Yahoo Forum Archive

Hey guys,

Thank you, everyone, for all of your help with the check ballots. I'd
like to shift gears a bit, for my weekly educational post.

This week I'd like to focus on the various novels that have been
written. Don't let the voting deadline catch you unawares; if you like
to read novels, it's probably a good idea to start reading now, so you
have plenty of time to read and review it along with whatever else
strikes your fancy.

In MEFA terminology, a novel is 40,000 words, so it's a substantial
amount of story. Exactly how substantial varies from piece to piece, and
you'll want to check the archive to see how many chapters it has and how
long those chapters are. There is no upper limit to how long novels can
be at the MEFAs.

Finding novel-length stories is fairly straightforward. To do this:

1. Log in to www.mefawards.net/MEFA2008/
2. Click the "Browse all nominated stories" link.
3. Click the "Story Length" link (listed by "Quick links to lists of
stories by:")
4. Click on the "Novel" length.

This will pull up all of the nominated stories that have that length.
You can see all the information you saw on the main story listing here,
and also enter votes or place stories on your skip/wish list from here.

If you would like to find the novels featuring a certain character, then
you can use the story filters. To do this:

1. Log in to www.mefawards.net/MEFA2008/
2. Click the "Browse all nominated stories" link.
3. Click the "Show Filter" link (if the filter is not already shown.)
4. Click "Novel" from the "Length" menu.
5. Select any other filters you like (e.g., select "Faramir" from the
"Character" menu).
6. Click the "Display selected nominations" button.

Remember, this will only display stories that meet all of the filters.
If you had selected something previously, please click the "Clear All
Filters" button before doing step #4.

******************************

Here are the stories competing in this year's competition whose author
selected "novel" as the story length.

agape4gondor
--- 316. My Sword Weeps
Alassiel
--- 502. Tales of the Eldandili
Ancalime8301
--- 734. Burden
Bodkin
--- 190. A Darkness Lies Behind Us
Cara Loup
--- 476. That Fate Them Bore
celticbard
--- 373. The Price of Pity
docmon
--- 466. With Hope and Without Hope
Dreamflower
--- 617. Eucatastrophe: The Return
EdorasLass
--- 9. As the Tide By the Moon
Fiondil
--- 3. Wars of the Valar
--- 8. The Last Messenger: A Tale of Numenor
Golden/Pearl Took CoAuthors
--- 511. The Blessing
Isabeau of Greenlea
--- 92. Kin-Strife
Istarnie
--- 659. Nerdanel's Sons
Jules14
--- 346. The Search for Middle-earth
juno_magic
--- 567. Lothiriel - The Tenth Walker, Book 2
Katzilla
--- 206. Untold Tales of Mark: The Banishment of Eomer
Kenaz
--- 318. Ionnath-Estel ( The Sons of Hope )
Lady Bluejay
--- 159. Tide of Destiny - Part One: Choices
Le Rouret
--- 455. The Green Knight and the Master of Esgaroth
Lindelea
--- 509. The Farmer's Son
MithLuin
--- 221. Lessons From the Mountain
Nefhiriel
--- 325. The Weight of Power
Neoinean
--- 327. Eagle of the Star
Nightwing
--- 330. To See a World
obelia medusa
--- 189. The Making of a Ringbearer II: Anchored
Oshun
--- 35. A New Day
Pentangle
--- 612. Fidelis
Princess Artemis
--- 413. Solid Frodo: Hobbit Espionage Action
RavensWing14337
--- 552. The Littlest Warrior
Soledad
--- 101. The Web of Darkness
--- 165. An Autumn Fair in Halabor
SurgicalSteel
--- 90. The King's Surgeon
Telcontar Rulz
--- 203. Chance Encounter
Topaz Took
--- 133. Healing the Long Cleeve
viv
--- 182. Dawn Twilight

To find more information about any of these novels, just do the following:

1. Log in to www.mefawards.net/MEFA2008/
2. Click the "Stories" link at the top of the web page.
3. Type the Story ID followed by the "#" sign into the search bar, and
click the "Search" button.

For instance, searching for "659#" will bring up story #659, "Nerdanel's
Sons" by Istarnie.

Novels are competing in the following subcategories. (Categories and
subcategories will be available in the website later this week, once
categorization is finished.)

