Fan Fiction Tumble Game

Final Tumble Story revealed!

2008-02-11T17:55:25Z

And the final Tumble story is up!

With thanks to lady_branwyn who offered to pinch hit the final section. Go read "Not All Those Who Wander"! And don't forget to leave our authors a comment after reading... :-)

Want to read all the Tumble stories? Use the tags on the left, or visit The Great Reveal-post for an overview.

Story 8 has been revealed

2008-01-11T17:44:58Z

All right! Seven down, one to go. Story number 8 of the fanfictumble is up now for your reading pleasure! Find details in the Great Reveal Post. And don't forget to leave feedback for our wonderful authors.

Belated update...

2008-01-05T14:00:41Z

It's been far too long since I gave you an update on the Fanfic Tumble situation. I was waiting for the last two stories (#4 and #8) to be finished. I'm expecting story #8 shortly, but the author originally slated to finish #4 has since informed she is unable to do so.

Hence, #4 is up for ADOPTION! Let me know in a comment if you feel up to finishing a story that includes Elrond, Elros and even Maglor!

Also, I would like to remind the Tumble participants to join the Post-mortem discussion and leave your thoughts on the process. Topics include canonicity, the number of installments per story and word count, as well as what to do with orphaned stories.

Story 6 has been revealed

2007-11-21T16:43:13Z

Good news! Yet another story of the Tumble has been revealed today. All info on story #6 can be found in the Great Reveal post. Or go straight to the story. I'm still waiting for the title, and will add that as soon as it comes in.

Also, authors, do not forget to give your opinion on the Tumble's run in our post-mortem post.

ETA: oops, I forgot to set the story to Public. It should be fixed now...

Edit Your Typos

2007-11-09T17:08:36Z

It wasn't possible before, but according to LJ's latest news post, it is now possible to edit comments. LJ says:

Paid Members now have the ability to edit comments! Just click on the "edit" button in your comment to make changes. Of course, to be fair to others, only comments that have not yet been replied to may be edited.

(Note that is says "paid members".)

Since most if not all of the story parts haven't been commented to, it should be possible for those of you that have a paid account to amend any typos you happen to have made in your story parts, should you want to do so. It's not mandatory, but some of you have asked about it, so I thought I should alert you to this new option. It's probably not needed, but I want to say it nevertheless :-) : please refrain from making any other changes to your story parts.

P.S. I'll have a first post-mortem discussion post up some time tomorrow.

Post-mortem discussion

2007-11-03T14:44:38Z

Now that the Tumble is almost over, it's time to discuss the experience and see where we can improve on the rules, regulations, or general run of the Tumble. I do have a few subjects myself I'd like to hear your opinions on, but also like to give you the opportunity bring your concerns and/or questions to the table as well.

Please, if there's anything you wish to discuss with me or your fellow Tumblers, leave a comment. It'd help if you also mention what you'd like the discussion to achieve. This could range from merely exchanging tips and tricks to amendments in the rules (for if we ever run another Tumble again).

In the meantime, there are three stories that still need to come in.

juno_magic has indicated RL is keeping her so busy, she hopes to get around to it in December (story #4).
imaginigma has regretfully informed me she sees no chance to finish her part in the foreseeable future and has asked me to find a pinch hitter (story #8). ~~Anybody that feels like taking over for her, please leave a comment as well!~~
And aranellaurelote, who's pinch hitting for story #6, has posted a partly resolution to the story; ~~I'll try to contact her by e-mail to see what's up with the other part that she promised.~~ She's been having trouble accessing the internet/LJ, so is going to e-mail me the part and have me post it. TBC soon!

Hurrah, another story's gone 'live'!

2007-10-30T17:38:35Z

I'm happy to announce that the fifth of the Tumble stories has now also been Revealed. More information on The Rider - Safekeeping Their Borders (which also happens to be Story #5) can be found in The Great Reveal-post. Or go directly to the story here.

This means that we are now waiting on the last three stories to be finishes: #4, #6 and #8... Authors? How are you doing?

