A Long-expected Party
BRING OUT YOUR PARTY HATS!
In October 1999, an adventure began that led many of us to a place we never thought to go (and no, I don't mean Mordor). Some of us were weaned on The Lord of the Rings and some of us came to the book as adults, but it's fair to say that most of us wouldn't be here in the LotR fandom, or perhaps in fandom at all, if it hadn't been for the screened trilogy. To mark the tenth anniversary of the start of filming, we've come up with a challenge to honour both the book and the movies. We hope it will provide inspiration to all of you, no matter what your preferred genre. RPS writers may have to put on their thinking caps for this one but we have every faith in your ingenuity.
The Long-expected Party Challenge will take place from 1 August to 31 October with one month being devoted to each of the three volumes: August to The Fellowship of the Ring, September to The Two Towers, and October to The Return of the King.
We've put together a selection of quotes from The Book and separated them into three posts, here (FotR), here (TTT), and here (RotK). When you've chosen a quote, please comment on the relevant post --not on this one -- and we'll put your name next to it to identify it as yours. Once you've made your selection you may do whatever you like with it. Write about that scene in the book, apply the ideas or imagery in the passage to write about some other scene (real or imagined), write about the filming of that scene or how the passage reflects on the actors' lives. The usual genre and pairing rules apply.
While writers who choose a quote from The Return of the King appear to have an advantage, we've posted this challenge early so that all writers will have more than the usual amount of writing time (e.g. twelve weeks for August volunteers). So don't all rush to one end of the boat. Spread yourselves out a little. The quotes chosen aren't meant to be comprehensive or representative -- we just liked them -- but we hope that each month offers something for everyone.
You may, of course, choose more than one quote (and we hope you do), but no quote is allowed more than one writer.
The minimum word count is 1000 but there is no maximum so multi-part stories are welcome. If you'd like to spread the posting of a story over three months, you'll have to choose -- and use in some way -- a quote from each of the three posts.
Stories must be posted in their assigned month (any time in their assigned month). There will be no exceptions. If you're unable to finish on time due to serious extenuating circumstances, please let us know and we may be able to work something out.
If you're not yet a member of waymeet but you find this challenge tempting, please consider becoming a member. Read the profile page and the Rules and if the community seems a good fit for you, click on the link to join. Your request will be placed in the moderation queue. We're always on the lookout for established writers who have written or intend to write hobbits and/or hobbit actors.
And if this sounds complicated -- feel free to ask questions.