Genres: Adventure: Incomplete
Genres: Alternate Universe: General
Genres: Alternate Universe: Incomplete
Genres: Alternate Universe: Steward's Family
Genres: Drama: General
Genres: Drama: Incomplete
Genres: Longer Works: General
Races: Elves: General
Races: Elves: Incomplete
Races: Hobbits: General
Races: Hobbits: Incomplete
Times: Late Third Age: General
Times: Mid Third Age: General
Times: Modern Times: General
Times: Second and Early Third Age: General

Happy reading!

Marta
(MEFA Admin.)

P.S. - If you noticed a mistake in this post, please email about it so I
can check whether a mistake has been made and, if necessary, correct my
announcement. You can reach me privately at
mefasupport(.at.)mefawards(.dot.)net. Thanks!

I would like to second the excellent advice about not waiting, if you plan
to read and review novels--or WIPs, which usually fall into the novel
category. Space them out, if you will, but don't leave them to the last
couple of weeks of voting season, or you will be disappointed at not being
able to get them in!

I'm speaking from experience here!

Dreamflower

On Sat, Jul 12, 2008 at 1:53 PM, melayton@gmail.com <melayton@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hey guys,
>
> Thank you, everyone, for all of your help with the check ballots. I'd
> like to shift gears a bit, for my weekly educational post.
>
> This week I'd like to focus on the various novels that have been
> written. Don't let the voting deadline catch you unawares; if you like
> to read novels, it's probably a good idea to start reading now, so you
> have plenty of time to read and review it along with whatever else
> strikes your fancy.
>
> In MEFA terminology, a novel is 40,000 words, so it's a substantial
> amount of story. Exactly how substantial varies from piece to piece, and
> you'll want to check the archive to see how many chapters it has and how
> long those chapters are. There is no upper limit to how long novels can
> be at the MEFAs.
>
> Finding novel-length stories is fairly straightforward. To do this:
>
> 1. Log in to www.mefawards.net/MEFA2008/
> 2. Click the "Browse all nominated stories" link.
> 3. Click the "Story Length" link (listed by "Quick links to lists of
> stories by:")
> 4. Click on the "Novel" length.
>
> This will pull up all of the nominated stories that have that length.
> You can see all the information you saw on the main story listing here,
> and also enter votes or place stories on your skip/wish list from here.
>
> If you would like to find the novels featuring a certain character, then
> you can use the story filters. To do this:
>
> 1. Log in to www.mefawards.net/MEFA2008/
> 2. Click the "Browse all nominated stories" link.
> 3. Click the "Show Filter" link (if the filter is not already shown.)
> 4. Click "Novel" from the "Length" menu.
> 5. Select any other filters you like (e.g., select "Faramir" from the
> "Character" menu).
> 6. Click the "Display selected nominations" button.
>
> Remember, this will only display stories that meet all of the filters.
> If you had selected something previously, please click the "Clear All
> Filters" button before doing step #4.
>
> ******************************
>
> Here are the stories competing in this year's competition whose author
> selected "novel" as the story length.
>
> agape4gondor
> --- 316. My Sword Weeps
> Alassiel
> --- 502. Tales of the Eldandili
> Ancalime8301
> --- 734. Burden
> Bodkin
> --- 190. A Darkness Lies Behind Us
> Cara Loup
> --- 476. That Fate Them Bore
> celticbard
> --- 373. The Price of Pity
> docmon
> --- 466. With Hope and Without Hope
> Dreamflower
> --- 617. Eucatastrophe: The Return
> EdorasLass
> --- 9. As the Tide By the Moon
> Fiondil
> --- 3. Wars of the Valar
> --- 8. The Last Messenger: A Tale of Numenor
> Golden/Pearl Took CoAuthors
> --- 511. The Blessing
> Isabeau of Greenlea
> --- 92. Kin-Strife
> Istarnie
> --- 659. Nerdanel's Sons
> Jules14
> --- 346. The Search for Middle-earth
> juno_magic
> --- 567. Lothiriel - The Tenth Walker, Book 2
> Katzilla
> --- 206. Untold Tales of Mark: The Banishment of Eomer
> Kenaz
> --- 318. Ionnath-Estel ( The Sons of Hope )
> Lady Bluejay
> --- 159. Tide of Destiny - Part One: Choices
> Le Rouret
> --- 455. The Green Knight and the Master of Esgaroth
> Lindelea
> --- 509. The Farmer's Son
> MithLuin
> --- 221. Lessons From the Mountain
> Nefhiriel
> --- 325. The Weight of Power
> Neoinean
> --- 327. Eagle of the Star
> Nightwing
> --- 330. To See a World
> obelia medusa
> --- 189. The Making of a Ringbearer II: Anchored
> Oshun
> --- 35. A New Day
> Pentangle
> --- 612. Fidelis
> Princess Artemis
> --- 413. Solid Frodo: Hobbit Espionage Action
> RavensWing14337
> --- 552. The Littlest Warrior
> Soledad
> --- 101. The Web of Darkness
> --- 165. An Autumn Fair in Halabor
> SurgicalSteel
> --- 90. The King's Surgeon
> Telcontar Rulz
> --- 203. Chance Encounter
> Topaz Took
> --- 133. Healing the Long Cleeve
> viv
> --- 182. Dawn Twilight
>
> To find more information about any of these novels, just do the following:
>
> 1. Log in to www.mefawards.net/MEFA2008/
> 2. Click the "Stories" link at the top of the web page.
> 3. Type the Story ID followed by the "#" sign into the search bar, and
> click the "Search" button.
>
> For instance, searching for "659#" will bring up story #659, "Nerdanel's
> Sons" by Istarnie.
>
> Novels are competing in the following subcategories. (Categories and
> subcategories will be available in the website later this week, once
> categorization is finished.)
>
> Genres: Adventure: Incomplete
> Genres: Alternate Universe: General
> Genres: Alternate Universe: Incomplete
> Genres: Alternate Universe: Steward's Family
> Genres: Drama: General
> Genres: Drama: Incomplete
> Genres: Longer Works: General
> Races: Elves: General
> Races: Elves: Incomplete
> Races: Hobbits: General
> Races: Hobbits: Incomplete
> Times: Late Third Age: General
> Times: Mid Third Age: General
> Times: Modern Times: General
> Times: Second and Early Third Age: General
>
> Happy reading!
>
> Marta
> (MEFA Admin.)
>
> P.S. - If you noticed a mistake in this post, please email about it so I
> can check whether a mistake has been made and, if necessary, correct my
> announcement. You can reach me privately at
> mefasupport(.at.)mefawards(.dot.)net. Thanks!
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I am always surprised to find that writers who comment here look around for
short pieces over novels. I do just the opposite. I like to read fiction in
order to submerge myself into a story, which requires that it be longer. That
would be an interesting non-fiction study to do. Outside of fanfiction, short
stories are really not popular compared to novels. Most people who read
fiction in the wider world, only read novels.





