Stories are due in the queue the weekend of January 20, and will be revealed on Monday, January 23.
This is the beginning of a brand new year, so I hope we will have a LOT of participants this month!
FEBRUARY
The February Challenge had the theme "The Dark Side of Love". Here is your chance to explore the less pleasant aspects of love: misunderstandings, partings, grief, jealousy, unrequited love or even the little things about a loved one that annoy. Elements for the challenge are a list of words beginning with the letters in "February". Authors should choose at least four of their words to use in the story. You may use more than four if you like but it's not required.
1. fade, echo, believe, rook, unjust, abed, rusty, yawn
2. find, each, bloom, relative, under, after, red, yesterday
3. flee, every, blook, rest, upset, awful, ruby, yokes
4. fret, emerald, braid, remove, undone, agog, relate, yarrow
MARCH
March's theme was "March of Power". Writers could choose one of the following events from the Tale of Years to write a gapfiller about.
March 1.
5. Frodo begins the passage of the Dead Marshes at dawn.
6. Entmoot continues.
7. Aragorn meets Gandalf the White. They set out for Edoras.
8. Faramir leaves Minas Tirith on an errand to Ithilien.
March 2
9. Frodo comes to the end of the Marshes.
10. Gandalf comes to Edoras and heals Théoden.
11. The Rohirrim ride west against Saruman. Second Battle of Fords of Isen. Erkenbrand defeated.
12. Entmoot ends in afternoon. The Ents on Isengard and reach it at night.
March 3
13. Theoden retreats to Helm's Deep. Battle of the Hornburg begins.
14. Ents complete the destruction of Isengard.
March 4
15. Theoden and Gandalf set out from Helm's Deep for Isengard.
16. Frodo reaches the slag-mounds on the edge of the Desolation of the Morannon.
March 5
17. Theoden reaches Isengard at noon. Parley with Saruman in Orthanc.
18. Winged Nazgul passes over the camp at Dol Baran.
19. Frodo hides in sight of the Morannon, and leaves at dusk.
March 6
20. Theoden sets out from the Hornburg for Harrowdale. Aragorn sets out later.
21. March 7
22. Frodo taken by Faramir to Henneth Annun.
23. Aragorn comes to Dunharrow at nightfall.
March 8
24. Aragorn takes the 'Paths of the Dead' at daybreak; he reaches Erech at midnight.
25. Frodo leaves Henneth Annun.
March 9
26. Gandalf reaches Minas Tirith.
27. Faramir leaves Henneth Annun.
28. Aragorn sets out from Erech and comes to Calembel.
29. At dusk Frodo reaches the Morgul-road.
30. Theoden comes to Dunharrow.
31. Darkness begins to flow out of Mordor.
March 10
32. The Dawnless Day.
33. The Muster of Rohan; the Rohirrim ride from Harrowdale.
34. Faramir rescued by Gandalf outside the gates of the City.
35. Aragorn crosses Ringlo.
36. An army from the Morannon takes Cair Andros and passes into Anorien.
March 11
37. Gollum visits Shelob, but seeing Frodo asleep nearly repents.
38. Aragorn reaches Linhir and crosses into Lebennin.
39. Eastern Rohan is invaded from the north.
40. First assault on Lorien.
March 12
41. Gollum leads Frodo into Shelob's lair.
42. Faramir retreats to the Causeway Forts.
43.Theoden camps under Minrimmon.
44. Aragorn drives the enemy towards Pelargir.
45. The Ents defeat the invaders of Rohan.
March 13
46. Frodo captured by the Orcs of Cirith Ungol.
47. The Pelennor is overrun.
48. Faramir is wounded.
49. Aragorn reaches Pelargir and captures the fleet.
50. Theoden is Druadan Forest.
March 14
51. Samwise finds Frodo in the Tower.
52. Minas Tirith is besieged.
53. The Rohirrim led by the Wild Men come to the Grey Wood.
March 15
54. In the early hours the Witch-king breaks the Gates of the City.
55. Denethor burns himself on a pyre.
56.The horns of the Rohirrim are heard at cockcrow.
57. Battle of the Pelennor.
58. Theoden is slain. Merry wounds the Witch-king of Angmar, and Eowyn gives the killing blow.
59. Aragorn raises the standard of Arwen.
60. Frodo and Samwise escape and begin their journey north along the Morgai.
61. Second assault on Lorien.
March 16
62. Debate of the commanders.
63. Frodo from the Morgai looks over the camp to Mount Doom.
March 17
64. Battle of Dale. King Brand and King Dain Ironfoot fall. Many Dwarves and Men take refuge in Erebor and are besieged.
65. Shagrat brings Frodo's cloak, mail-shirt, and sword to Barad-dur.
March 18
66. The Host of the West marches from Minas Tirith.
67. Frodo comes in sight of the Insenmouthe; he and Sam are overtaken by Orcs on the road from Durthang to Udun.
March 19
68. The Host comes to Morgul-vale.
69.Frodo and Samwise escape and begin their journey along the road to the Barad-dur.
March 22
70. The dreadful night.
71. Frodo and Samwise leave the road and turn south to Mount Doom.
March 23
72. The Host passes out of Ithilien.
73. Frodo and Samwise cast away their arms and gear.
March 24
74. Frodo and Samwise make their last journey to the feet of Mount Doom.
75. The Host camps in the Desolation of the Morannon.
March 25
76. Frodo and Samwise reach the Sammath Naur. Gollum seizes the Ring and falls into the Cracks of Doom.
77. Downfall of Barad-dur and passing of Sauron.
March 27
78. Bard II and Thorin III Stonehelm drive the enemy from Dale.
APRIL
The April Challenge had the theme "Poetry" in honor of National Poetry Month, and you were asked to try your hand at verse! Elements for the challenge were self-chosen: choose any line from any poem or song by J.R.R. Tolkien to use as your inspiration, and include it in your header, next to "Elements".
(If you choose to do April's challenge, simply indicate in the comments: April, poetry.)
MAY
The May Challenge will have the theme "The world's favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May."
- Edwin Way Teale
Stories are to be AU and Prompts will be starter sentences.
79. Springtime is the land awakening.
80. "No winter lasts forever," grumbled ______. "But by May it should be over."
81. Dirt under ________'s nails, earth between (his/her) toes, seedlings popping up everywhere; life couldn't get much better.
82. There is something to be said for riding a pony in the May sunshine! ____ thought.
JUNE
The June Challenge will have the theme "The jewels of June". Stories should reflect something of value (not necessarily something of material value, though it can be). Elements for the challenge will be a specific kind of jewel to be mentioned somewhere in the story.
83. beryl
84. agate
85. onyx
86. jasper
87. Silmarillion--air
88. citrine
89. garnet
90. amber
JULY
The July challenge was our annual Fixed-Length-Ficlet challenge, and the theme was "Time in a Bottle"--a ficlet about a moment that a character would like to keep. Participants chose a number between 101 and 400.
(If you decide to take part in this one, comment with: July and the number you have chosen.)
AUGUST
August was our annual non-fiction challenge. Any non-fiction essay, research or tutorial is welcome.
(If you wish to write non-fiction, please comment: August, non-fiction.)
SEPTEMBER
The challenge for September was "Special Occasions--Recipe!Fic". Stories were to be recipe!fics (stories in which the recipe for a dish accompanies the story). Elements were specific dishes.
91. stew
92. soup
93. pudding
94. pie
95. porridge
OCTOBER
October's theme was "One Picture is Worth a Thousand Words". An image was assigned, and the story was to be inspired by the image.
96.

