November's Challenges
First Meetings
Thanks to Marta for suggesting this challenge idea!
How might a character originating from and living in Valinor react to his or her first meeting with a character just arriving from Middle-earth?
The possibilities for this challenge are vast and encompass all of the ages and Tolkien's works. Perhaps the first to come to mind are those characters from the Third Age who travelled to Tol Eressëa at the end of The Lord of the Rings. However, this challenge also contains the possibility of working with characters well beyond these obvious examples. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Describe the first confrontation between a son of Fëanor and Gimli, knowing that Galadriel gave Gimli the gift of her hair that she'd denied Fëanor.
- Write how Aulë might react to this same situation, to meet one of the most influential of his Dwarves.
- Describe the thoughts of a Valinorean horsemaster upon his first acquaintance with Shadowfax.
- Develop a scene where Eärendil meets his grandsons Elladan and Elrohir for the first time.
- Describe the first conversation between Finarfin--who has never met a mortal man before--and Tuor. Or write about his first encounter with a hobbit.
Fanged Geranium has a current work-in-progress that takes a humorous look at
certain Elves' arrival in Valinor and the government's response to it. Check
out "Welcome to Valinor" here.
If you have ideas for compelling story hooks for this challenge or know of any good examples of stories that satisfy this challenge (either your own or someone else's), please feel free to share them in a comment or in a post to the group.
Differing Perspectives
Thank you to Tarion Anarore for helping me to develop this challenge idea and for lending her talents to illustrate it.
Choose a drabble or another work by an author that illustrates a single character's perspective. After seeking the original author's permission, write the same event--using all of the author's original conventions--from a different character's perspective.
Tarion's and my drabbles that inspired this challenge may be found here. Please be forewarned that these drabbles include violence.
News and Announcements
Progress on Our Archive Site
Due to some unforeseen circumstances, our archive site has experienced a bit of a setback. I am hoping to resume work on our site soon so that we have a home for our Silmarillion stories and resources in the New Year. I owe great gratitude to Maedhros (Nelyo), who has given me great help on this project, and to the other members who have offered their expertise and assistance.
Reminder: Posting Format for LiveJournal Community
Just a gentle reminder to all members of the silwritersguild community that our posting format must be used when sharing stories. Please find details on our posting format here.
I am less concerned that writers follow this format to the letter than I am that ratings and warnings be clearly displayed. Please be aware that stories posted in the silwritersguildd community must include the following:
- Author Name
- Story Title
- Rating (either General or Adult)
- Warnings (to clarify the rating)
These items are covered in greater detail in our posting
guidelines, available through the community.