[Viv]

New contest in the works, people. Here's the skinny:

Accepts Het, Gen, and Slash (though they will not compete against each other) and up to NC-17 rating.

A new prompt or challenge every month.

Voting at month's end determines winners (first, second, and third places in each of the categories: het, gen, slash).

Stories' authors are secret until after awards are given.

Feel free to join the yahoogroup for the latest info:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A_Long_Expected_Contest/

[Alassante]

Haven't seen a lot of you guys joining so I wanted to remind you!

[Alassante]

..::Don't Tell Me, I Don't Want to Know::.. September's Theme!



'Only one thing is clear to me,' said Otho, 'and that is that you are doing exceedingly well out of it. I insist on seeing the will.'

Otho would have been Bilbo's heir, but for the adoption of Frodo. He read the will carefully and snorted. It was, unfortunately, very clear and correct (according to the legal customs of hobbits, which demand among other things seven signatures of witnesses in red ink).

'Foiled again!' he said to his wife. 'And after waiting sixty years. Spoons? Fiddlesticks! ' He snapped his fingers under Frodo's nose and slumped off.

Fellowship of the Rings - Chapter 1 A Long-expected Party


There are some things that you wished you didn't know after you find out. And at times, its best left unsaid. Sometimes its to your benefit that someone else not know the full details. Or perhaps the consequences of knowing might not be worth the satisfaction of being told. Maybe Faramir would have preferred not knowing the ring had driven Boromir to betraying the Fellowship. Or Fingolfin might not have wanted to know his brother had betrayed him when he saw the ships burning. But is it better to keep something so important from someone? This is your chance to write about it!

It does not have to be based on documented events in the book and the words in the theme do not have to be included in the fiction. Each writer has until September 30th to turn in the story. We should have the LJ up by next week and will post a link in the group to add it.

Come join us! Good luck and happy writing!

[Viv]

You'd join us here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A_Long_Expected_Contest/

(the link is in Alassante's signature, too)

[Alassante]

bump

We're halfway through the month for those of you who are thinking about contributing. Don't forget - it doesn't have to be a long story. It can be a drabble up to 10,000 words.

You can join us here - http://community.livejournal.com/a_l_e_c/
and here - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A_Long_Expected_Contest/

[Viv]

If somebody wants to write a story for ALEC that also conforms to an OSA challenge, you can do that. Go ahead and write and submit it to ALEC. After the ALEC voting is over, post your story here at OSA and PM me: I'll make sure it's listed as a challenge response, even if the deadline has already passed.

Sometimes it's fun to try to combine challenges, yeah?

[Alassante]

[Alassante]

.::Death and/or Dead Things::.. October's Theme!



'Come, Mr. Frodo! ' said Sam. 'Don't look at them! Gollum says we mustn't. Let's keep up with him and get out of this cursed place as quick as we can - if we can! '

`All right,' said Frodo, as if returning out of a dream. 'I'm coming. Go on! '

Hurrying forward again, Sam tripped, catching his foot in some old root or tussock. He fell and came heavily on his hands, which sank deep into sticky ooze, so that his face was brought close to the surface of the dark mere. There was a faint hiss, a noisome smell went up, the lights flickered and danced and swirled. For a moment the water below him looked like some window, glazed with grimy glass, through which he was peering. Wrenching his hands out of the bog, he sprang back with a cry. 'There are dead things, dead faces in the water,' he said with horror. 'Dead faces! '

Gollum laughed. 'The Dead Marshes, yes, yes: that is their names,' he cackled. `You should not look in when the candles are lit.'

`Who are they? What are they? ' asked Sam shuddering, turning to Frodo, who was now behind him.

'I don't know,' said Frodo in a dreamlike voice. 'But I have seen them too. In the pools when the candles were lit. They lie in all the pools, pale faces, deep deep under the dark water. I saw them: grim faces and evil, and noble faces and sad. Many faces proud and fair, and weeds in their silver hair. But all foul, all rotting, all dead. A fell light is in them.' Frodo hid his eyes in his hands. 'I know not who they are; but I thought I saw there Men and Elves, and Orcs beside them.'

