Back to Middle-earth Month

I have crossed many mountains and many rivers, and trodden many plains, even into the far countries of Rhûn and Harad where the stars are strange.

Throughout the month, we will offer weekly wildcard days, days when there are no new prompts but instead a simple, Tolkien-related task, for those who wish to participate. We hope wildcard days will give you a chance to refresh your muses, read, catch up on your WiPs, and breathe! :)

Our fourth and penultimate wildcard day task: Go where the stars are strange.

We all have our favorites, our stories, characters, and sources that are both comfortable and familiar: the character whose name alone will make us click on a story, the authors whom we read everything they write, the chapters and books most dog-eared and worn from use. For today’s wildcard task, however, we challenge you to wander outside this comfort zone and try something new.

You might try reading a story about a character you don’t normally like, or check out an essay or a story about a topic you know very little about. Venture outside the time period you usually read and write about, or read a chapter or essay in one of Tolkien’s books that you’ve never read before. Explore the work of a new author or artist. Learn something new, try something different, journey someplace unfamiliar--as always, you decide what counts for this challenge, and we encourage you to be creative. If you want to share what you've done for today's challenge, feel free to leave a comment on this post.

Therefore when they beheld them, the more did they love them, being things other than themselves, strange and free, wherein they saw the mind of Ilúvatar reflected anew, and learned yet a little more of his wisdom …

It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.

Throughout the month, we will offer weekly wildcard days, days when there are no new prompts but instead a simple, Tolkien-related task, for those who wish to participate. We hope wildcard days will give you a chance to refresh your muses, read, catch up on your WiPs, and breathe! :)

Our first wildcard day task: Step out your front door.

B2MeM is an event for the entire Tolkien fandom. Just look at what's been posted so far! All three major books are represented and characters ranging from Bilbo to Balrogs, Finrod to Faramir. Because of our diversity, though, we may not all know each other and we may define ourselves more by the communities from which we come rather than viewing B2MeM as itself a community. So, today, step out from your front door. Say hello and meet someone new. Lean out, take a look down the road, and ponder where it leads.

He used often to say there was only one Road; that it was like a great river: its springs were at every doorstep, and every path was its tributary.

To participate, leave a comment here and introduce yourself. Tell us the name you go by, what your passion is in fandom, and anything else about yourself that you want to share. Then, share a link to your favorite of the fanworks that you've created. (If you're new and don't have any fanworks yet, feel free to share a link to your favorite work by another author or artist.) The link you share does not have to be to a B2MeM piece; please make sure you include appropriate ratings and warnings if this won't be apparent when visitors click on the link.

After you've introduced yourself, take a moment to read/view another person's fanwork and leave them a comment to say hi and tell them what you thought.