a couple seconds--not much of a challenge (not to mention that I have an almost photographic memory of LotR and the Silm). But I might be missing the point.
dreamflower: gandalf at bag end (Default)

[personal profile] dreamflower 2013-01-09 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
Well, if we have enough quotes to choose from maybe not everyone will be so tempted to try them all! LOL!

But sometimes plot bunnies are like potato chips...to be honest it's just to hard to leave some ideas alone! And prompt challenges of any sort are just organized plot bunny hutches.

That was partly why I thought it would be nice to include reviews and meta as well as writing and art. It would give those who write less another way to participate.

[identity profile] keiliss.livejournal.com 2013-01-09 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
For what it's worth, I really like this. It would be a lot of fun and as big or as small as the participant wanted.

I'd like to see the Season of Writing Dangerously come back. I forget what I undertook last time, just know I failed *g*
ladybrooke: (Draper)

[personal profile] ladybrooke 2013-01-09 02:47 am (UTC)(link)
Alright, so, feedback!

I loved Bingo, but having a minimum of 2 papers, and most weeks three, plus group projects and such...this would so not be the college semester, either to do Bingo or get beaten by other people for suggesting Bingo.

But here's what I liked from Bingo: that the cards allowed me to choose subjects that I felt comfort and fun writing. I don't think I'd enjoy it as much if the topics were too specific - okay, today the subjects are write or draw about Hobbits in the Shire in the Third Age farming vegetables or Gil-galad, son of Fingon in Lindon in the Second (to give examples of things that would make me go "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" and run far, far away, never to be found in the Tolkien fandom for the rest of eternity (eternity here defined as "roughly one day, unless I have to rant about something like Oropher on Tumblr before the one day is up") So, vague to simply defined prompts or whatever, instead of ultra specific that I have no choice about and will cause general angst and feelings of failure to appear, in spite of knowing I don't actually have to do it. *waves from the pit of perfectionism*

I'd be in favor of the quotes one, for example, as long as it was left free what in the scene inspired me - for example, quote from Mr. Talking Fox, can I go off and write Mr. Talking Fox stumbling across Maglor one day, in spite of the scene being in the Shire with a bunch of Hobbits? Can Mr. Fox inspire me to write the adventures of Mr. Chattering Squirrel, quite confused by these two things that have been standing in this glade for years and years (and how does that silver haired one not notice the sparrow making a nest in his hair?) Awesome! Totally cool! I love this! More specific guidelines, on the other hand...see above. And now I've inspired myself to write that fic. This is why I shouldn't think about examples.

Other than freedom, though, I'm pretty good with whatever you all come up with, provided that it doesn't require me to go run off and try to coordinate performing a presentation with 10 other people or something (the nightmares of college).

Apologies for any weirdness in this post, I'm pretty sure the contrast in enjoyment between some of my classes is causing mental instability and rambling.

[identity profile] engarian.livejournal.com 2013-01-09 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
I have to say that although I enjoyed BINGO last year, I worked my tail off. The year before, when we did the passport with only a single story/artwork per day was much more manageable. I would like something closer to that format again, perhaps with a different type of literary style for each day instead of a location? But I'm sure I'll be trying to participate again no matter what, even though I want to concentrate more on my novel than shorter pieces.

I'll play, no matter the playground...

- Erulisse (one L)

[identity profile] heartofoshun.livejournal.com 2013-01-09 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks. I see. I was thinking scavenger hunt like in grade school or high school--the point being the search.
ladybrooke: (Draper)

[personal profile] ladybrooke 2013-01-09 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
That sounds like very weird whiplash! I'm going back and forth between this and European Politics, which isn't quite as weird. And yeah, it sounds like you do. ;)

That comforts me a lot! I'm all for expanding, but given some of my recent interactions with people who have the mindset that exposure and doing something makes everything easier...*shudder* Expanding = good, forced expanding = breakdown.

Okay, that sounds even more awesome! I think I would really enjoy that (I've managed to take inspiration from quotes from The Aztecs by Robert Townsend (one of my Anthropology textbooks last semester), so quotes are always fun.) I'm sure that specialist appreciates the effort. (I only seem to specialize in tormenting elves of the Houses of Finwë and Elmo, so I'm not quite as specific. ;p)
grey_gazania: black-and-white photo of a gazania (your mouth is like a funeral)

[personal profile] grey_gazania 2013-01-09 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
I like the origins idea!
grey_gazania: black-and-white photo of a gazania (your mouth is like a funeral)

[personal profile] grey_gazania 2013-01-09 03:15 am (UTC)(link)
This sounds similar to fanbingo over on Dreamwidth, which is unfortunately stalled but was a lot of fun while it was running. :)
independence1776: Drawing of Maglor with a harp on right, words "sing of honor lost" and "Noldolantë" on the left and bottom, respectively (Default)

[personal profile] independence1776 2013-01-09 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
I like the idea, too.