**************Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live music
scene in your area - Check out TourTracker.com!
(http://www.tourtracker.com?NCID=aolmus00050000000112)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

There is little that I love better than to find a really loooong LOTR fanfic
novel that I've never read before.

Drabbles, short stories, vignettes--they all serve a different purpose, and
can be very enjoyable. But like you, there's nothing like the real
immersion experience to be found in a good novel length fic!

Dreamflower

On Sat, Jul 12, 2008 at 3:50 PM, <heartofoshun@aol.com> wrote:

> I am always surprised to find that writers who comment here look around
> for
> short pieces over novels. I do just the opposite. I like to read fiction in
>
> order to submerge myself into a story, which requires that it be longer.
> That
> would be an interesting non-fiction study to do. Outside of fanfiction,
> short
> stories are really not popular compared to novels. Most people who read
> fiction in the wider world, only read novels.
>
>
>
> **************Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live
> music
> scene in your area - Check out TourTracker.com!
> (http://www.tourtracker.com?NCID=aolmus00050000000112<http://www.tourtracker.com/?NCID=aolmus00050000000112>
> )
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Oh, me too! I love finding something I really like that is a long story. But, what you're saying is true and I hadn't really thought about the psychology of it - that *would* make an interesting essay.

Cathleen

Barbara Rich <aelfwina@gmail.com> wrote:
There is little that I love better than to find a really loooong LOTR fanfic
novel that I've never read before.

