Yahoo Forum Archive

Author: EdorasLass · ID: 299 · Genres: Drama [107]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:06:03
EdorasLass is a character writer--characterization is her strength, and
she shows herself capable of writing both adults and children, in a
variety of different moods. She really captures the emotional tone, the
insecurities and the high points, the petty childishness where
appropriate and its resolutions, defensiveness, and all such moods as
may be called for. She also knows how to generate suspense, even when we
know already how the story will resolve itself in a gap-filler, which
takes some work and talent!

Her alternate universe scenarios, whether they are slight modifications
to allow some greater sense of closure, or else more radical breaks, are
very well done and take good advantage of the AU form, and again let her
show off her skills in characterizing various canonical characters.
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Author: Isabeau of Greenlea · ID: 182 · Races: Cross-Cultural [28]:
Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:06:20
What can I say of Isabeau of Greenlea that I haven't said in the past
two years of MEFAs? Isabeau is one of the more ambitious writers we have
in fandom--not content to write the canonical characters well, she
introduces her own original characters and slots them into the fabric of
an expanded-upon and well thought-out Middle-earth seamlessly, so that
you can't quite imagine they don't exist. World-building is something
she does very well, playing characters, original and canonical, off of
setting and vice versa so that both are enriched and expanded. Her
original characters are always memorable and have the gravity to support
their own stories, to say nothing of sucking in other writers looking
for more play-space.

She excels at action-adventure and drama, though as I've noted before,
her emotional baseline is sunny, so there is almost always a
recuperation of grief and angst. Her characters and stories therefore
show, to me at least, a tremendous energy that seems appropriate to
Middle-earth's own vibrance. I am always ready to recommend her work to
new readers in fandom, and hope only that she'll one day finish a couple
of the WiPs she has hanging about her hard drive...
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Author: Isabeau of Greenlea · ID: 182 · Genres: Drama [107]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:06:38
What can I say of Isabeau of Greenlea that I haven't said in the past
two years of MEFAs? Isabeau is one of the more ambitious writers we have
in fandom--not content to write the canonical characters well, she
introduces her own original characters and slots them into the fabric of
an expanded-upon and well thought-out Middle-earth seamlessly, so that
you can't quite imagine they don't exist. World-building is something
she does very well, playing characters, original and canonical, off of
setting and vice versa so that both are enriched and expanded. Her
original characters are always memorable and have the gravity to support
their own stories, to say nothing of sucking in other writers looking
for more play-space.

She excels at action-adventure and drama, though as I've noted before,
her emotional baseline is sunny, so there is almost always a
recuperation of grief and angst. Her characters and stories therefore
show, to me at least, a tremendous energy that seems appropriate to
Middle-earth's own vibrance. I am always ready to recommend her work to
new readers in fandom, and hope only that she'll one day finish a couple
of the WiPs she has hanging about her hard drive...
-----------------------------------------
Author: Isabeau of Greenlea · ID: 182 · Times: Fourth Age and Beyond
[31]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:06:55
What can I say of Isabeau of Greenlea that I haven't said in the past
two years of MEFAs? Isabeau is one of the more ambitious writers we have
in fandom--not content to write the canonical characters well, she
introduces her own original characters and slots them into the fabric of
an expanded-upon and well thought-out Middle-earth seamlessly, so that
you can't quite imagine they don't exist. World-building is something
she does very well, playing characters, original and canonical, off of
setting and vice versa so that both are enriched and expanded. Her
original characters are always memorable and have the gravity to support
their own stories, to say nothing of sucking in other writers looking
for more play-space.

She excels at action-adventure and drama, though as I've noted before,
her emotional baseline is sunny, so there is almost always a
recuperation of grief and angst. Her characters and stories therefore
show, to me at least, a tremendous energy that seems appropriate to
Middle-earth's own vibrance. I am always ready to recommend her work to
new readers in fandom, and hope only that she'll one day finish a couple
of the WiPs she has hanging about her hard drive...
-----------------------------------------
Author: Isabeau of Greenlea · ID: 182 · Races: Men [73]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:07:10
What can I say of Isabeau of Greenlea that I haven't said in the past
two years of MEFAs? Isabeau is one of the more ambitious writers we have
in fandom--not content to write the canonical characters well, she
introduces her own original characters and slots them into the fabric of
an expanded-upon and well thought-out Middle-earth seamlessly, so that
you can't quite imagine they don't exist. World-building is something
she does very well, playing characters, original and canonical, off of
setting and vice versa so that both are enriched and expanded. Her
original characters are always memorable and have the gravity to support
their own stories, to say nothing of sucking in other writers looking
for more play-space.

