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SWG News
New Challenge: Tengwar
Each day for thirty-six days, we feature a randomly chosen letter from the Tengwar as a prompt.
A Sense of History: Crossroads
In the ongoing series on towers in Tolkien's work, a thread runs through "The Lord of the Rings," revealing the divine assistance of Varda in the travails of the Fellowship.
Cultus Dispatches: Canon Deviations, Multifandoms, and Original Content
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data gives some insight into what connections, if any, exist between fanfiction and original fiction.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] Tengwar (working title) by cuarthol
For the Tengwar prompt challenge. To be updated as new prompts are completed.
Current up through 'Anca'
[Writing] I Stood Aside by Flora-lass
Maedhros' horror at the burning of the ships. Inspired by a painting (see notes).
[Reference] Thálatta! Thálatta! by Simon J. Cook
While he never climbs the stairs of this Elf-tower, in Lothlórien Frodo Baggins descends a flight of steps to look into Galadriel’s Mirror, wherein he first sees the sea. This post examines the view.
[Writing] Words of Wisdom by AdmirableMonster
One or more drabbles about Pengolodh and his babysitter Salgant.
[Writing] Les Mots de Sagesse by AdmirableMonster
Plusieurs petites histoires qui parle de Pengolodh et Salgant pendant des moments differents.
[Writing] "Tengwar" ficlets by chrissystriped
Fics written for the "Tengwar" challenge.
[Writing] Upon Cirith Thoronath by StarSpray
A horrid cacophony of cries erupts ahead of them, as orcs appear—up the cliff on hidden ledges, on the path, with bows and swords. And behind them rises a figure of darkness and flame. The heat rolls down the path over them, bringing the smell of burning flesh and bitter fear with it. Someone…
Current Challenge
Tengwar
A daily prompt of a Tengwar letter per day. Read more ...
Random Challenge
New in References
Thálatta! Thálatta! by Simon J. Cook
[]While he never climbs the stairs of this Elf-tower, in Lothlórien Frodo Baggins descends a flight of steps to look into Galadriel’s Mirror, wherein he first sees the sea. This post examines the view.
[]
With Gildor Inglorion we finally climb the stairs of Elostirion and look on the view, and what we see appears to reveal a hidden thread in the story of Frodo Baggins. This post reads two annotated translations of two Elvish songs to step through a crossroads in the narrative to arrive at the tower on the margin of the story, wherein is a stone that is a window onto Valinor.
Grief, Grieving, and Permission to Mourn in the "Quenta Silmarillion" by Dawn Walls-Thumma
[]In a book as full of death as the Quenta Silmarillion, grief and mourning are surprisingly absent. The characters who receive grief and mourning—and those who don't—appear to do so due to narrative bias. Grief and mourning (or a lack of them) serve to draw attention toward and away from objectionable actions committed by characters.
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Writing] Waybread (The Waybredlik) by Himring
[]Lembas speaks out.
[Series] Apr 1st Stories by Uvatha the Horseman
[]Once a year on April 1st, a canon character from LOTR or the Silmarillion gets pranked.
[Writing] Crossing Forest River by Dawn Felagund
[]Bilbo recounts, in verse, the attempt of Gandalf, Beorn, and him to cross the Forest River after the Battle of Five Armies. Written for the Hungarian Tolkien Society's 2024 Mailing Competition.
Around the World and Web
Monstrous May 2024
Monstrous May is a Tumblr event where, for each day of the month of May, there is a prompt involving and invoking the monstrous.
Fellowship of the Fics: Modern AU May
During May, Fellowship of the Fics offers modern AU prompt lists for setting, character occupation, and dialogue on Tumblr.
May challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The May challenge has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. Thematic challenge: name; formal challenge: acrostic. As usual, these can be filled independently and freely combined with other prompts such as the SWG challenges. New participants welcome!
May 2024 Calls for Papers
Conferences and publications that have open calls for papers in May 2024.
Angbang Week 2024
All new, unpublished fanworks about the Angbang (Melron) ship are welcome during this Tumblr event, running 6-12 May 2024.
In Rare Form
Gapfiller. Romance. Slash. Drama. Horror. Hurt/comfort. These genres have populated fanzines and archives with stories for decades and continue to be popular among fanfiction writers. This month's challenge, however, invites fanworks creators to try something "in rare form," using a format or genre that is rarely utilized in Tolkien fanfiction.
Below, we have compiled lists of rare fanwork formats and rare genres. Choose one (or more!) from one of the lists and create a fanwork that fits the format or genre. Is there a rare format or genre you'd like to try that you don't see on the list? Feel free to ask! Email us at moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org.
This month also has a recommendation challenge. Find a fanwork or few for one of the rare formats or genres listed below and recommend your favorite(s). Please post your recommendations to our Dreamwidth, LiveJournal, or Tumblr (please tag @silmarillionwritersguild) to receive the stamp.
This challenge opened in .
Prompts
Choose your prompt from the collection below.
- View Prompts
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Rare Formats
- comic
- cooking/recipe
- craft
- dance/movement
- fanvid
- game
- LARP/cosplay
- map
- podfic
- script/screenplay
- song/music/lyrics (including filk)
Rare Genres
- authorfic
- choose your own adventure
- crime fiction
- dystopia
- epistolary
- fable
- fairytale
- folktale
- found poem
- Gothic fiction
- magical realism
- mathematical fiction
- metafic
- musical fiction
- (murder) mystery
- mythopoeia
- political/spy thriller
- prose poem
- pulp fiction
- satire
- science fiction
- sea story
- space opera
- splatterpunk
- steampunk
- surrealism
- tall tale
- urban fantasy
- western
- wingfic
Fanworks Tagged with In Rare Form
Ryhme of Letters by turlas
A smal chant made up by the schoolboys of Minas Tirith to help remember the Quenya names of the tengwar. In it the high and the low, the funny and the grave are strangely mixed, as it is pieced together from trivia of the Elder Days and notions relating to the then recent events of the War of the Ring
The Legend of Fasta and Nykr by Raiyana
A Dwarven fairytale involving some Scandinavic folkloric creatures
I originally wrote the bones of this for a Fíli ficlet; it is a tale told to Dwarf-children, but I thought it fitted the challenge so well I had to polish it up a little.
Blue and Silver, Black and Gold by Lferion
Fingon the legend juxtaposed with Fingon the person.
Flames and Moths by HannaGoldworthy
Vignettes of relationships between Elves and Men, with the addition of one small detail.
Let Me Play Among The Stars by Grundy
Elves in space. Or at least, elves on a space station.
My Dearest Makalaurë by StarSpray
Before he departs for Middle-earth, Gandalf takes pity on Nerdanel and offers to carry a letter for her.
A Song of Staying by Himring
In the far future, in a galaxy far, far away, a few lines from the Silmarillion still serve as inspiration.
The appeal of an ending by Tyelca
Fëanor writes a letter to Nerdanel.
Burning (Things Change) by Independence1776
Maglor and Order 66.
(A gapfiller for "Fear No Darkness.")
The Fairest Vessels That Ever Sailed by Lindariel
Teleporno and Alatáriel find outlets for their knowledge as they begin to get used to life in Middle-Earth.
A Walk down Memory Lane by Raiyana
The Story of the Courtship of Curufin, son of Fëanor, told via a collection of objects left behind in Aman.
Collection of vignettes, really.
You're welcome to play 'Spot the object'; there are usually more than the title implies involved ;)