Drabbles, short stories, vignettes--they all serve a different purpose, and
can be very enjoyable. But like you, there's nothing like the real
immersion experience to be found in a good novel length fic!

Dreamflower

On Sat, Jul 12, 2008 at 3:50 PM, <heartofoshun@aol.com> wrote:

> I am always surprised to find that writers who comment here look around
> for
> short pieces over novels. I do just the opposite. I like to read fiction in
>
> order to submerge myself into a story, which requires that it be longer.
> That
> would be an interesting non-fiction study to do. Outside of fanfiction,
> short
> stories are really not popular compared to novels. Most people who read
> fiction in the wider world, only read novels.
>
>
>
> **************Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live
> music
> scene in your area - Check out TourTracker.com!
> (http://www.tourtracker.com?NCID=aolmus00050000000112<http://www.tourtracker.com/?NCID=aolmus00050000000112>
> )
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






"Beautiful, glorious Scotland, has spoilt me for every other country!"

Mary Todd Lincoln


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

On Sat, Jul 12, 2008 at 4:50 PM, <heartofoshun@aol.com> wrote:

> I am always surprised to find that writers who comment here look around

for

> short pieces over novels.

Maybe it has something to do with the simple matter of printed novels being
more comfortable to read than those in digital form? I know, for me, there
is so much appeal in curling up under a warm blanket with a good book.
There's just not the same appeal when sitting in a hard chair and reading on
a bright, glowing screen.

(There is also the matter of distraction: I can't work on my website or
answer email when curled up with a good book. ;)

Maybe when e-book readers get better, it will become easier to read fanfic
novels?

Dawn
who has no problem reading fanfic novels, for the record, and is nearly
finished one on the list ;)


--
~oOo~
Dawn Felagund
www.silmarillionwritersguild.org


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I, too, love to curl up with a good book, and that's why I print out so many of the fanfics. It's simply because I love to read in bed - can't beat it!

Cathleen

Dawn Felagund <DawnFelagund@gmail.com> wrote:

On Sat, Jul 12, 2008 at 4:50 PM, <heartofoshun@aol.com> wrote:
> I am always surprised to find that writers who comment here look around
for
> short pieces over novels.

Maybe it has something to do with the simple matter of printed novels being
more comfortable to read than those in digital form? I know, for me, there
is so much appeal in curling up under a warm blanket with a good book.
There's just not the same appeal when sitting in a hard chair and reading on
a bright, glowing screen.

(There is also the matter of distraction: I can't work on my website or
answer email when curled up with a good book. ;)

Maybe when e-book readers get better, it will become easier to read fanfic
novels?

Dawn
who has no problem reading fanfic novels, for the record, and is nearly
finished one on the list ;)

--
~oOo~
Dawn Felagund
www.silmarillionwritersguild.org

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






"Beautiful, glorious Scotland, has spoilt me for every other country!"

Mary Todd Lincoln


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Oshun,

I think when it comes to the MEFAs people are facing a time constraint -
650+ stories and only a few months to read and review as many of those
you like. All things being equal, some people will prefer to read and
review five one-chapter stories rather than one five-chapter story.
This doesn't mean novels are less "worthy" or anything - unfortunately
the format of the MEFAs kind of work against novels, which is why this
year we have a "Longer Works" category so authors can opt to have their
novels compete just against other novels if they prefer.

Personally, I tend to prefer shorter stories myself, even outside of the
MEFAs. Time constraints are at the top of the list of reasons (so many
authors, so little time). Also, I tend to read fanfic because I like a
close examination of some aspect of canon, which shorter stories tend to
have in greater intensity. (Novels are great, but they do [by
necessity!] involve more of the author's invention.) All of my reasons
happen to be personal, and I don't expect they apply to every reader.

I do want to encourage people to read novels. Just because I prefer
shorter stories for personal reasons, that doesn't mean novels are any
less valid or any less welcome at the MEFAs. I really hope people who
*do* prefer to read novels (and this thread shows that they're out
there) will start reading early so they can read all of the novelish
goodness that they want.

