ET's Dribs and Drabbles by Elena Tiriel
Larner · 1 October 2007 · Chapter 12: Men of the Twilight (Faramir, Éowyn, Éomer)
Ah, what a wonderful moment of epiphany, as he sees that the same darkness that sought him is loosing its hold on Eowyn as well.
Author's reply
Hi Larner! Yes, indeed, I think Faramir would recognize the similarity in their afflictions, and respond to that shared experience.... Thanks for your kind words! - Barbara
elliska · 10 June 2006 · Chapter 11: Dark Appetites (Shelob)
Ooo, yuck! I hate spiders and this is just to vivid to stand. Very well done.
Author's reply
Hee hee hee. Vivid, huh? My work here is done.... ;-D - Barbara
elliska · 10 June 2006 · Chapter 10: Claws (Smaug)
This is my favorite of your three new ones here in this collection. I love birds and this is so perfect--both because the crows were in the Hobbit and because they do love caching things. The last lines are great! Poor crow!
Author's reply
Hi Elliska! Yes, I think this is one of my favorites of all the drabbles I've written... it was hard, but satisfying to try to think like a crow! But the poor guy should never mess with a Great Fire-beast! LOL! Thanks for your kind words! - Barbara
elliska · 10 June 2006 · Chapter 9: The Usurper (Castamir, Ornendil)
Wow! That is really sick--a great way to illustrate the line you quoted in your author's note. Very powerful!
Author's reply
Yeah, isn't it just really sick? I got the (sick! sick! sick!) idea for punishment from a documentary about Attila the Hun... it made rather a nasty impression on my poor, innocent, impressionable mind! LOLOL! Thanks, Elliska, for letting me know you found it powerful! - Barbara
daw the minstrel · 10 June 2006 · Chapter 11: Dark Appetites (Shelob)
In the first person this is really creepy.
Author's reply
Hi Daw! Yes, I think Shelob is one character who lends herself to first person narrative rather well..... That is, if you have a twisted mind like mine! LOLOL! Thanks for your thoughts! - Barbara
daw the minstrel · 10 June 2006 · Chapter 10: Claws (Smaug)
Oh, poor raven. I'm remembering now they were all around the mountain. Clever to use them here.
Author's reply
Hi Daw! Thanks! Yes, I really liked the ravens in The Hobbit, and Tolkien gave them such wonder names... LOL! I think this guy is just a plain, ordinary crow... and it was a bit hard to put myself in his shoes, so to speak ;-) Thanks for your review! - Barbara
daw the minstrel · 10 June 2006 · Chapter 9: The Usurper (Castamir, Ornendil)
I admit I looked at those names (Castamir, Ornendil) and said 'Who?' Tolkien has all these little stories tucked away inside his big story that are just a gold mine for fanfiction.
Author's reply
Hi Daw! Yes, Castamir and Ornendil are names dredged out of the Appendices... which I might never have even looked at if I hadn't started contributing to the Research Library at HASA! LOLOL! And then I discovered Unfinished Tales... *rolls eyes* And I, too, appreciate all the little stories tucked away that we fanfic writers can mine... what would we ever do without them? (Just thinking of your wonderful story about the Battle of the Five Armies, which Tolkien didn't tell us nearly enough about!) Thanks for your review, Daw! and please forgive me for not replying in a timely manner :-( - Barbara
LadyMorrigan87 · 17 March 2006 · Chapter 8: A Long, Unexpected Drabble (OFC)
Loved it! Very unique. I definately would not have thought of that. Drabbles are so hard to write because they use so little words.
Author's reply
Hi Lady Morrigan! I'm so sorry I didn't see this review and reply to it when you posted... please forgive my oversight! I've written a lot of drabbles now... but the struggle always remains the same: try to say just enough, but not too much... use really strong, evocative language... and, to top it all off, fit it all in 100 words! It's an obsession, really... but one that I really enjoy. ;-) Thank you for your encouraging review! - Barbara
Werecat · 4 May 2005 · Chapter 6: Triumph Incarnate (Sauron)
Probably one of the most powerful drabbles I've read. Good work.
