Back to Middle-earth Month 2012

[dawn_felagund]

Yes, it is that time of the year again when we begin to plan the year's B2MeM event!

For those who may not be familiar with it, Back to Middle-earth Month (B2MeM) is an annual tradition observed every March by our group, usually along with lotr_community/Many Paths to Tread. (We don't yet know if they'll be joining us again, but we hope they will! :) This fandom "holiday" originated after the release of the final movie and was intended to keep the Tolkien fandom alive and active during the inevitable downswing after the excitement from the movies began to die off. The SWG was one of the original participants, and we have participated every year since.

We have offered a different challenge each year, ranging from collections of poems and story excerpts to daily writing prompts to games. (Many past B2MeM projects are on our website; details about B2MeM 2011 are here.) Before we begin planning, we like to get feedback from our members and participants about what kind of challenge they'd like to see.

So this is your chance! If you have an idea or if you liked a particular challenge we've done in the past, please let us know, either in a comment to this post or by email to moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org.

Although our mods will be slightly less buried in real-world obligations this year than they were last, we probably will have to keep in mind the amount of labor the project we choose will require. (So something that requires hours of volunteers' time each day, like 2009's Last Battle, probably won't be feasible this year.)

We also tend to choose projects that writers/artists from the wider Tolkien fandom--versus just the Silmarillion fandom--can participate in.

Finally, if you'd be interested in volunteering, or if you run a fandom group or website and your group would be interested in joining us this year, please let us know that as well.

Comments

Hi Dawn!!

[kayleelupin.livejournal.com]

B2MEM again! YAY!! I do hope we get to participate again with you all. *hopes lots* It was definitely fun the last couple of years, I want to do it again!!

*is really pleased that one of my B2MEM pieces from last year was nominated for the MEFAs* :)

Kaylee Arafinwiel

Re: Hi Dawn!!

[dawn_felagund]

Hey, even if LotRGen/MPTT wasn't involved for some reason this year, you could still come play with us. ;)

But I'm pretty sure they'll be involved. I've already heard back positively from one comod. We always have a really good time, and it's fun to collaborate with other groups. :)

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

We just finished B2MeM, didn't we? Omigosh, it's .... almost 2012 already

[dawn_felagund]

That was pretty much the reaction on our moderator forum when I brought it up last week: "Isn't it kinda early for B2MeM? After all it's ... oh. Wait. It's really not too early, is it??"

This year has gone by crazy-fast.

[independence1776]

It can't be nearly 2012 yet… :(

My suggestions: prompts again, but only once or twice a week. (Sunday and Wednesday, maybe.)

Or an artist-writer matchup, like a Big Bang, only on a lesser scale. Maybe with a shared prompt, not based on each other's works so you wouldn't have to worry about people dropping out. (So it would be like 2009's Akallabêth in August, but with both an artist and a writer claiming a single prompt/event/time period/whatnot.) Don't know how that would work for a month long celebration, though. Maybe a new group of prompts opens every week?

[dawn_felagund]

Thanks for the thoughts, Indy! :) Speaking of Big Bangs, I think that might be something we want to try sometime, outside of B2MeM ...

[independence1776]

Ooh! Is that a "some day" thing or are you thinking about dates already? (Yeah, I know I'm jumping the gun. :P)

[dawn_felagund]

That's a I-haven't-even-mentioned-it-to-my-comods-yet kind of thing! ;) But if I know there's interest, it can become a sooner-rather-than-later thing! :D

[independence1776]

*laughs* Well, one person is definitely interested!

[dawn_felagund]

Noted! :D

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Make that two people. :D

[dawn_felagund]

Fabulous! Thanks, Elleth! :)

[engarian.livejournal.com]

I loved B2ME 2011, it's what started me writing. (Then again, maybe it was a really bad thing since I can't seem to STOP writing now.) People really seemed to respond to the passport stamps. I treasure my fully filled passport. I don't have any brilliant ideas for 2012, just giving you feedback from 2011, for whatever it may be worth.

- Erulisse (one L)

[dawn_felagund]

Thanks, Erulisse--I appreciate it! :) It's often just as good to know what works as what doesn't so that we don't inadvertently drop something that people found fun or effective.