But… I signed up for h/c bingo, and got a horrible card. All the interesting prompts were scattered in such a way that I couldn't get a bingo, and ended up only writing one fic. Plus, the scoring for points isn't something I'm quite comfortable with; it seems a bit too competitive for B2MeM. Especially when there's people who only want to or have the time to write one or two stories, and thus have no chance against people who are going for a blackout. (I also really dislike the rule about "one prompt, one fic" because I'd rather write long fic that incorperates multiple prompts than multiple short ones. The fact that it was explicitly allowed for B2MeM was one of the reasons I enjoyed participating.)

Maybe if there's a list of prompts, and we can choose our own? (Which is probably too time- and volunteer- intensive.
ladybrooke: (Draper)

[personal profile] ladybrooke 2013-01-09 03:17 am (UTC)(link)
No! Don't trust me to not try all of everything. I have no will power about Tolkien fanfic! None!

...I claimed 85 bingo cards, to be entirely honest. They were fun and I was weak-willed.

And after bingo was over, I made lists on my livejournal of the uncalled prompts I also wanted to write. There's a couple hundred started to halfway polished fics to be finished. Considering I only average 1 to 6 fics a month, I don't need another session of "SHINY PLOT BUNNY!" ;p

/end joking

[identity profile] dwimordene-2011.livejournal.com 2013-01-09 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
As I believe Huinare pointed out, B2MEM is not about finding time to do all the prompts and manage your work life sanely, rationally, it's about how high the crazy is in March. And kudos to all the planners, you guys manage to help pump a significant amount of crazy into the collective ether every March!

That said, while I loved loved loved the RPG, I can't do something like that in March. There really are only so many hours in a day.

I did, however, like that with the RPG, *formally*, at least, you could've done four fics, one per week, and hit every prompt you drew. A somewhat longer timeline per prompt might be helpful and slow down the frantic pace.

Maybe something like a vaguely acrostic-themed challenge would work? For example: everybody draws a name (or is assigned one) and then for every letter in the name, the participant strives, during B2MEM, to produce a story/artwork whose title or main character (or something... location? Topic?) starts with that letter. Post fanworks as letters are finished, work in any order desired. It'd be a little more self-paced, perhaps, possibly a bit more leisurely, and might encourage people to write longer stories, too. If someone finishes and is really wanting more, they can always draw another name.
ladybrooke: (Draper)

[personal profile] ladybrooke 2013-01-09 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
I want to rewrite my earliest Tolkien fic! Except in prose, not poetry.

...and this time, I will not lose my ground and stand up to people about it. (Because I still like the characterization in it.) In other words, I'm probably running away with this idea regardless of B2MeM.
independence1776: Drawing of Maglor with a harp on right, words "sing of honor lost" and "Noldolantë" on the left and bottom, respectively (Default)

[personal profile] independence1776 2013-01-09 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
I, um, really liked the Bingo last year, to the point where I hope we'll do it again. (And I say that as a tagger…) Don't kill me.

I like daily prompts, but then, I've also pushed for weekly in the past. As long as I can work on a story for more than just one prompt, I'll be happy.

I don't really have any ideas; I like a lot of the ones that have already been suggested.
ladybrooke: (Draper)

[personal profile] ladybrooke 2013-01-09 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
It's not just you. My pile is several hundred fics high. If I leave it for too long, it respawns on it's own and I come back to new plot bunnies lurking in the stories. ;P

[identity profile] dwimordene-2011.livejournal.com 2013-01-09 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
Well, if we have enough quotes to choose from maybe not everyone will be so tempted to try them all! LOL!

Um. Hi. *waves, grins manically* Have you, um, met the lot of us? *shuffles* *eyes giant stack of bingo cards and tens of thousands of words worth of RPG posts* *Checks B2MEM Support journal*

[identity profile] periantari.livejournal.com 2013-01-09 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
Will it be in March? I look forward to seeing the posts. :)

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