She excels at action-adventure and drama, though as I've noted before,
her emotional baseline is sunny, so there is almost always a
recuperation of grief and angst. Her characters and stories therefore
show, to me at least, a tremendous energy that seems appropriate to
Middle-earth's own vibrance. I am always ready to recommend her work to
new readers in fandom, and hope only that she'll one day finish a couple
of the WiPs she has hanging about her hard drive...
-----------------------------------------
Author: Indigo Bunting · ID: 590 · Races: Cross-Cultural [28]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:07:26
I had heard of Indigo Bunting's work through the fandom grapevine, and
so was quite excited to finally have the opportunity and the excuse to
read her story. I was not disappointed. Indigo Bunting has an excellent
sense for drama, and for how to exploit the silences in the original
story to create an interesting AU situation that quickly silences any
residual worries about how it will fit back with the main plot. Her
characterization, good pacing and plotting, and ability to build
suspense simply outweight any such concerns. She writes all the
Fellowship members believably, which suggests that whatever else she may
have written or may write in the future ought to be well worth the read.
She writes with (justifiable) confidence, cleanly, and without any
wobbles or hesitations that I can detect. I certainly look forward to
more from her virtual pen.
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Author: Imhiriel · ID: 702 · Times: The Great Years [56]: Fixed-Length
Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:07:42
Imhiriel is another of those authors who does snapshots--she seems to be
specializing in fixed length stories, and she writes a variety of
characters and situations, from both LOTR and the Silm. She's a solid
writer who continues to grow, so look for more from her in the future.
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Author: Imhiriel · ID: 702 · Times: First Age and Prior [23]:
Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:08:01
Imhiriel is another of those authors who does snapshots--she seems to be
specializing in fixed length stories, and she writes a variety of
characters and situations, from both LOTR and the Silm. She's a solid
writer who continues to grow, so look for more from her in the future.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Imhiriel · ID: 702 · Times: Early Third Age [7]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:08:32
Imhiriel is another of those authors who does snapshots--she seems to be
specializing in fixed length stories, and she writes a variety of
characters and situations, from both LOTR and the Silm. She's a solid
writer who continues to grow, so look for more from her in the future.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Imhiriel · ID: 702 · Times: Late Third Age [26]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:08:46
Imhiriel is another of those authors who does snapshots--she seems to be
specializing in fixed length stories, and she writes a variety of
characters and situations, from both LOTR and the Silm. She's a solid
writer who continues to grow, so look for more from her in the future.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Illwynd · ID: 670 · Times: The Great Years [56]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:08:59
Illwynd is an author whose work I had not encountered before. She writes
mood very well--you can follow the sweep of emotion and memory easily:
melancholy, grief, mischief, nostalgia--she nails them all. Her
characterization of Pippin in particular stands out, and her ability to
work the other characters of the Fellowship in as well is noteworthy.
Boromir seems to hover over both entries into MEFA, and she uses him
very effectively, though he himself has no lines in the present and is
often present only as absent. Good, solid work, I look forward to more
from her.
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Author: Illwynd · ID: 670 · Races: Cross-Cultural [28]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:09:14
Illwynd is an author whose work I had not encountered before. She writes
mood very well--you can follow the sweep of emotion and memory easily:
melancholy, grief, mischief, nostalgia--she nails them all. Her
characterization of Pippin in particular stands out, and her ability to
work the other characters of the Fellowship in as well is noteworthy.
Boromir seems to hover over both entries into MEFA, and she uses him
very effectively, though he himself has no lines in the present and is
often present only as absent. Good, solid work, I look forward to more
from her.
-----------------------------------------
Author: hossgal · ID: 601 · Times: The Great Years [56]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:09:39
I definitely need to expand my vocabulary when it comes to describing
styles, or else I need to grow into an appreciation of writers whose
styles don't conform to my limited list of adjectives. However, Hossgal
writes very smoothly and crisply, and she manages to breathe life into
the description of a city in ways I only wish I could manage. Her
scene-setting is vivid, her conversation minimalist, yet there's no need
for a word more than what she writes when it comes right down to it. The
tone is fantastically evocative and suggestive. The content may or may
not be to everyone's taste, but I would absolutely recommend reading her
work just to see how the style strikes you.
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Author: Gwynnyd · ID: 186 · Genres: Romance [51]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:09:54
Gwynnyd may be aiming for the title queen of the gap-fillers. She
tackles the places where Tolkien leaves you wondering 'How on earth was
*that* supposed to play out?' and finds a way to force logic upon the
recalcitrant text, all in a nicely dramatic manner. She characterizes
well, whether she's writing Aragorn or Gilraen, elven twins or fickle
Valar, can find the ridiculous in a situation and exploit it at need,
and she knows how to cut through the inessential to get at the episodes
that really matter to developing a character's history.