`Yes, yes,' said Gollum. `All dead, all rotten. Elves and Men and Orcs. The Dead Marshes. There was a great battle long ago, yes, so they told him when Smeagol was young, when I was young before the Precious came. It was a great battle. Tall Men with long swords, and terrible Elves, and Orcses shrieking. They fought on the plain for days and months at the Black Gates. But the Marshes have grown since then, swallowed up the graves; always creeping, creeping.'

Two Towers Chapter 2: The Passage of the Marshes


In honor of Halloween (October 31) I thought it would be fitting to write about Death and/or Dead Things. Maybe you'll be inspired to write about the Nazgul or the things in the Dead Marshes. Or a death of a popular character (can be AU). Ooohh or maybe there is a haunting going on! Spooky or tragic - beware of the tricksy lights, don't heed the candles of corpses!

It does not have to be based on documented events in the book and the words in the theme do not have to be included in the fiction. Each writer has until October 31st 11:59PM PST to turn in the story. To find ALEC -look here! http://community.livejournal.com/a_l_e_c/ and here - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A_Long_Expected_Contest/


Come join us! Good luck and happy writing!

[sivan]

I love the new theme, and i've got from NiRi the LJ address for this group, cause i didn't see it at the group itself, and Alassante - I love the new theme, you should tell it to the group as well.

I thought that i will have time to write the previous challenge but time is till hectic for me, and i will do my best to beat every challenge and to write the story down, as of course it depends in RL.

*Hugs*

Sivan Shemesh

[Viv]

Yay, Sivan! Hope RL cooperates.

Just finished reading the submissions for September's theme, and there are some really good ones. Since it's all anonymous, I don't know if any of you wrote for this, but some of the "voices" sounded familiar.

Here are the September stories, in case you want to read and vote (all the stories save one are very short, and even the longer one isn't extraordinarily long):

http://community.livejournal.com/a_l_e_c/4360.html

[Alassante]

The voting for September stories will end on October 26 so please come read and vote. Most of the stories aren't too long. You don't have to be a member of the group to vote.

I hope others from OSA will join in the group to write too. I want it to be hugely successful and fun!

[Alassante]

Reminder!!! October 26th voting deadline is coming up soon!

[Alassante]

..::A Little Night Music::.. November's Theme!

Elwë, lord of the Teleri, went often through the great woods to seek out Finwë his friend in the dwellings of the Noldor; and it chanced on a time that he came alone to the starlit wood of Nan Elmoth, and there suddenly he heard the song of nightingales. Then an enchantment fell on him, and he stood still; and afar off beyond the voices of the lómelindi he heard the voice of Melian, and it filled all his heart with wonder and desire. He forgot then utterly all his people and all the purposes of his mind, and following the birds under the shadow of the trees he passed deep into Nan Elmoth and was lost. But he came at last to a glade open to the stars, and there Melian stood; and out of the darkness he looked at her, and the light of Aman was in her face.

She spoke no word; but being filled with love Elwë came to her and took her hand, and straightway a spell was laid on him, so that they stood thus while long years were measured by the wheeling stars above them; and the trees of Nan Elmoth grew tall and dark before they spoke any word.

Silmarillion, Chapter 4 - Of Thingol and Melian

It seems that all of the races of Middle earth were inspired by music. Hopefully it will inspire your muses as well! Poetry or songs are welcome as much as a story that has the theme of music.

It does not have to be based on documented events in the book and the words in the theme do not have to be included in the fiction. Each writer has until November 30, 11:59 PM PST to turn in the story (email to alikatskorner@rockfan.com ).

To find ALEC - look here! http://community.livejournal.com/a_l_e_c/ and here - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A_Long_Expected_Contest/


Good luck and happy writing!

[Alassante]

December's theme is - Holiday Moments


It does not have to be based on documented events in the book since there aren't many holidays talked about in the books. The words in the theme also do not have to be included in the fiction. Each writer has until <b>December 30th</b> 11:59 PM PST to turn in the story (email to alikatskorner@rockfan.com ).

To find ALEC - go here! http://community.livejournal.com/a_l_e_c/ or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A_Long_Expected_Contest/


Good luck and happy writing!

[LadyRoisin]

I joined up at the Yahoo group and am scoping things out. It looks like fun!

Roisin