Yahoo Forum Archive

Author: annmarwalk · ID: 177 · Genres: Humor [50]: General
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-23 07:34:40
When the characters in Ann's stories grieve, we grieve with them; and
when they rejoice, our own hearts are lifted as well.
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Author: annmarwalk · ID: 177 · Races: Men [73]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-23 07:36:14
And when Ann's characters remember the fallen with honor, love, and
song, we hear the echoes of the songs in which the honor is expressed in
our hearts.
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Author: annmarwalk · ID: 177 · Genres: Drama [107]: General
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-23 07:43:50
If only I had the gift Ann exhibits of saying so much about the folk of
the world of Arda so well in such intensely satisfying short stories and
drabbles.
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Author: annmarwalk · ID: 177 · Times: The Great Years [56]: General
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-23 07:46:04
This is one of my favorite short looks at the Hobbits within Minas
Tirith; and it was in honor of this story that I wrote the description
of the fabric given Rosie by Sam for his birthday, the fabric used in
her wedding dress in my own story.
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Author: Marta · ID: 16 · Times: Late Third Age [26]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-23 08:36:33
Whether the Men of Gondor or the North or Rohan, Elves, Dwarves, or
Hobbits, Marta is able to capture their thoughts and express them well
in short vignettes and drabbles.
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Author: Marta · ID: 16 · Races: Hobbits [106]: General
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-23 08:49:28
I find Marta's ability to show forth the characters she portrays in her
short stories and drabbles wonderful. She brings out the ability in me
to empathise with them, and the desire to add my own comfort.
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Author: Marta · ID: 16 · Times: The Great Years [56]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-23 08:50:26
I find Marta's ability to show forth the characters she portrays in her
short stories and drabbles wonderful. She brings out the ability in me
to empathise with them, and the desire to add my own comfort. And in
none of her stories is this so true as it is in this one.
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Author: Dreamflower · ID: 115 · Genres: Non-Fiction [5]: General
Reviewer: Rhapsody · 2006-11-23 13:24:31
Writing essays about Tolkiens works is not always that easy. Combining
this with a useful piece of grammar and style use that is simply a piece
an author cannot miss. Dreamflower's essay on using expletives is an
example of a useful work every writer can apply in their own writing,
but her more recent essay on the Shire calendar is another gem as
well. But Dreamflower has written more useful works, which can be used
by starting hobbit writers or the seasoned ones. Works on hobbit ages,
the validity of fanon in hobbit fanfic& and many more are simply a
useful tool for everyone, but specifically for the hobbit writers community.