Although she writes a variety of characters and situations, her first
love is clearly Aragorn, which is a good thing for his adoring fangirls
and -boys, who can always use more good tales of our favorite Ranger-king.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Gwynnyd · ID: 186 · Races: Men [73]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:10:10
Gwynnyd may be aiming for the title queen of the gap-fillers. She
tackles the places where Tolkien leaves you wondering 'How on earth was
*that* supposed to play out?' and finds a way to force logic upon the
recalcitrant text, all in a nicely dramatic manner. She characterizes
well, whether she's writing Aragorn or Gilraen, elven twins or fickle
Valar, can find the ridiculous in a situation and exploit it at need,
and she knows how to cut through the inessential to get at the episodes
that really matter to developing a character's history.

Although she writes a variety of characters and situations, her first
love is clearly Aragorn, which is a good thing for his adoring fangirls
and -boys, who can always use more good tales of our favorite Ranger-king.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Gwynnyd · ID: 186 · Times: The Great Years [56]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:10:25
Gwynnyd may be aiming for the title queen of the gap-fillers. She
tackles the places where Tolkien leaves you wondering 'How on earth was
*that* supposed to play out?' and finds a way to force logic upon the
recalcitrant text, all in a nicely dramatic manner. She characterizes
well, whether she's writing Aragorn or Gilraen, elven twins or fickle
Valar, can find the ridiculous in a situation and exploit it at need,
and she knows how to cut through the inessential to get at the episodes
that really matter to developing a character's history.

Although she writes a variety of characters and situations, her first
love is clearly Aragorn, which is a good thing for his adoring fangirls
and -boys, who can always use more good tales of our favorite Ranger-king.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Gwynnyd · ID: 186 · Genres: Humor [50]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:10:43
Gwynnyd may be aiming for the title queen of the gap-fillers. She
tackles the places where Tolkien leaves you wondering 'How on earth was
*that* supposed to play out?' and finds a way to force logic upon the
recalcitrant text, all in a nicely dramatic manner. She characterizes
well, whether she's writing Aragorn or Gilraen, elven twins or fickle
Valar, can find the ridiculous in a situation and exploit it at need,
and she knows how to cut through the inessential to get at the episodes
that really matter to developing a character's history.

