Henneth Annûn Story Archive

Hey, guys! The HASA Birthday Cards workshop has opened! Everyone who drabbles, and everyone who requests, please go over there and join! Gwynnyd and I devised a whole new system for birthday drabbles, which eliminates the need to e-mail the CMs for the password every month (pesky task, begone!). I make a special point to ask the people who have requested drabbles in April to go over to the workshop. I will need your help to get this new system off the ground and moving. I realize that there will be many questions, so once you join the workshop, go over to the Primary forum (on the right-hand side bar) called HASA Birthday Cards. This forum will be specifically for questions and troubleshooting. [edit: Ask all questions about the new system and its workings in this thread! This forum is more high-profile, so it's a better place to get y'all to notice questions and instructions!] Keep drabbling, and please join the new shop! It's going to be great! Allie Challenges Manager edit: As you can see below, Elena Tiriel is raising some very good questions. Feel free to jump in and ask anything!

 

Woohoo! Congratulations! *throws confetti* - Barbara P.S. is there any idea of re-doing January through March this way? Maybe after the details are ironed out with April?

 

I would love to re-do January through March, so we can get the whole year public. I want people to see how many awesome presents I got, damn it! I mean... First, I want to see if people who request drabbles will take the initiative to create the story and add it to the shop. I mean, it's easy enough: a simple click joins the shop, and another two clicks on the drabbler's part can lead to add-a-chapter for each person's birthday story... I will take it upon myself to keep the list of stories within the shop current. Birthday people and drabblers: Honestly, this new system is awesome. It is going to make these beautiful pieces of art more read outside of members, and keep everything nicely organized. But I can't do it by myself: I need your help. I need requesters to create their stories and add them to the shop, and drabblers to add their drabbles as they write them. It's so simple that in a few months, you're going to laugh at how awkward the old e-mail-the-CMs-to-get-the-HAWriters'-password was. It'll be that good, I promise you. Allie

 

First, I want to see if people who request drabbles will take the initiative to create the story and add it to the shop. I would be happy to add my March birthday request (for the same reasons you expressed ), but I'm not clear how the month and year fits into the picture. There is currently a story for "Meril's Birthday Presents"; should that be "Meril's March 2005 Birthday Presents"? In other words, how are you going to gather the different requests by month for display to the public? (Or are you?) Sorry for my confusion... - Barbara P.S. Another question: I did one gift for two birthday people -- you and Narwen Almiriel -- should I post it in both stories? (Assuming that Narwen Almiriel creates a story for herself... Of course, I'm not even sure she saw the drabble-pair I posted, it was so long after her birthday... )

 

To be more specific, yes, it should be Meril's 2005 Birthday Presents. I'll probably edit the title later. No, I'm glad you're asking these questions: it gives me a chance to answer, and if members see this thread, then it'll answer other people's similar questions as well. Each month will have a birthday challenge associated with it. ie, April 2005 Birthdays! Each birthday person will enter his/her story in that challenge. So let's say Ainae makes a story for her drabbles (Ainaechioriel's 2005 Birthday Drabbles). She will enter that story in the challenge April 2005 Birthdays!. Simultaneously, the story will be in the HASA Birthday Cards workshop, where people will be adding drabbles to it as they are written. The shop story is the original story: all changes made to it in workshop (new chapters: new drabbles) will be reflected in the story itself, outside of workshop. When the challenge is closed (maybe a week into the next month), all stories from that month will be removed from the workshop to make room for stories from the current month. As long as each birthday requester makes sure it is entered in the challenge, I don't foresee any issues with this. Of course, it all hinges on one crucial point: are people willing to take the little extra effort to make this work? Allie edit: Yes, if a present is doubled, it would be in both stories. Perhaps a note would be nice as well: "Written for Meril and Narwen Almiriel." Or something like that.

 

Thanks, Meril! I understand now... sounds really easy! - Barbara Edit: And I've added Elena Tiriel's Birthday Presents! to the workshop...

