B2MeM 2014: Seasons of Middle-earth Review Challenge Guidelines

[dawn_felagund]

As part of this year's Back to Middle-earth Month challenge, we are encouraging our readers to show their love to our writers and artists by leaving comments on the stories, poems, and art they enjoy! To encourage reviewing, part of B2MeM 2014 will include a review challenge.

Below, you will find 15 different review challenges to complete throughout the month. You can do one or do them all! If you don't want to complete any of the specific challenges, the comments you do leave on B2MeM 2014 pieces still count toward the grand prize. At the end of the month, add up all the comments you leave on B2MeM 2014 stories, poems, and art and collect your grand prize.

Guidelines

1. Any comment left on any piece of writing or art created for B2MeM 2014 counts toward the challenge. Comments on compilation and non-compilation B2MeM 2014 pieces count. (For challenges #12 and #13, you may review pieces created for past B2MeM events.)


2. A comment cannot count for more than one review challenge. The exception is the grand prize: All comments you leave on B2MeM 2014 writing and art will count toward your total for the grand prize.


3. Some B2MeM 2014 pieces may be posted on sites other than the b2mem community. You are welcome to leave comments on any site where B2MeM 2014 writing and art are shared.


4. As always, we are operating on the honor system as far as prizes claimed for the review challenge. However, if you'd like to report your review, brag about your accomplishments, or squee more over the piece you just commented on, you can leave a comment to the thread below for the challenge you completed.


5. Once the month is over, we will put together the review challenge stamps you earned into a single graphic if you want us to do so. Comment here when you complete a challenge, or contact us at the end of the month with the challenges you have completed.

Review Challenges

This year, in the spirit of using comments to send encouragement and love to our writers and artists, we are offering Tolkien-themed postage stamps for completing the various review challenges below! You can use the HTML code beside each stamp to display your prize wherever HTML is acceptable, or right-click to save the image to your computer and share it on the image host of your choice. At the end of the month, we will put together all of the stamps you earn onto a collector's page for you to display.

Challenge	Stamp	HTML
1. Review an author or artist who is new to you. [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp1.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />
2. Review a genre or medium you do not normally read/view. [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp2.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />
3. Review a piece of writing or art from a time period you do not normally read/view. [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp3.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />
4. Review something featuring a character or group (e.g., Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits) you do not normally read/view. [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp4.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />
5. Review something that was recommended to you. (Find recommendations on the weekly roundup posts.) [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp5.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />
6. Write a review that is 100 words or more. (The word count should not include quotes from the piece.) [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp6.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />
7. Review a story in your favorite genre or artwork in your favorite medium. [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp7.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />
8. Review something set in your favorite time period. [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp8.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />
9. Review something set in your favorite location on Arda. [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp9.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />
10. Review a piece that you think handled canon in an unusual or thought-provoking way. [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp10.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />
11. Review a piece that demonstrated excellent characterization. [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp11.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />
12. Review a piece with three or fewer first-level comments. (Comment replies do not count! You may comment on any B2MeM piece for this challenge, even if it was written for an event prior to 2014.) [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp12.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />
13. Review a piece created for a past B2MeM event (2008-2013). [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp13.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />
14. Leave a review in the form of one of your favorite characters writing a letter/note to one of the characters in the fanwork. [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp14.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />
15. Review a work that evokes a strong personal feeling or connection for you or that you cannot stop thinking about. [Report your review!]		<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem2014/stamp15.jpg" alt="B2MeM 2014 Review Challenge" />

Grand Prizes for Reviewing

Once the month of March is over, you can collect your grand prize based on the total number of comments that you leave on B2MeM 2014 pieces. Remember that the reviews you write for the challenges above also count toward your total for the grand prize. Banners and icons for the grand prize will be posted to the community at the end of the month. The grand prizes will be as follows:

60+ reviews: Silmaril
50-59 reviews: mithril
40-49 reviews: platinum
30-39 reviews: gold
20-29 reviews: silver
10-19 reviews: bronze

Comments

3. Review a piece of writing or art from a time period you do not normally read/view.

[dawn_felagund]

Reply to this comment if you want to report that you've completed this challenge! Reporting is completely voluntary.

Re: 3. Review a piece of writing or art from a time period you do not normally read/view.

[tanis2014.livejournal.com]

Just finished Evergreen, by Fadesintothewest. Silm fic is not a genre I generally read, but this is ... the third I think I've read of the 2014 B2MEM entries. Does it still count as a time period I don't usually read?