Author's reply
Thank you, Werecat! I struggled with Sauron's voice for three whole days - but once I (literally) sneered, he deigned to speak to me. - Barbara
Hobbit Lass21 · 29 April 2005 · Chapter 8: A Long, Unexpected Drabble (OFC)
LOLOL!!! Yes, the diffiuclty of writing drabbles...EXACTLY one hundred words is no easy task!
Author's reply
Yes, indeed! Once I get close to the count, I actually start counting by hand, because I don't trust software like Word to do it accurately... but then, as soon as I get a count, I change my mind and reword the drabble... then have to re-count... It's a vicious cycle, I tell you! Is there a Drabbles Anonymous help group available? - Barbara, who doesn't really want to be cured... ;-D
daw the minstrel · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 8: A Long, Unexpected Drabble (OFC)
LOL.
Author's reply
Yes! It's funny, but there's a level of reality, too... drabblists tend to be a bit, um, obsessive...
daw the minstrel · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 7: Silver and Gold (Celeborn, Galadriel)
Ah lovely. I like the tree imagery in Galadriel's description of what Celeborn was to her.
Author's reply
Thanks, Daw! I imagine that Celeborn really was the roots binding her to the soil of Middle-earth for so long... It's odd what pops up when you try to look at a character through another's eyes...
daw the minstrel · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 6: Triumph Incarnate (Sauron)
Well hardee har, the laugh's on you, Sauron. Except not enough this time.
Author's reply
Hee, hee, hee! One of the few times when a bad guy gets his due...
daw the minstrel · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 5: Alas, Poor Ufthak! (Ufthak, Shagrat, Orcs)
Oh my goodness, that's so cruel. Ick.
Author's reply
Thanks, Daw! It takes a genius author -- and I definitely don't mean me -- to parody such a sick, twisted attitude. I just ran with it a little... ;-)
daw the minstrel · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 3: There and Back Again (Frodo, Bilbo, Balin, Gandalf)
Tolkien really does a nice job of using allusions to his previous characters to add depth to whatever story he was telling. You do it here too.
Author's reply
Thank you, Daw! I was worried that some people haven't read The Hobbit, so might not catch the back-story, but I think it worked out okay anyway.
daw the minstrel · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 1: A Long Tradition of Ancient Lore (Faramir, Denethor)
Oh, oh. You're so good with all this canon, ET. I have ROTK playing on the CD player in my car and just today I got to the part where Eowyn gives Merry the silver horn that Eol brought south. The one from a worm's hoard. I wondered about that!
Author's reply
Thanks, Daw! So many of the quotes tucked here and there in Tolkien's writing just cry out for embellishment... Yes, the horn that Éowyn gave Merry was indeed from Scatha's hoard... and I've always imagined that it was the same one pictured on the tapestry in this quote: "Many woven cloths were hung upon the walls [of Meduseld].... But upon one form the sunlight fell: a young man upon a white horse. He was blowing a great horn, and his yellow hair was flying in the wind. The horse's head was lifted, and its nostrils were wide and red as it neighed, smelling battle afar. Foaming water, green and white, rushed and curled about its knees. 'Behold Eorl the Young!' said Aragorn. 'Thus he rode out of the North to the Battle of the Field of Celebrant.'" The Two Towers, LoTR Book 3, Ch 6, The King of the Golden Hall *Fangurly sigh* Not that the general hunkiness of the Rohirrim would ever influence staid old me, of course...