Next story revealed

2007-10-22T16:21:13Z

And a fourth story has been revealed. The story-formerly-known-as-#7 is now titled "Pestilence". For more information, check out The Great Reveal post.

Also, once all stories have been revealed, I plan to make announcements in several Tolkien communities, to direct people to all the stories.

In the mean time, some of you have started posting "your" stories to other archives, which is fine by me (if any of the authors has an objection to their work showing up in other archives, please let me know ASAP in a comment -- comments are screened). I would ask that 1) you provide the various authors' names along with their parts (not that there's any doubt you guys wouldn't do that!) and 2) provide a link back to this journal's profile page (http://fanfictumble.livejournal.com/profile) so that anyone wondering what madness this is can find the explanation right there.

Lastly, an author post-mortem is being planned, but I want to wait with discussing the Tumble experience until all authors have turned in their work and won't have their attention divided.

Never miss a comment again!

2007-10-19T17:10:40Z

Alas, I have no new stories to reveal today...

But this is perhaps a good moment to remind you of LiveJournal's Tracking function. If you want to be notified when readers leave a comment to one of the Tumble stories without having to check out the individual stories, use the Track this-link at the bottom of each story's original teaser post. You can then choose to receive comments by e-mail, or read them at the web after you sign in to LiveJournal.

The third story has gone live!

2007-10-18T18:51:41Z

The third of the Tumble stories (well, technically speaking it's story # 2 :-)) is now also available in The Great Reveal-post...

Not all stories have returned to the pool yet, so I'll announce new revelations when they go live. In the meantime, remember to feed our authors!

Final assignments have been handed out!

2007-09-19T12:45:47Z

As the Tumblers will have noticed, I handed out the final assignments earlier this week. Evil as I am, I re-assigned each story to the author that had started off that particular story... ;-)

I'm hoping that we can start the Great Reveal, when the stories are made public and the authors of each part are announced, around mid-October, so watch this space!

I've also found two people willing to finalize the two orphaned stories, so it's all good.

I, for one, am getting very excited that we are nearly ready to share the authors' hard work with the rest of the world!

Deadline!

2007-09-15T14:24:58Z

Don't forget, the deadline for your penultimate Tumble assignment is today!

Penultimate assignments sent out

2007-08-13T16:44:23Z

Alrighty, I just sent out the next assignments to our regular Tumblers. You should have it in your mail box by now. Deadline is Saturday, September 15.

This section is the penultimate, or next-to-last installment of the Tumble stories. That means there's only one more left after this one. At the current rate, we should be done by mid- to late October. Exciting, eh?

As always, we have two orphaned stories looking for pinch hitters. If any of our regulars (or new writers who want to try their hand at a Tumble section) wants to step forward and adopt, please leave a comment with an e-mail address, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can (note: comments are screened).

Please note, though, that because this is the penultimate installment, you won't have as much freedom to write as you please as with a section in the middle of the Tumble. It's time to start tying off plot threads and bring things to a conclusion.

Quickie update

2007-08-12T18:51:09Z

All except one of the Tumblers have returned their stories. I'm hoping to see the last one soon, so I can send out the new assignments tomorrow (= Monday where I am, to forestall time zone confusion :-)).

Deadline extension

2007-08-08T12:21:52Z

(I will be mailing all Tumble authors separately as well)

Okay, the deadline has passed. I have seen two installments come in. Two Tumblers have asked for an extension, and I'm still missing three (it's a good thing I've seen you guys around elsewhere, or I'd be real worried ;-)).

So, I decided to give you all a deadline extension, hoping that that'll give everyone the chance to finish and return their stories.

New deadline is Saturday, 11 August

If, for some reason, you believe you can't make that deadline either, please do let me know. I plan on sending out the next assignments on Sunday.

ETA: I should have mentioned this but... the deadlines for the next (and last) two sections have also been moved due to the extension. Preliminary deadlines for the penultimate and final section are 14 September and 14 October. I don't think this will create a problem for anyone, right? You can always check the upcoming deadlines here, or via the link on the left.