Marta

heartofoshun@aol.com wrote:

>
>
> I am always surprised to find that writers who comment here look around for
> short pieces over novels. I do just the opposite. I like to read fiction in
> order to submerge myself into a story, which requires that it be longer.
> That
> would be an interesting non-fiction study to do. Outside of fanfiction,
> short
> stories are really not popular compared to novels. Most people who read
> fiction in the wider world, only read novels.
>
>
>

I actually have a Sony Reader and have put a fair amount of fanfic
onto it - it takes word files and text files and PDFs. The screen
doesn't glow - it's sort of like reading real paper, so it's easier
on the eyes, and you can definitely curl up with it anywhere you'd
like. It's about the size of a trade paperback, only thinner.
Fabulous gadget.

Ruth/SurgicalSteel
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Dawn Felagund" <DawnFelagund@...>
wrote:

>
> On Sat, Jul 12, 2008 at 4:50 PM, <heartofoshun@...> wrote:
> > I am always surprised to find that writers who comment here look

around

> for
> > short pieces over novels.
>
> Maybe it has something to do with the simple matter of printed

novels being

> more comfortable to read than those in digital form? I know, for

me, there

> is so much appeal in curling up under a warm blanket with a good

book.

> There's just not the same appeal when sitting in a hard chair and

reading on

> a bright, glowing screen.
>
> (There is also the matter of distraction: I can't work on my

website or

> answer email when curled up with a good book. ;)
>
> Maybe when e-book readers get better, it will become easier to read

fanfic

> novels?
>
> Dawn
> who has no problem reading fanfic novels, for the record, and is

nearly

> finished one on the list ;)
>
>
> --
> ~oOo~
> Dawn Felagund
> www.silmarillionwritersguild.org
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Linaewen and I were just talking about his last night... she suggested I get
an e-reader.

I print them out and snuggle in my bed and read them all there - even
drabbles....

And I can't wait to sink my teeth into a couple of the longer stories at
MEFA....

Blessings,
Agape

On Sun, Jul 13, 2008 at 8:06 AM, surgeon_ruth <surgsteel@hotmail.com> wrote:

> I actually have a Sony Reader and have put a fair amount of fanfic
> onto it - it takes word files and text files and PDFs. The screen
> doesn't glow - it's sort of like reading real paper, so it's easier
> on the eyes, and you can definitely curl up with it anywhere you'd
> like. It's about the size of a trade paperback, only thinner.
> Fabulous gadget.
>
> Ruth/SurgicalSteel
> --- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com <MEFAwards%40yahoogroups.com>, "Dawn
> Felagund" <DawnFelagund@...>
> wrote:
>
> >
> > On Sat, Jul 12, 2008 at 4:50 PM, <heartofoshun@...> wrote:
> > > I am always surprised to find that writers who comment here look
> around
> > for
> > > short pieces over novels.
> >
> > Maybe it has something to do with the simple matter of printed
> novels being
> > more comfortable to read than those in digital form? I know, for
> me, there
> > is so much appeal in curling up under a warm blanket with a good
> book.
> > There's just not the same appeal when sitting in a hard chair and
> reading on
> > a bright, glowing screen.
> >
> > (There is also the matter of distraction: I can't work on my
> website or
> > answer email when curled up with a good book. ;)
> >
> > Maybe when e-book readers get better, it will become easier to read
> fanfic
> > novels?
> >
> > Dawn
> > who has no problem reading fanfic novels, for the record, and is
> nearly
> > finished one on the list ;)
> >
> >
> > --
> > ~oOo~
> > Dawn Felagund
> > www.silmarillionwritersguild.org
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>
>
>



--
Life's been good to me so far!!! Praise God!


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

In a message dated 7/13/2008 1:24:01 AM Eastern Standard Time,
melayton@gmail.com writes:

I think Marta hit on some of the reasons that I overlooking because they are
so completely different from the way I approach reading fanficition.

650+ stories and only a few months to read and review as many of those
you like. All things being equal, some people will prefer to read and
review five one-chapter stories rather than one five-chapter story.
All things being equal, I would do just the opposite. I would never presume
to attempt to read 650 stories without any recommendations or presorting. I
figure every story/genre/character/timeframe has its partisans, so I scan the
reviews for recommendations of new writers and different stories in areas
where I do not usually read. On the other hand, I almost feel personally, morally
compelled to point out the best stories in the areas which are my favorites
by reviewing them in detail. I spend most of the early part of the MEFA
season doing my duty (which is reviewing the stories I know) and the last part
reviewing the one's I've newly discovered (I inadvertently missed). I don't just
randomly start ploughing through 650.