Most of her essays start out as a post in livejournal, and Dreamflower
discusses her work openly with the readers, improving or explaining
things further where she can. With that, she has a good eye on what
authors need when writing their hobbit material and I have her essays
bookmarked as a reference tool when I need them. But with her thorough
study on expletives and how they are used in two works of the professor,
she simply leaves me in awe. Going through two works is an incredible
task and although I wished she included UT and the Silm as well for a
full scope, I can imagine that she stopped with these two. Thank you for
all your work and sharing your (most often) hobbit centric essays with
us: you make many writers incredibly happy with them!
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Author: annmarwalk · ID: 177 · Genres: Drama [107]: General
Reviewer: EdorasLass · 2006-11-23 17:17:46
Ann has a unique, wonderful talent for evoking startling depth of
emotion with only a handful of carefully chosen words. Whether the story
is happy, dark, warm, chilling, poignant or simply recounting an
incident of day-to-day life in Middle Earth, she never tries to wring
the emotion from the moment, and therefore brings even more feeling to
the piece. Her work is never overblown, but is often somehow imbued with
a sense of magical realism, the impression that there is so much more at
work beneath the surface.. A deft phrasing here, a sly smile of a
sentence there, and the whole thing comes together with beautiful,
delicate precision that is a joy to read and re-read.
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Author: annmarwalk · ID: 177 · Genres: Humor [50]: General
Reviewer: EdorasLass · 2006-11-23 17:23:43
No-one writes fixed-length stories in quite the way that Ann does. Each
word is chosen for maximum impact and effect, and quite often the reader
is left breathless by the way the finished word quietly shines. She
manages to convey amazingly wide ranges of emotion in a very strict
format, much to the despair to those of us who have to fight to keep a
story within such cruel limitations. I'm constantly jealous of how
exquisitely her drabbles are crafted, with nary an unneeded word nor a
word out of place.
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Author: annmarwalk · ID: 177 · Genres: Romance [51]: General
Reviewer: EdorasLass · 2006-11-23 17:30:40
As much as I love Ann's drabbles, I'm so glad she decided to branch out
into slightly longer stories, because that means more of her lush,
detailed writing. I'm in awe that she holds onto that unique ability of
picking each word with infinite care even in a longer format; her
descriptions..well, defy description; her dialogue and character
interaction are a joy, and she is excellent at portraying deep emotions
without ever crossing into maudlin or sugary-sweetness, a tendency which
can, in my opinion, seriously mar a story. It's always a pleasure to
read another one of her stories, especially when any sort of romance is
involved.
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Author: annmarwalk · ID: 177 · Races: Dwarves [12]: General
Reviewer: EdorasLass · 2006-11-23 17:35:43
I demand more Dwarves! Somehow Dwarven stories in particular seem suited
to Ann's sparse-yet-richly-elegant style of writing; I think they would
be very pleased at the way she portrays them, full of dignity and
appreciation for careful, loving craftsmanship, never to be mistaken for
anything but themselves. Dwarves can be tricky creatures to write, but
Ann does so beautifully, and the results always display a wonderful
understanding of Dwarves and their still, silent depths.
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Author: Budgielover · ID: 241 · Genres: Drama [107]: General
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-23 20:15:06
Budgie has written an interesting story full of intrigue and action. But
once again our beloved Frodo is on the receiving end of violence and pain.
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Author: Budgielover · ID: 241 · Races: Hobbits [106]: General
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-23 20:25:03
Budgie's ability to evoke humor is wonderful, and her manipulation of
events in this case is delightful. Dear, sweet Pippin manages to steal
the spotlight, leaving Frodo and Merry increasingly frustrated and at a
distinct disadvantage. I love it when a fic can get me laughing.
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Author: Marigold · ID: 98 · Races: Hobbits [106]: General
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-23 21:32:15
Marigold can bring out the love between Merry and Pippin exquisitely,
and for that I thank her.
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Author: Llinos · ID: 25 · Genres: Humor [50]: General
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-23 21:54:51
Llinos is superb at showing us times when our beloved heroes are perhaps
not quite at their best, but enjoying themselves nonetheless. Whether
it's Frodo uncertain what "frog cheese" means or Boromir being hit by a
conker, she can certainly give us a marvelous story sure to please.
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Author: Llinos · ID: 25 · Races: Hobbits [106]: General
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-23 21:55:28
Llinos is superb at showing us times when our beloved heroes are perhaps
not quite at their best, but enjoying themselves nonetheless. Whether
it's Frodo uncertain what "frog cheese" means or Boromir being hit by a
conker, she can certainly give us a marvelous story sure to please.
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Author: Ottis413 · ID: 635 · Genres: Alternate Universe [22]: General
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-11-24 05:36:11
Ottis writes dark really well -- so well that I started but found I
could not finish the one piece in this category (for personal reasons).
It sent shivers all down my spine, and the events progressed so
naturally that it was all too easy to see how Bree could have ended up
like this. It's a great skill needed in an AU. Because AU isn't an
excuse to throw canon out the window, but to change one specific fact
and let the story unfold from there. Ottis has clearly mastered that
art, and I wouldn't mind seeing more AU's from this author in the future.
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Author: aervir · ID: 614 · Genres: Drama [107]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-11-24 05:37:19
In just a hundred words aervir hints at an extra-canonical relationship
and how it might be viewed by the two peoples. Not an easy task.
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Author: Alawa · ID: 103 · Genres: Drama [107]: General
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-11-24 05:44:10
Alawa is an author that jumps to mind immediately as one who has
developed the few hints we get from canon about the culture of the
Northern Dunedain and has developed it into a much larger and richer
world than what Tolkien had need to write for us. World-building is a
tricky business in the best of all worlds, all the more so in a region
we know so little about, and Alawa is part of a very elite group that
write Eriador convincingly.