 

These are probably stupid questions but I'll ask them anyway ;-) 1) Are we now supposed to only post our birthday drabbles in the workshop thingie? Will this forum then eventually close? Or are we supposed/allowed to post them both places? (I understand that they'll only go public if they are in the workshop system, but I don't care about that.) 2) Am I right in surmising that we can only post them over there when the birthday person has created a chapter? 3) If (2) is the case do we then post them here until that happens? 4) If they are posted in the workshop thing so they automatically go public or is there an option for the writer to indicate that somethingis for members only? Thank you, Avon

 

Score! More questions to answer! 1. No. Workshop accompanies this forum. The process for workshop is going to replace posting to the hawriters story. People will post birthday drabbles to this forum as we've always done: that way everyone can enjoy them! 2. No. The birthday person much create a story and add it to the shop. Anyone who drabbles for a birthday person can add a chapter to contain his/her gift to the person. 3. I'm hoping that in May, this will be publicized enough that when people make their requests here, in this forum, they will also just create a story and add it to the workshop. We'll see how it works. I'm thinking that maybe a note next to the person's b-day request would work: "Story in shop" or "Story not yet created", or something like that. 4. The drabbles for that month will go public when that month's challenge closes. The monthly birthday challenge goes hand-in-hand with the new b-day cards workshop system. Naturally, if a drabbler does not want his/her drabble shown on the public side, a chapter can always be set to "Private" (which the drabbler can do when s/he adds the drabble to the person's birthday story). HTH, Allie Challenges Manager

 

Okay, I played around the workshop area and am confused now. How do I create a story in the workshop? I'm not a writer and have never published anything. But I love the birthday drabbles for me. It was so easy just to request a drabble. Chris (not sure as a mostly reader and beta reader what to make of workshops)

 

 

It's very, very simple. You're already a member of the workshop, so that makes things very easy. I am going to post the instructions that Gwynnyd wrote up for the new system (read: Gwynnyd is a saint and the Epitome of Ultimate Spiffiness, because she wrote the instructions and did it much better than I ever could have, and everyone should bow down and worship her) in the workshop, under a new story. The story will be called Instructions for Birthday Drabbling, and it will be listed in the stories of the workshop. If you click on the My Workshops link in the left hand navigation bar, it'll take you to a list of your shops, and HASA Birthday Cards is where the instructions story will be located. Allie *trotting off to create said story...*

 

Thanks Allie, I think the instructions are clear. Although I haven't followed them so far . Should I go and add a story for me for March and then someone else is going to add the drabbles? Chris

 

Yep, go ahead. Since there aren't too many April requests, I figure that anyone who wants to take the initiative and make a story, can. It is limited to stories the first three months of the year, though: stuff from last year will remain in the hawriters story. Once this gets off the ground, it possible that I might make another workshop solely for drabbles from January, February, and March, and create challenges for those. But right now, I'm holding off and waiting to see how this works... Allie

 

Gwynnyd is a saint and the Epitome of Ultimate Spiffiness, because she wrote the instructions and did it much better than I ever could have, and everyone should bow down and worship her Hear, hear! The story will be called Instructions for Birthday Drabbling, and it will be listed in the stories of the workshop. The instructions are great! Very clear and concise. So, we are moving the birthday request from a separate "Request" chapter to the story summary? I think that's an excellent idea! Will go change mine now... - Barbara

 

Ehh, do I have to register as an author, before I can add a story to the workshop? I'm not an author of anything... Chris

 

Ehh, do I have to register as an author, before I can add a story to the workshop? I'm not an author of anything... Nope! You're a member, so you already have the power to create stories. If you don't know how to do that, the Stories tutorial (located in the upper right hand corner, under Search, on the stories home page) would be most helpful. Gwynnyd wrote up a wonderful step-by-step for adding a story to workshop, which I put into a story, and called Instructions for Birthday Drabbling. It tells how to add a story to the workshop. HTH, Allie Challenge Mistress

 