This doesn't mean novels are less "worthy" or anything - unfortunately
the format of the MEFAs kind of work against novels, which is why this
year we have a "Longer Works" category so authors can opt to have their
novels compete just against other novels if they prefer.

I was the biggest and most vocal campaigner for the creation of this
category, because I write and read long stories. But now that I look at the final
version of the new category, I can see that length is a poor reason to compare
the stories (except for a couple of novels, I am not sure the target
audiences are really comparable and I soubt that most people read as widely as I do).

Personally, I tend to prefer shorter stories myself, even outside of the
MEFAs. Time constraints are at the top of the list of reasons (so many authors,
so little time).

I have a serious reading problem (addiction?). I put reading before pretty
much everything else in my life (including writing), so this would never occur
to me. (When I hear people say that, I find myself even wondering if they
really mean it, or if they just don't want to read the particular story I am
recommending, primarly because the concept of being able to control the impluse
to read so foreign to me.)

Also, I tend to read fanfic because I like a close examination of some
aspect of canon, which shorter stories tend to have in greater intensity.
I read canon (obsessively/complusively and my own library of
secondary/scholarly sources on it is large as well) for this, not fanfics.

(Novels are great, but they do [by necessity!] involve more of the author's
invention.)
I read fanfics specifically for invention, extension, and creativity which
reflect the writer's shared love and in-depth knowledge and understanding of
the canon. But I want to see the invention. The most interesting canon
discussion for me is when someone takes a canon element and develops their personal
interpretation (must be strongly based in canon) into a coherent and much
more detailed fictional defense of it.





**************Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live music
scene in your area - Check out TourTracker.com!
(http://www.tourtracker.com?NCID=aolmus00050000000112)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Oshun,

> I think Marta hit on some of the reasons that I overlooking because they
> are
> so completely different from the way I approach reading fanficition.
>
> [650+ stories and only a few months to read and review as many of those
> you like. All things being equal, some people will prefer to read and
> review five one-chapter stories rather than one five-chapter story.]
> All things being equal, I would do just the opposite. I would never presume
> to attempt to read 650 stories without any recommendations or presorting. I
> figure every story/genre/character/timeframe has its partisans, so I
> scan the
> reviews for recommendations of new writers and different stories in areas
> where I do not usually read. On the other hand, I almost feel
> personally, morally
> compelled to point out the best stories in the areas which are my favorites
> by reviewing them in detail. I spend most of the early part of the MEFA
> season doing my duty (which is reviewing the stories I know) and the
> last part
> reviewing the one's I've newly discovered (I inadvertently missed). I
> don't just
> randomly start ploughing through 650.
>

I didn't mean to suggest everyone (or even anyone) try to review all the
stories. That would drive you mad, or at least it would push *me* over
the edge.

But I must admit, I am greedy. As a volunteer this year I personally
looked over every story form completed by the author, after the liaisons
had approved it, to give it one final check over. That means I read the
summaries and other information of every story competing in this year's
MEFAs. And as I did so, I had so many "ooh, shiny!" moments - by which I
mean that as I worked with the nominations, there were a lot of stories
that made me sit up and think "Now *this* looks like a story I might
enjoy, I'll have to check it out when I have more time."

It of course doesn't help matters that I really don't have a single
corner of canon I like to read. My "home base" I guess is Gondor so much
as anything is, but I find myself reading other areas increasingly. I am
much more inspired to read by a thought-provoking premise or an author
whom I know I have enjoyed in the past, than by settings/characters that
are my personal favorite. That makes it hard to narrow down the field of
what I hope to read and so, while I don't find myself wanting to read
everything, I do find that time is often a real issue.

I have tried to read longer works more, to push myself to grow as a
reader, and definitely read more medium-length works and even a few
novels than I would have a few years ago; yet I find myself gravitating
to shorter works, for the time reasons and the other things I mentioned.

(And for the record, this isn't just true in fanfic; I find I much
prefer anthologies of short stories than longer novels even in published
fic, so perhaps I am not the most representative reader!)

