Newsletter Links and Podfic Recs Needed!

[dawn_felagund]

I am posting this a bit later than I would have liked, but I hope to have some takers nonetheless. :) Every month now, we feature as part of our newsletter links to essays, articles, posts, and discussions that our members and visitors might find of interest. If you have a link you'd like to share this month--to your own content or someone else's--here is the place to do it!

Links should be relevant to the Tolkien fanfiction community in some way. Even though we're a Silmarillion group, we welcome links to general Tolkien discussions and articles as well. We also welcome links to discussions and articles about fandom, as long as it is relevant to the Tolkien fandom. (For example, an article about the gender dynamics in fandom would be acceptable. A discussion on how to proceed when a new episode of your favorite TV show destroys your canon would not be relevant to the Tolkien fandom, since it's about TV-based fandoms.)

One exception: The Hobbit movie comes out this month, and there will almost certainly be an onslaught of Hobbit movie-related articles, so a reminder that we are not accepting links about the new movie. TORn and middleearthnews are doing a far better job than we ever could in rounding up and making available this information.

And, finally, please do self-promote any posts or discussions in your journal or blog that might be of interest to the community!

We are also looking for recommendations for stories that our members would like to hear read as podfics. We opened up this new section of our archive last month, and while we've had a few brave souls volunteer to read for us, we don't have any story recommendations yet! We will shortly begin featuring a new podfic every month and would very much like to feature our members' favorite stories and authors.

If you'd like to recommend a story, please either use the form here or simply comment on this post. Comments are screened.

Comments

[hhimring]

Re podfics: Have you considered podficcing some items from the Reference section (character bios, essays) as well as stories?

[dawn_felagund]

We'd certainly consider doing this, but we need people to let us know which they'd like to hear! :) Our backup strategy, lacking recommendations, is to use the Random Story feature.

Did you get LAME downloaded? I totally forgot to send the email I promised ... :(

[dawn_felagund]

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/11/30/lotr_project_charts_demographics_of_middle_earth_maiar_women_severely_underrepresented.html

[ladybrooke]

What kind of interesting discussions are you looking for? I'd feel weird linking to my own stuff, but if anybody wants thousands of words between a couple people discussing Turgon and Orodreth's personalities and possible motivations...

And with the podfics, we can read our own fics, right? I'm working on getting a microphone or something over Christmas break.

[dawn_felagund]

Don't feel weird linking your own stuff! :D (I do know that's easier said that done.) One of the reasons that I screen comments on this post--aside from keeping the links a surprise when the newsletter is published--is to hopefully dispel some of the weirdness that comes from self-promoting. But what you describe is exactly what we're looking for.

As it is, though, someone else thought the discussion was interesting enough that it's already been recommended to us. ;)

Yes, you can read and post your own podfics. The recommendations we need are for Podfic of the Month only; I hope those who are so inclined will add their own stuff to the Podfic section! :) I'm thrilled you've decided to give it a go! My recording is still hanging out there alone and getting lonelier by the day. If you need us to host the MP3 file for you, just drop me or the mods a line; beyond that, you should be able to add your own podfics from the My Account screen.

[ladybrooke]

I'll keep that in mind for the future! Makes me feel a bit more better about recommending discussions in the future! (Because honestly, if it's an interesting discussion I know about, I'm probably involved in it.)

O.o That's interesting, I know people liked it, but not that much - did they recommend the tumblr post or the deviantArt one? Not that it matters, I'm going to go ahead and edit links to each one into the other. It's just that on the dA one, one of my friends had some good insights too in the comments.

Excellent! I probably will need them hosted whenever I get one recorded, since I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't suppose you have any suggestions on a cheap microphone? I'm trying to get one, and hopefully cut down on the evil background noise.

[dawn_felagund]

It was the dA discussion. If you want me to link to both, just send a link to the Tumblr one (if it's easy to find on dA, I will go ahead and add it myself). I'm working on the newsletter now ... well, not right now, obviously, but just as soon as I finish answering emails and such! :D

My husband obtained my microphone for me, so I asked him where he got it from. He said he got it from Best Buy for about $10. Here it is on Amazon, but for $22.99, which either means that Best Buy was the better deal for once, microphone prices have skyrocketed in the past two years, or Mr. Felagund isn't remembering very well an incidental purchase made two years ago! :D Amazon has some for cheaper as well. It does pick up some background noise (like my husband loudly banging pots down the hall), but incidental stuff (like my husband listening to music down the hall or the dogs running around), it doesn't get. The occasional pot-bang or dog bark I just edit out in Audacity.

[ladybrooke]

The dA discussions is fine. The Tumblr one is linked in the first paragraph of the dA one, so I don't think it's necessary to add both (unless you want to). You're much more dedicated to finishing stuff than I am, I had to force myself to send out Secret Santa assignments this morning, because I am lazy (and was too busy doing makeup and taking pictures of done makeup.)

$22.29 isn't bad, I can do that. :D Maybe it was on sale at Best Buy...though, he might just not remember it well. ;p (I wouldn't!) I just want one that won't add additional noise, like my current static problem...I'll figure out how to edit everything else out.

[dawn_felagund]

Believe me, in the throes of Life^TM, the only reason I get fannish stuff done is when I have to! Like the newsletter is due today; here it is, 11:30 PM my time, and I'm finally ready to publish. I have many, many emails starred in my inbox right now that require answering/handling in some way that have been neglected for ... days? weeks?? I'm not doing a top-notch job as this group's owner right now, but one day this chaotic phase will be behind me, and I'll make it up to everyone. :)

I don't get a lot of static on my microphone. On the whole, I'd recommend it ... well, you've heard the recordings I've made on it! :) I'm generally anti-fancy when it comes to technology, at least to start. I think the price is right on this one, and I've been pleased with how well it works.