Deadline reminder

2007-08-04T09:37:03Z

Remember, the deadline for your next installment is in three days: August 7.

Sixth assignment sent out

2007-07-17T16:29:34Z

The assignments for the sixth installment of the current Tumble have just been sent out (due to Tumblers going MIA, this may mean you are actually writing the fifth segment to your assigned story, not the sixth). The deadline is August 7.

Also, we again have two orphaned stories that could do with a pinch hitter adding a segment. More information on what it means to pinch hit for the Tumble can be found in this post. Please comment here or there if you feel up to the challenge! Make sure you leave your e-mail address so I can contact you with the details. Comments are screened.

(Note: if you have pinch hit before, you can of course apply again if you like!)

Next assignment sent out

2007-06-25T16:31:03Z

The new assignments have just been mailed to the Tumblers. If you offered to pinch-hit, you should also receive a mail shortly with a link to the story assigned to you as well as some more instructions.

Remember, if you're having trouble accessing your story, you may have to shut down your browser, empty its cache or delete old cookies before LJ allows you in.

Deadline for this installment is July 15 (I added one day to the old deadline, because the stories went out a little later than planned).

Also, if all goes well, I'll be away from the computer from July 5-13, so any comments or mails may not be answered quickly during that period.

Orphaned stories up for adoption

2007-06-23T11:04:57Z

Lurking here at the Tumble journal? Hesitant to sign up for a full Tumble, but think it'd be a fun thing to do? This is your chance to get a taste of Tumblin' without the full commitment!

Due to the disappearance of two participants, we now have two stories up for adoption with each assignment. Those stories are looking for pinch-hitting authors to give them another 600-800 words that move the plot forward, so they can keep Tumblin'.

What would be required of a pinch-hitter?

You'd have to be able to write a 600-800 words (thereabouts) section smack dab in the middle of a story. You should be able to do that in roughly three weeks (or less, if you sign up late) to make the deadline. You'd need an LJ account. And of course you must have a working knowledge of the Lord of the Rings-canon (book and/or movie).

That's all, really!

For the record: offering to pinch-hit a section does NOT mean you'd also have to sign up for the entire rest of the Tumble (unless you like it so much you want to continue...). It only means you'd add one section to one story of the eight currently in the Tumble. And you don't have to sign up right now. You can even sign up for a future assignment, so if you're going on holiday in July, you can still sign up for August or September.

Still not sure? Let me know, and I'll let you have a sneak peak at one of the current orphans (although that would spoil the Real Tumble Experience a bit, since not knowing in advance is part of the fun).

More information on what a Tumble is can be found here. Rules for Round 1 are here. The Tumble Teaser for Round 1 (the snippet that starts off each story) is here. And finally, the schedule for future deadlines is here.

Questions? Drop me a comment. Comments to this post are screened, so only seen by me.

Ready to adopt an orphaned story? Also, drop me a comment and I'll get back to you soonest.

ETA: make sure you leave an e-mail address so I can contact you with further details.

Feel free to pimp this post elsewhere!

Deadline reminder for 4th installment

2007-06-16T14:46:11Z

It's less than a week until June 22nd, the deadline for your fourth Tumble installment. If you haven't started writing yet, you might want to think about doing so now... ;-)

In other news, I fear we may have lost another Tumbler who's disappeared without a trace and isn't answering e-mail... :-(

Fortunately, I've also managed to find someone to pinch hit the last of the missing third installments, so we're still good at keeping all 8 stories in the game (some will end up an installment or 2 short, though).

Tumble update and teaser now public

2007-06-02T20:25:20Z

The fourth Tumble assignment has just been sent out to the participating authors. Thanks to our pinch hitter for writing a section on very short notice. Unfortunately, there is still one 3rd installment story missing, but I have reassigned the other stories regardless (though juggling the various stories in various stages is starting to get a little awkward, LOL! Please let me know if I messed it up somewhere, like giving you a story you've already had, or if you can't access your assignment.)