97. under the willows

98. spring flowers

99. cottage

100. chamomile

NOVEMBER
The challenge theme was "Lost and Found" in November; a character was to react to having lost something important, and finding it (or not). The prompt element was an emotion, and stories could be a drabble, a double drabble or a triple drabble.
101. anxiety
102. gratitude
103. astonishment
104. sorrow
105. relief
Comments
(And I may try to finish one of my older prompts as well, but I think I'd better not commit to that!)
When are these pieces due?
Here are the stories and prompts I will work at finishing:
March '13 - March of Power [Prompt = March 11 -- Denethor sends Faramir to Osgiliath]
September '13 - Special Occasions Recipe!Fic [Prompt = Soup]
October '13 - A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words
January '13 - Potluck Challenge [Requested Element (from May '12 "Bunny Hutch"): 50) Third Age, Gondor: "I was born under the shadow of the White Mountains and know something of journeys in the high places" -Boromir, FOTR. What mischief there? (almaheart)]
I probably won't be able to finish all of these, but I'm committed to trying!
- Erulisse (one L)
I'll do my best...
- Erulisse (one L)
- Erulisse (one L)
But I need to keep better track of posts I make under a different account!
Am I allowed to do more than one?
Hello! I'm wondering about the due date for this challenge. The 20th is a Monday, and the 23rd is a Wednesday. I'm aiming for this weekend in any case, but thought it would be good to check to see if I'm actually late, or if I have more time than I thought! :-)
I think I'll take no. 59, Aragorn raising Arwen's standard.
http://lindahoyland.livejournal.com/518718.html
What tag(s) should I use on the stories?
Tags: '13 january, potluck '13
I am sorry. I've been under the weather this week, and apparently my brain is simply not keeping up!