> [This doesn't mean novels are less "worthy" or anything - unfortunately
> the format of the MEFAs kind of work against novels, which is why this
> year we have a "Longer Works" category so authors can opt to have their
> novels compete just against other novels if they prefer.]
>
> I was the biggest and most vocal campaigner for the creation of this
> category, because I write and read long stories. But now that I look at
> the final
> version of the new category, I can see that length is a poor reason to
> compare
> the stories (except for a couple of novels, I am not sure the target
> audiences are really comparable and I soubt that most people read as
> widely as I do).
>

Well, it is a new category, so it's possible that some authors just did
not realize it was available. I'm hoping that we'll get more people
putting their appropriate stories there in future years. Which means
that we could have more subcategories - if there were twenty novels
rather than five in that category we could have (for instance) a
Silm-based subcategory or one for stories set in Gondor.

In any event, it's a bit early to pass judgement on it! I'll be
interested to see how that category turns out working.

> [Personally, I tend to prefer shorter stories myself, even outside of the
> MEFAs. Time constraints are at the top of the list of reasons (so many
> authors,
> so little time).]
>
> I have a serious reading problem (addiction?). I put reading before pretty
> much everything else in my life (including writing), so this would never
> occur
> to me. (When I hear people say that, I find myself even wondering if they
> really mean it, or if they just don't want to read the particular story
> I am
> recommending, primarly because the concept of being able to control the
> impluse
> to read so foreign to me.)
>

I wish I could be like that! I really would be happy to read fanfic all
day. But I am a graduate student in philosophy, which means a *lot* of
time spent on reading and writing outside of fandom; on top of that I
have fandom responsibilities like helping out with these awards, and my
own writing. So for me there really is a time issue in what I decide to
read and what I don't.

> [(Novels are great, but they do [by necessity!] involve more of the author's
> invention.)]
> I read fanfics specifically for invention, extension, and creativity which
> reflect the writer's shared love and in-depth knowledge and
> understanding of
> the canon. But I want to see the invention. The most interesting canon
> discussion for me is when someone takes a canon element and develops
> their personal
> interpretation (must be strongly based in canon) into a coherent and much
> more detailed fictional defense of it.
>

I have enjoyed some stories that had a fair bit of invention and I
really don't mean to come across as critical of that. But what brought
me to Tolkien fanfic was reading some passage and wondering what would
happen if the plot was extended just a moment longer, or what was going
through a particular character's head.

For instance, I remember reading "The Old Forest" and wondering what
Fatty was thinking as his friends went off into adventure, and he stayed
behind: whether he thought he was a coward, or thought they were
foolish, or what exactly? That question could be answered in as little
as a drabble (I actually wrote such a drabble once upon a time) and,
while reading more of the story about Fatty's attack by the Nuzgul and
what happened in Buckland after that might be interesting, it wasn't why
I originally came to fanfic. I think that is why I tend toward shorter
stories. Doesn't mean I never read longer stuff, but my first tendency
is to read the one-shots and ficlets.

Of course, someone with different motives would prefer to read a very
different kind of story! That's what makes fanfic so great: there's
enough stories to enjoy and people to read them, that everyone can read
just what they find most interesting.

Marta

Marta wrote:

I didn't mean to suggest everyone (or even anyone) try to review all the
stories. That would drive you mad, or at least it would push *me* over
the edge.


Trust me, you are right on that score! It's a very bad idea! LOL!

Dreamflower


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- On Sun, 13/7/08, melayton@gmail.com <melayton@gmail.com> wrote:

> For instance, I remember reading "The Old Forest"
> and wondering what Fatty was thinking as his friends went off into adventure, and he stayed behind: whether he thought he was a coward, or thought they were foolish, or what exactly? That question could be answered
> in as little as a drabble (I actually wrote such a drabble once upon a
> time) and, while reading more of the story about Fatty's attack by
> the Nuzgul and what happened in Buckland after that might be interesting,
> it wasn't why I originally came to fanfic. I think that is why I tend
> toward shorter stories. Doesn't mean I never read longer stuff, but my
> first tendency is to read the one-shots and ficlets.

On a side-note to this discussion: Fatty's attack by the *Nuzgul* Well, if that doesn't prove you have a one-track mind... *g*


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