February Activities 2012

[ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor]

Hello, and welcome to SPEW Buddies! If you've never participated in this before, SPEW buddies is an activity in which you are paired up with a fellow SPEWer. You both review each other and then participate in a character chat, an example of which can be found here. You can conduct these chats either by IM or by PM (total word count should be at least 500 words between all characters); the IM chats should be dialogue only and the PMs written like letters, as illustrated in the chats thread. Which you choose to do is up to you.

If you're interested, please sign up in this thread by no later than the end of the day (US Pacific Time, GST -8) on the 8th.

[ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor]

Naturally, with Valentine's Day looming in the corner like a giant pink Dementor, I feel the need to rub it in a bit more and make the whole month themed in romance. What we are going to discuss is Romance Fics and the various sub-genres therein. To me, there are four basic kinds of romance stories in Harry Potter:

• Canon Romance: Pairings which were dictated by JKR, either in the series or in interview canon. For example, Harry/Ginny, James/Lily, Draco/Astoria, Remus/Tonks...
• Non-Canon Romance: Pairings which did not exist in canon, yet they fit into canon.
• Canon-Contradictory Romance: Pairings which defy canon set by JKR, like Draco/Hermione, Neville/Luna, Draco/Harry, etc
• Rarepairs: Pairings which are either Non-Canon or Canon-Contradictory but are not mainstream/portrayed often. Often, they are quite random and take some interesting scene-setting by the author. Examples include: Draco/Katie, Harry/Pansy, Percy/Daphne

As always, ask and answer at least one TQ (topic question) for this discussion to count toward your monthly requirements. Here are a couple to get you started:

What are some of the challenges of reviewing stories featuring a mix of these shipping genres?

Which is your favourite to read? To review? Why?

[ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor]

As most of you have noticed via your hard work in preparing for it, there is a great point-gaining activity over in Fiction Junction called the 2012 Fiction Junction Review Drive. Simply put, you all scoured the archives for stories written or updated in the past year which could use some review love. Now, it's time to review some of those stories.

Your challenge is this: Review THREE stories featured in the Review Drive. Discussion will be optional, but feel free to chip in anything you'd wish in this thread along with your review links. These reviews CAN be used toward your monthly reviewing requirements, as well, so you can knock those out while doing your activity, as well.

While these reviews do not have to be amazing reviews that require any sort of SPEW idol worshipping, but they should be of good quality, reflective of the things we require from reviewers in our ranks, and employing the three main areas of reviewing (Tone, Organisation, Reasoning). Please do bear in mind that: if you choose to use these reviews toward your monthly requirements, if you are not a trainee, these reviews will be scored as normal; if you are a trainee, these reviews will still need to be approved by your mentor before being posted.

And, as you are participating in the Fiction Junction challenge, don't forget to register your reviews in the Review Submission Thread in Fiction Junction forum, as well, so they can be scored and awarded points. You earned those points, after all.

Most of all, though, I really do encourage you to do more than three. Even if they are a paragraph listing a few things about the story that you liked or even some minor concrit, you are still giving the gift of reviews to stories which have not been shown a lot of love. I can't think of a better way to celebrate the Month of Love.

[welshdevondragon]

In spite of very unprofessional last-minute-ness (and we'll leave it at that) last month, I do hope Jess forgives me, and is willing to let me do SPEW buddies again

[Maple_and_PheonixFeather]

I would love to do it again!

[iMusic17]

I want to try this! It looks like fun!

[Padfoot11333]

I'd love to do this again--please sign me up

[Alex]

I've never done this, but it sounds fun... Sign me up

[MissMeg]

I'd also like a SPEW buddy.
-Meg

[babewithbrains]

I'd like a SPEW buddy