B2MeM 2014 (Yes, Really!)

[dawn_felagund]

Yes, my comods and I have really started talking about 2014's Back to Middle-earth Month. However, there is a good reason behind this! (Normally, the mods start discussion in December, with the members being brought on board by January or February.) There are two important things that we wanted to bring up to B2MeM participants for feedback.

First is the event for 2014. We have done daily-prompt challenges for the past three B2MeMs. These are always popular and are pretty easy to do (so long as BINGO cards aren't involved ... ;), but when we started running B2MeM, it was not necessarily a daily-prompt challenge, and while daily prompts are usually well-liked, we have also had requests to try a different format. So we wanted to propose an idea and see how the community felt about it.

Instead of a daily prompt, we have considered putting together a compilation this year. Those of you who have been SWG members for a few years know that we have done compilations there in the past. (Akallabêth in August is probably the best example of this.) The idea is that participants claim a prompt or prompts well before the event itself. Each participant then sets out to create a story, poem, or artwork based on that prompt, only instead of trying to get something created quickly to be ready for the next day's prompt, the participant has time to make the piece the best it can be. During the month of the event, one or a few of these pieces are "released" each day. By the end of the month, there is a compilation of stories, poetry, and art based around a theme.

Our idea is to put together such a compilation for this year's B2MeM, based around a theme that encompasses the diversity that our community has to offer, i.e., whether you write First Age or Fourth, Hobbits or Noldor, there will be a place for you. The pieces will be revealed over the course of March. At the end of the month, we would also like to offer an e-book or print-on-demand book of the compilation (for writers and artists who want to be included--this would NOT be mandatory). Ideally, there would be the opportunity for writers and artists to pair up to do illustrated stories, and we would offer beta assistance and other for authors who want it.

So what say you all? Are we willing to give the daily prompt a break for this year? Does a compilation seem like something we'd like to try for this year's B2MeM? Please remember that this community exists to promote a fandom holiday that will help bring the various corners of the Tolkien fandom together, so we need to know if our participants think an idea will work for them or not. In short: please be honest in your feedback! :)

The second point concerns moderators. B2MeM started as an alliance of Tolkien fandom groups that wanted to offer a month-long "holiday" in which Tolkien-based transformative works are celebrated. As a result of this basic structure, it was always assumed that the mods of the groups that participated would be the mods of B2MeM. In actuality, this doesn't work that well. For one, group mods already have significant responsibilities in running their groups. In many cases, they cannot also run B2MeM. Secondly, this keeps those who have ideas about B2MeM, time to volunteer, and who would make excellent moderators from actually serving as moderators.

As a result, we will be opening up moderation of B2MeM to more than just the mods of the groups that sponsor it. Moderators help plan out B2MeM events and get them ready for March. They help run things behind the scenes before and during the event. They help to answer questions from participants and cheer participants on. We tend to work closely together on planning and then divide up responsibilities for actually running the event, based on the talents and interests of each mod.

Please comment here, message me, or email me at DawnFelagund@gmail.com if you'd like to be a mod for this year's B2MeM. You should expect to be available beginning in December through early April. (Obviously, everyone needs time off, and we cover for each other when needed, but this is our "busy season," so to speak.) I will make sure to begin including anyone who is interested in moderator correspondence going forward.

Comments

[iavalir.livejournal.com]

My comment may be the least helpful, because I'm not entirely sure where I really stand, so apologies in advance for my potentially confusing thoughts. :)

In general, I'm always up for something new. :) I loved B2ME in 2011 with the passport; also loved the Bingo idea but I was very busy with finishing up for school and don't think anything was completed (I now have a bunch on unfinished stories I'd like to get back to some day (one of them, the dwarf drabble, has sprung into being a massively-long dwarf history-and-culture fic, so there's that. :) )) The first two or three prompts for this year's event inspired stories, but then I hit a wall and no prompt was doing anything for me after that.

This format does sound interesting. It's different, but I do also share some of Tehta's concern that this might just end up feeling like any other fic fest. This isn't attacking other fests at all since I do them as well, but I do love the uniqueness in how we approach B2ME every year. :) And as others have said, there's a sort of energy about March during B2ME that I'm worried may be lost with this format. But since I wasn't around for Akallabêth in August then maybe this concern is insignificant? :) I can see how it can free up time to enjoy reading and engaging differently than in the past.

I do like the idea of a long-term and short-term/daily (weekly?) options running alongside each other, but I'm worried something like that is awfully straining on mods. Perhaps there could be something more laid back, where every day a "prompt" can be used as inspiration for either finishing up a work one started in previous years? Such as on Day one a prompt may be "a reunion takes place" or "someone is the victor (or the loser)," that might add life to an old WIP or take it in new directions; of course the person is more than welcome to create a new work if the prompt inspires something new. :)

Hope nothing I wrote here adds stress to any of the mods! :) I always look forward to this event!

[dawn_felagund]

Please no worries about stressing us! This is what we do. ;)

And actually, I love so many of your ideas in here. (And I didn't find them the least bit confusing!)

I do also share some of Tehta's concern that this might just end up feeling like any other fic fest.

I have some ideas that I hope will encourage people to engage with the stories being presented. (I just don't want to share them here yet since I haven't mentioned them to the other mods--the people who will have to implement them!--and worry that people will be disappointed if they like an idea and then we mod-types decide it is not feasible.) I love the energy that surrounds B2MeM and want to keep that going.

I'm worried something like that is awfully straining on mods.

Having run both daily-prompt challenges and compilations, both require a lot of effort on the front end and then are pretty easy to run after. (Especially if people can upload their own work for compilations, which would be the case here, since B2MeM is LJ-based.) It gets time-consuming when there is a daily customizable prize involved, i.e., passports or bingo cards. Those are the years where we have to make sure we have ample volunteer time.

Perhaps there could be something more laid back, where every day a "prompt" can be used as inspiration for either finishing up a work one started in previous years?

I like this idea, and this is something I've always suggested with the daily-prompt challenge (and only seen it done once, to the best of my knowledge!): using the daily prompt not to write something new but to add a bit to a single long piece. I've actually wanted to try this, but since I'm always modding then I never get to! :)

Thanks again for the feedback!

[tarion-anarore.livejournal.com]

Perhaps there could be something more laid back, where every day a "prompt" can be used as inspiration for either finishing up a work one started in previous years?

I confess this made me chuckle a bit, as I have always assumed that using a daily prompt to jump-start a stalled WIP, take a piece in an unforeseen direction, or inspire a chapter or scene in a longer work was perfectly acceptable! :)

[dawn_felagund]

It is! It always has been! But it's underused, I think. (I know of one person doing this.) I always thought it made the daily-prompt challenges more palatable for those who hate writing something new every day but still want to participate, but as the Gumby of writers--meaning I can work with just about anything, challenge-wise--I clearly didn't understand their perspective because ... yeah, like I said, very underused. :)

[tarion-anarore.livejournal.com]

Apparently I'm more Gumby-like than I thought, at least as far as challenges go! Even though *AHEM* I have little to show for it, clearly all I personally look for from challenge events are some inspiring quotes/prompts/pictures/whatever to get my writerly thoughts going, and if I get something banged out and posted, I count myself successful. I'm always going back to old challenges to try to kick my muses into gear!