To Elena, Of course I saw the drabbles! I loved them! I did reply, too...but I think it was the end of the thread so you might not have seen it. But the pair was wonderful! Thank you once again! Concerning the workshop Er...I went and joined the workshop, and I will go and see what it's like properly. And create a story for my birthday request. I hope that turns out okay. hugs, Narwen

 

Of course I saw the drabbles! I loved them! I did reply, too...but I think it was the end of the thread so you might not have seen it. But the pair was wonderful! Thank you once again! Oh, I'm so relieved you saw them! I was worried that they were sooooo late... I'm really glad you liked them! When you set up your story in the Workshop, I'll be sure to add my drabble gift. - Barbara

 

Gwynnyd wrote up a wonderful step-by-step for adding a story to workshop, which I put into a story, and called Instructions for Birthday Drabbling. It tells how to add a story to the workshop. But that's exactly where I got stuck. It says in step 2: Click the Click here to add a story link in the right part of the window. (Gwynnyd edited in the italic close here) Only I don't have this link under My Stuff. I only have a link which asks my to register as an author. That's not really what I want to do, since I don't contribute as an author. Chris

 

Only I don't have this link under My Stuff. I only have a link which asks my to register as an author. That's not really what I want to do, since I don't contribute as an author Becoming an author doesn't mean you need to do any more at HASA than you already do or put any requirement on you to write stories or anything. It simply means that a flag is set in the databse that runs the HASA site which allows you to post stories if you want to. If you never use your 'author' status to post more than your birthday drabble story, that's fine. Please do consider becoming an "author" in order to post your birthday drabble story. We really won't expect anything more of you! PS I think you asked earlier what Workshop might mean to you as a reader and beta reader. As a reader, it allows you to gather together stories you've enjoyed into playlists, so you can make it easier for other people to find pieces you liked. As a beta reader, Workshop is a place to work with authors on their stories, with a set of tools that allow you to provide comments right in the story text wihtout having to cut and paste examples anywhere else. Gwynnyd Workshop Admin

 

Hi Allie! May I recommend a very slight modification to the instructions? When I just now posted a drabble in Dwim's workshop story, I couldn't remember where to put my author name (in the chapter title, or with the drabble title in the chapter body), so I had to go back and look at another story to find out. It might be good to mention in the instructions that the chapter title should be of the form: [Drabble Title] - by [Author] Thanks! - Barbara

 

Hi everyone!

First, I want to congratulate you on how well the Workshop concept has worked in the Birthday Cards Forum. IMHO, it's a perfect fit...

Second, I want to beg request that you open a challenge for the March 2005 birthday babies, so we can add our stories to it and make them public. March was a transitional month, but I believe that most of the March babies did create Workshop stories, and they should be made public.

Or, to quote the illustrious Allie: I want people to see how many awesome presents I got, damn it!

Any chance you could do this for us? Pleeeeeeeaaase?

- Barbara

P.S. Will you be opening a September 2005 thread here soon? I have a friend who is chomping at the bit...... and I want someplace to put my gift when I finish it!

 

Haaaaaaallllloooooooo?

*Barbara hears the echoes off the empty walls of the Birthday Cards forum...*

Is anyone here?

*Tap - tap - tap* Er, did I kill the thread?

 

...is my command.

The Illustrious One

edit: Well, er, the second wish is my command... I'll get to setting up a March challenge soon.

 

Your wish... ...is my command.

LOL! Thank you, Allie!

Some gorgeous drabbles, coming right up to the challenge... as soon as it's up!

Woohoo!

- Barbara

 

First, I want to congratulate you on how well the Workshop concept has worked in the Birthday Cards Forum. IMHO, it's a perfect fit..

 

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• Dragonfall
• Gift-giving of Celeborn, The
• HASA Birthday Cards 2004
• HASA Birthday Cards 2005
• Instructions for Birthday Drabbling
• Meril's 2005 Birthday Presents!
• Sometime Ever After
• Tanaqui's 2005 Birthday Presents