[periantari.livejournal.com]

Last year was very creative with the location prompt--i liked to be reminded of the different ME locations and it was cool what authors thought of as responses to those prompts. Should we have a theme again? I'm not sure what it should be but those are cool to observe. :)

[dawn_felagund]

Last year's was very successful--we're going to have big shoes to fill this year! :) I expect we'll have some kind of theme again this year, but what it will be remains to be seen. If you think of any ideas, do let us know! :) Thank you for the feedback! :)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed the almost-RPG with prompts and tokens and locations in 2010. Would try to do that again anytime! ^^

[dawn_felagund]

I really enjoyed that one too! :) We're definitely going to do something like that again sometime. It probably won't be this B2MeM just because an event of that caliber requires several hours of volunteer time per day to run effectively, and we just don't have that available this year. I'm thinking, maybe, of doing a game challenge around Halloween next year, since I will have lessons and materials already designed and should get my life back somewhat. But I haven't even run that past my comods yet, so it's certainly not gospel. :) It's good to know, though, that there will be interest, when we do it again.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

That's fine! I probably won't have time for something on that scale this B2MeM, so actually I might have to miss it... so I definitely understand that others have a lot on their plates, too! Halloween will come around sooner than I'll expect, anyway. I mean, the end of this year snuck up on me as well... >_>
But as I had no other ideas, I thought I'd just speak up for my favourite past concept. ^^

[dawn_felagund]

I'm hoping that I'm on the tail-end of personal craziness ... but am saying that quietly so that Murphy doesn't hear me. ;) Then we should be able to do cool stuff beyond daily challenges and low-maintenance stuff like that.

But I do appreciate hearing what works! That can be just as helpful as hearing what doesn't work or what people don't like (especially since it means we can tinker with something that already exists and don't have to do the groundwork to plan something from scratch).

[hhimring]

Just in terms of positive feedback rather than suggestions: I noticed that there is really quite a high number of fics among the MEFA nominations that were written for B2MeM prompts earlier this year, so clearly you must have been doing something right!

[dawn_felagund]

Cool! :) Our authors are definitely very good at meeting a challenge with skill and grace, imo! :)

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

I'd love something similar to last year, open to all the Tolkien fandom and not requiring you to commit to to something. I like to be free to choose the prompts if they appeal, not feel I have to do it.

[dawn_felagund]

We always aim to keep it open to the fandom in general, especially since we've worked with LotRGen/MPTT for the past few years, so no worries there! :) I don't imagine anything with a commitment either, since we have to keep it low-key for the very practical reason of available volunteer time, and monitoring how people are doing on their goals is a luxury we can't afford--so it looks like your wish list is good to go for this year! :)

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

That sounds great. I had a lot of fun last March.

[dreamflower]

Popped in to see who else was interested, and if anyone else was floating ideas!

Looks like lots of enthusiasm! What did you think of my idea for a theme?

[dawn_felagund]

I just replied to the original email! :D

Yay, B2MEM2012

[(Anonymous)]

I look forward to March - I'm feeling the need for some kind of challenge series.

I always enjoy the prompts people come up with. I would suggest that if you go with the twice a week option (which I can completely understand... I have NO idea how to keep up with my teaching schedule and still write, but I'm working on that!), that perhaps there should be some link between the days, or that perhaps the prompts could be series prompts. You know: Here's a word or idea, try for five lines, five drabbles, five chapters, etc. based on this word or idea. That way people have something to shoot for each day, if they like, or they can just write one fic per prompt if time and energy are more limited.

Or maybe put together an acrostic prompt or challenge people to write stories that work somehow off the letters in an acrostic poem (another way of doing one prompt that can stretch for several days - as many as there are letters and inspiration). Maybe one could try to use a character whose name starts with one of the letters, or some such thing. Bonus points if somebody manages to write a story that answers back with another acrostic.


Dwim

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you, Dwim ... and sorry for the late reply! I'm going to put your idea on the list of ideas my comods and I will be discussing. Thanks so much for the input! :)

[alphien.livejournal.com]

Weighing in on this a bit late in the game. Sorry!

I don't know what usually happens with B2MEM (last year being my first year), but I really liked the set-up for 2011. Obviously, real-life issues might make it a bit harder to do a time-consuming project like passports/stamps, but maybe something similar? Like I said, I'm not sure what usually goes on in March.

But for what it's worth, B2MEM2011 was the catalyst that got me from awkward side-line observed to participant in the Tolkien fandom—so thank you all for that.

[dawn_felagund]

Replying late as well ... :D Thanks for the feedback! We moderate-types have slightly more time this year than last, so we should be able to do something similar to last year ... we're in discussion now, kicking around a few different ideas to decide what is best and most practical to do for this year.

I'm beyond thrilled that our challenge inspired you to become a participant in the fandom. That's so cool! :)