The Karenator · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 1: A Long Tradition of Ancient Lore (Faramir, Denethor)
Ah, the reluctant student...until the dry history gets exciting with dragons and brave men. No boy can turn down such a tale. Denethor was wise to bring that story up! And I liked seeing Denethor as a good father. Terrific. I'm sorry I've finished...backward as I was. You've done an extraordinary job of telling us so much within the confines of so few words. Impressive. Karen
Author's reply
Thank you, Karen, for your very kind words! I love drabbles for the challenge they represent: with only 100 words, each one must contribute to the whole... I have a terrible time getting some of them to coalesce into a whole. Glad you liked Denethor's portrayal! I'm beginning to believe that the "long tradition" of loving lore has more to do with a long line of fathers struggling to figure out exactly what event might trigger their son's interest in History...
The Karenator · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 2: Ambush in Ithilien (Faramir, Rangers)
I could feel the tenseness of awaiting battle in these few words. Excellent how you've captured so much emotion. I liked this one too. Karen
Author's reply
Thanks, Karen! This is the first drabble I've written from the standpoint of just before a battle, and I think the tension worked out okay.
The Karenator · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 3: There and Back Again (Frodo, Bilbo, Balin, Gandalf)
Another nice expansion of canon. The flow from your work into Tolkien's was so seamless, I had to look twice. I'm really impressed with how well you've done this. Very good look at Frodo. Karen
Author's reply
Thank you, Karen! I was worried that the quote came from a time after the back-story (the first few lines of the drabble) and before the last line, but I think it worked out okay. (However, I did add an extra blank line between the drabble and the quote to all my drabbles to separate them better...)
The Karenator · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 4: Earth and Sky (Legolas, Gimli)
I like this! When Legolas drags Gimli from Balin's tomb, we see a change in their relationship. You captured this beautifully. Nice! Karen
Author's reply
Thank you, Karen! I think that Legolas really began to care about Gimli's feelings there... before, he recognized him (maybe) as "a warrior", but after, he became "my fellow warrior". Too bad his prayer that Gimli be spared any more grief didn't come true.
The Karenator · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 5: Alas, Poor Ufthak! (Ufthak, Shagrat, Orcs)
Holy cow! Chilling look into the orc mind. Again, you've take an obsure passage and gave it an inner life. Poor Ufthak! The thought of being a spider snack makes me shudder. Very good! Karen
Author's reply
Thanks, Karen! Yeah, when Tolkien hands me lines like that, it's rather easy to take off and run with it... I've always identified with the spider snacks of this world... LOL!
The Karenator · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 6: Triumph Incarnate (Sauron)
Saron's head! Wonderful. You matched canon with your original take so well. What a nasty guy. The imagery was terrific. Karen
Author's reply
Thanks, Karen! I just absolutely loved seeing Sauron get his due in this quote (at least temporarily). Thank you for commenting on the imagery, I worked hard at that...
The Karenator · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 7: Silver and Gold (Celeborn, Galadriel)
Wow! This was lovely. I enjoyed the brief but powerful glimpses into the feelings that these two lovers have for one another. Very nice. I'm reading these backwards for some reason. Please be patient with me! Karen
Author's reply
Thanks, Karen! "Brief but powerful" -- that means a lot to me! Um, I'm a very generous person -- you may read these in whichever order you choose! ;-D (I'm answering these reviews one chapter at a time, instead of in order, just so I can keep straight which review pertains to which drabble -- I get confused otherwise!)
The Karenator · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 8: A Long, Unexpected Drabble (OFC)
How cute! I can identify with the scribbler. Trying to fit canon, plots, characters, pipweed and chocolate cake all together is a challenge. Not that I did this one, but I understand the struggle. I got a nice smile out this. Enjoyed it! Karen
Author's reply
Glad you got a smile out of it! As if fitting all those elements together was bad enough (although I cheated by writing about the writing itself), getting them into the word count was just as hard as it describes in the drabble... ;-)
Sulriel · 28 March 2005 · Chapter 6: Triumph Incarnate (Sauron)
wonderful twisted perspective!
Author's reply
Thanks, Sulriel! You know, I worked on this drabble off and on for nearly three days, and just could *not* get Sauron's "voice" right. But then I sneered -- yes, an actual physical sneer -- and suddenly he began talking to me incessantly! It was... disconcerting.