Also, a visitor to the journal asked if it were possible to make the Tumble Teaser public. All the authors agreed that this was a good idea. So, I present you the original departure point for all Tumble stories:

He urged his mount to go faster, faster, although the creature was near collapse. Lather flew from its mouth, and its flanks heaved with every harsh breath. But it faithfully kept going despite its fatigue, sensing the great need of its rider.

Hooves pounded the earth and sent sod flying, stirring up a cloud of dust and dirt that trailed in its wake. Overhead, gray clouds scudded along the sky, threatening heavy rains, but so far they had been fortunate and the downpour had not yet materialized.

The rider peered ahead along the equine neck, squinting against the rushing wind that whipped through his hair and tugged at his cloak. The colors were fading from the lands around him as the clouds thickened and the storm approached. Far, far ahead, dark mountains shimmered on the horizon.

His mount stumbled, caught itself, tripped again, and the rider's breath stuck in his throat for an endless moment before the animal regained its balance and continued its mad gallop. The poor beast ran on its last legs. How much further, until he reached his destination? How much longer before he could deliver the dire news he carried? He shot a quick glance over his shoulder, back at the way he had come. Time was running out.

Schedule of upcoming deadlines

2007-05-16T12:27:39Z

One of the Tumblers suggested to me to put up a schedule with the upcoming deadlines. A very good idea, especially with the holiday season coming up! So, here's a (tentative) schedule of the future Tumble deadlines.

~~Part 1~~	~~13 April~~
~~Part 2~~	~~4 May~~
~~Part 3~~	~~28 May~~
~~Part 4~~	~~22 June~~
~~Part 5~~	~~15 July~~
Part 6	7 ~~11 August~~
Part 7 (penultimate)	15 Sept
Part 8 (finale)	~ 14 Oct.

These dates are subject to change, for example when someone misses their deadline. But they'll never be earlier than posted and of course any changes will be announced. Deadlines for the last two parts have been set at four weeks as opposed to three, because those parts usually take a bit more time.

Now, with this schedule, I can incorporate my ten days of being incommunicado in July. But what about your holiday plans? Please leave a comment if you already know you won't be able to make one of the deadlines, so we can try and adapt the schedule accordingly. Comments are being screened to protect the Tumblers' identities *grins*.

Update: third assignment sent out

2007-05-07T16:54:23Z

The third assignment is currently on its way to seven Tumblers. Unfortunately, I haven't heard from the eighth Tumbler, but found someone who might be willing to pinch hit a second part to the story. If that happens, I'll be able to put it back into the pool next time, and that story will simply end up being one segment behind.

Contact me if you don't receive your assignment shortly (make sure you check any spam boxes first...). Also, due to caching, you may have to sign out and sign back in to LJ, and/or close the browser before you can access your next story. If you keep running into an access denied message, let me know.

Deadline for this third part is 28 May, in another three weeks' time.

Waiting on the last Tumbler

2007-05-06T09:08:13Z

Seven of the eight installments have been posted, I'm waiting on the last Tumbler to post their section (for story #5). If that's you, and you're reading this, please post it as soon as you can, or contact me if you have any trouble.

I'll wait a little while to see if the post comes through before handing out the new assignments. If the installment is still not there by tomorrow (= Monday) afternoon, I'll be sending out new story links for you to work on. Oh, and "tomorrow afternoon" would be late afternoon GMT-time :-)

Just in case: if there anyone who didn't sign up for the full Tumble willing to pinch-hit a section?

Sorry for the inconvenience, especially to those of you who scrambled to make the deadline.

Update: second assignment sent out

2007-04-14T12:05:33Z

I've just sent out the second assignment to our Tumble authors. If you haven't received your mail, or it's ended up in the Unwanted-folder, just try the various story# tags on the left until one gives you access. That will be your next assignment (*hearts LJ's custom friends filters*).

The deadline for this second part is May 4, in another three weeks.

I'll be on vacation during this time, so may be slow in responding to questions. I will try to check in once in a while, but have no idea how much internet access I'll have.

'Till then: Happy Tumblin!