Although she writes a variety of characters and situations, her first
love is clearly Aragorn, which is a good thing for his adoring fangirls
and -boys, who can always use more good tales of our favorite Ranger-king.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Gandalfs apprentice · ID: 175 · Genres: Humor [50]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:10:58
Gandalf's Apprentice is making a niche for herself when it comes to
characterizing Aragorn, in his various guises. This means there's a need
to develop some context for him, and slowly, over the course of numerous
short stories, and one longer WiP I'm aware of, she's filling in the
interpersonal blanks. Halbarad, Arwen, the other Dúnedain, Glorfindel,
Elrond and others acquire personalities, and we begin to get a composite
of influences that help shape the man who would be king. It has been a
pleasure to watch her story-telling evolve over the past year, and with
it, her depictions of our mutual favorite Ranger.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Gandalfs apprentice · ID: 175 · Races: Cross-Cultural [28]:
Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:11:12
Although I usually look to Gandalf's Apprentice for stories featuring
men, she has done some interesting character pieces about other
characters. She can write both the humorous and the serious, and can
squeeze some memorable images and ideas into a very short space when
necessary. Her Legolas-Gimli interactions are particularly memorable.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Gandalfs apprentice · ID: 175 · Races: Elves [38]: Fixed-Length
Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:11:28
Although I usually look to Gandalf's Apprentice for stories featuring
men, she has done some interesting character pieces about other
characters. She can write both the humorous and the serious, and can
squeeze some memorable images and ideas into a very short space when
necessary. Her Legolas-Gimli interactions are particularly memorable.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Gandalfs apprentice · ID: 175 · Races: Men [73]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:11:42
Gandalf's Apprentice is making a niche for herself when it comes to
characterizing Aragorn, in his various guises. This means there's a need
to develop some context for him, and slowly, over the course of numerous
short stories, and one longer WiP I'm aware of, she's filling in the
interpersonal blanks. Halbarad, Arwen, the other Dúnedain, Glorfindel,
Elrond and others acquire personalities, and we begin to get a composite
of influences that help shape the man who would be king. It has been a
pleasure to watch her story-telling evolve over the past year, and with
it, her depictions of our mutual favorite Ranger.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Gandalfs apprentice · ID: 175 · Genres: Drama [107]:
Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:11:56
Although I usually look to Gandalf's Apprentice for stories featuring
men, she has done some interesting character pieces about other
characters. She can write both the humorous and the serious, and can
squeeze some memorable images and ideas into a very short space when
necessary. Her Legolas-Gimli interactions are particularly memorable.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Gandalfs apprentice · ID: 175 · Times: The Great Years [56]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:12:11
Gandalf's Apprentice is making a niche for herself when it comes to
characterizing Aragorn, in his various guises. This means there's a need
to develop some context for him, and slowly, over the course of numerous
short stories, and one longer WiP I'm aware of, she's filling in the
interpersonal blanks. Halbarad, Arwen, the other Dúnedain, Glorfindel,
Elrond and others acquire personalities, and we begin to get a composite
of influences that help shape the man who would be king. It has been a
pleasure to watch her story-telling evolve over the past year, and with
it, her depictions of our mutual favorite Ranger.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Make It Stop · ID: 634 · Genres: Humor [50]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:12:25
An absolutely merciless wit, Make It Stop has mastered the snappy,
sarcastic one-line retort. And the sarcastic commentary. And the art of
juxtaposition that brings out the sublimely ridiculous, whether she's
writing alone or with her conspirator, Princess Faz. Analyzing humor is
always very difficult for me, so my ability to say what it is that makes
Make It Stop's work remarkable is unfortunately severely limited.
However, her timing is great, she makes great use of incongruous imagery
and thoughts, and she exploits differing viewpoints to the hilt to
squeeze the comic potential out of even the most seeming-ordinary (and
dull) interaction.
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Author: Madeleine · ID: 606 · Genres: Romance [51]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:12:39
Madeleine stands out in the witty dialogue department. She is absolutely
outrageous, in just the right way, and her romantic epic, in four parts,
benefits enormously from that talent. Even more impressively, her
characterization is very strong, so that it is simply impossible to
mistake one character's voice for another, which means the sense of
humor has to change for each character. They each have their particular
turns of phrase, manner of delivery, and facility with words--you can
tell her Amrothos from her Eomer instantly. As might be expected, her
timing is exquisite; one never feels the joke lasts too long, and the
pacing is quick and nimble enough to match up to her dialogue so that
one never feels as if it's really been ten chapters (or however many).

The intricacies of the verbal sparring are set against well-defined
settings which nevertheless are not dwelt on tediously. She evokes a
sense of where the characters are very well, and portrays the fits and
starts of a relationship with style and verve.
-----------------------------------------