In the piece of hers that was entered in this year's MEFAs, this is
exemplified in the burial customs, the way the Twins brought things back
to Gilraen, and the ornaments that Arathorn is left. But even more than
that, Aragorn is himself a living testimony to the culture that he has
grown up in. That is reflected so clearly in the different ways he
relates to his father as he grows into adulthood. And really, in a world
as harsh as his, I think there might be a tradition of knowing fathers
more through gravesite reminiscing than actual memories. It's something
I hadn't thought of, and a fact Alawa brings to life very well.

Yet, all of this said, Alawa's pieces never feel like a sociology
lesson. She does not present the cultural details but the people who are
shaped by them. It all comes off feeling very natural.
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Author: Altariel · ID: 181 · Genres: Drama [107]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-11-24 05:48:03
Altariel shows here that she can build effectively on the writings of
other fanfic authors and make them distinctly her own. The Brand stories
are some of my favourites in her shared universe, and the story of
Faramir meeting Brand is really convincingly drawn. And her story "Red
River" has a similar touch of politics that makes the events feel robust
and realistic. That's what I really love about Altariel's world, that it
is impossible to forget that these folks are nobles and so their actions
always have larger implications.
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Author: annmarwalk · ID: 177 · Genres: Drama [107]: General
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-11-24 06:12:36
It's a little hard to know how to describe Ann as a writer, because if I
*just* talked about what she writes then I would be ignoring the
encouraging affect she has had on so many authors, myself included,
because she is a world-class beta and reviewer. It's a truly rare
combination to find someone who can do all three effectively, but Ann
definitely qualifies. If I had to choose which of the three she's best
at I would probably choose betareading because she has it down to an
art, and I have never felt like I was losing control of my story.

Anyway, back to her writing, I do not want to underemphasize that
aspect. Her writing is always crisp as one would expect from a fine beta
reader. The mechanics are all there and her word economy i such that her
pieces never feel rushed (even in her non-drabbles, though this really
stands out in her drabbles). But what I love most about Ann's writing is
the quiet humor that seems to invade her writing, will she or no. If
there's anything I hope Ann never writes it's angst. Her stories just
all have this very natural feel to them of everyday life. From the hawt
quality of new love to the comfort of a long-stranding relationship to
the gentle jostlings of siblings to the tenderness of new parenthood --
it all feels so like real. And that makes for a very three-dimensional
world she writes.
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Author: ann_arien · ID: 645 · Genres: Drama [107]: General
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-11-24 15:35:08
I have only read one story by this author ("On Frozen Shores"), but if
it is an indication she has a knack for coming up with new plot lines
and making them feel natural. I'd like to read more by her.
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Author: Aramel · ID: 227 · Genres: Drama [107]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-11-24 15:41:45
Aramel's stories always feel fresh to me. They take a commonly
misunderstood part of canon, or one that people haven't thought to
explore at all, and turn it around. Her pieces stay with me for a while
after I've read them, and I find myself turning them over in my head
wondering how her interpretation would affect other parts of the canon.
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Author: Ariel · ID: 162 · Genres: Drama [107]: General
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-11-24 16:15:02
Ariel is well known for her ability to write Frodo and Sam's close
friendship achingly well, and that is plain here. She still makes us
feel that it is a friendship closer even than a romantic love would have
been -- friendship in the tradition of Plato, two bodies with one soul.
Yet what caught me offguard about this year's nominations was how
clearly she sees *Rosie*. Here is a woman who perceives all too well and
has the quiet commonsensical strength one would expect of a hobbit who
does not go on adventures but instead weathers the storm. As always, her
characterizations are what win my heart and make me feel emotionally
drained after the story -- they're that realistic.
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