Re: 3. Review a piece of writing or art from a time period you do not normally read/view.

[dawn_felagund]

We let you make that call. :) If you don't usually read a lot of Silmfic outside of B2MeM, then I'd personally count it, but you know your reading habits best and whether you'd be comfortable counting it. :)

Re: 3. Review a piece of writing or art from a time period you do not normally read/view.

[tanis2014.livejournal.com]

Then count me in for this one, please! And please also pass along my High Regard to TPTB that came up with this review challenge and the stamps. I loved the Passport Challenge a few years ago and worked hard to get as many stamps as possible! My brain was numb with trying to think up story ideas, This one is a lot easier, I get to read lots of stories that I didn't have to think up, and broaden my horizons along the way. Plus I'm actually learning at little bit more about navigating LJ in a way that doesn't just send my blood pressure through the roof. A win/win all the way around.

I don't want to go to work this month. I want to stay home and read and collect stamps. :-)

Kudos to the B2MEM staff!

Re: 3. Review a piece of writing or art from a time period you do not normally read/view.

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! The review challenges were the collective effort of this year's mod team; the stamps were a collaboration of me and Mr. Felagund (who helped immensely in coming up with ideas that made sense for the challenge and were also something that I could render into art with my moderate graphics skills! :D) I personally love review challenges as a way to both coax people out of their comfort zones (something I often need help with myself) and show authors/artists much love. :)

Plus I'm actually learning at little bit more about navigating LJ in a way that doesn't just send my blood pressure through the roof.

I had to chuckle at this. I have been using LJ for almost 10 years now and occasionally get called upon to help a newcomer find her way around a community or somesuch; when looking at it from the PoV of someone using it for the first time, it is not a very logical site. They've just kind of piled on the changes/additions over the years in a way that doesn't make much sense if you weren't around to watch them evolve and unfold. I'm glad you get to learn it in a rather enjoyable way! :)

Re: 3. Review a piece of writing or art from a time period you do not normally read/view.

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

There is no reason I should not do well on this since I review non-stop all the time. The twist I suppose is forcing one to read outside one's comfort zone.

Re: 3. Review a piece of writing or art from a time period you do not normally read/view.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

I've been very remiss in reading LotR-based fic for a while now (something I've been wanting to fix, anyway), and Linda's Midsummer Magic falls into that category, I think.

http://b2mem.livejournal.com/252406.html?thread=3400950#t3400950

Re: 3. Review a piece of writing or art from a time period you do not normally read/view.

[zdenka]

I have hardly ever read a story set during the division of Arnor into three kingdoms, but I am happy that I read this one by jenn_calaelen:

http://b2mem.livejournal.com/254200.html

Re: 3. Review a piece of writing or art from a time period you do not normally read/view.

[binkaslibrary.livejournal.com]

Reviewed (http://b2mem.livejournal.com/254200.html?thread=3381496#t3381496) "A Summer Dream" by Jenn Calaelen.

Re: 3. Review a piece of writing or art from a time period you do not normally read/view.

[with-rainfall.livejournal.com]

http://b2mem.livejournal.com/258394.html?view=3529818#t3529818

I hardly read fic set after the Feanorians' exile but before the Trees dim; the few times I read Valinor fic, it's set well before the events in the Silm.

Re: 3. Review a piece of writing or art from a time period you do not normally read/view.

[hhimring]

I commented on Elleth's East Away:
http://b2mem.livejournal.com/259123.html
That setting (Third Age, just before the Ring War) probably counts as a period I do not normally read and review.

[baranduin.livejournal.com]

Evergreen! Wow!

http://b2mem.livejournal.com/253284.html?thread=3535460#t3535460

Re: 3. Review a piece of writing or art from a time period you do not normally read/view.

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

I rarely read Third Age, especially not in the period shortly before the Fellowship and the Ring War. I was in the mood this weekend (read a novel of young Aragorn, so I clicked on Flight (http://b2mem.livejournal.com/255758.html) by Linda Hoyland. Liked the characterization of Halbarad very much.

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

It's strange that I very seldom read LotR fic, and more specifically anything involving Rangers, but Flight by Linda Hoyland (http://b2mem.livejournal.com/255758.html) was a gem.

[ysilme]

Through fandom, some of Fëanor's sons have come to be among my favourites, but neither the time and life of Fëanor himself nor the life in pre-exodus Valinor in general is among my regular reading grounds.
http://b2mem.livejournal.com/253836.html?thread=3380364#t3380364