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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: To The Letter by cuarthol
For the Tengwar prompt challenge. To be updated as new prompts are completed.
Current up through 'Malta'
[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
Turning Point
The Silmarillion has many moments when a character stands upon a crossroad: He or she will have to make a decision. At such a turning point in your story, create a fanwork about that moment that will define or alter the life of your character. Read more ...
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.
New Directions
This month, we challenge our authors and artists to attempt creating a fanwork about a character they've never written or drawn before, using one of the best resources on the SWG website: our character biography collection. From our list of character biographies, choose someone that you do not know much about or have not written/drawn before. Read the character biography and create a fanwork about that character. (Helpful hint: We have no way of knowing if you read more than one biography before choosing your character!)
While you're exploring the biography collection, we encourage you to let our biography writers know in a comment if you enjoy their work. Biographies take hours to days to research and write and often do not garner the kinds of attention and comments that stories do. So let's show our biography writers some love for the valuable work they do for our group!
This challenge opened in .
Fanworks Tagged with New Directions
Fourth Father by eris_of_imladris
One year after arriving in Gil-galad's camp, Elrond learns of the fates of Maedhros and Maglor.
The Manly-hearted Woman by oshun
This is a story of Haleth. The challenge it meets requires that one write a story based upon one of the SWG bios about a character one has never written before. I owe many writers for my inspiration, but mainly those who have written Caranthir/Haleth stories I have read and enjoyed over the long years I have been reading Silmarillion fanfiction. I did write the original SWG bio of Haleth, but I wrote it so many years ago that I thought someone else might have written it, until I opened it to consult it for source material (it’s definitely one of mine). This is a story complete in itself, but I do reserve the right to add an epilogue.
And once again, I must thank IgnobleBard for his Beta read at the last minute!
For Those Who Hold a Silmaril In Their Hands by LadyBrooke
Erellont is young when Finrod leaves, and his uncle goes with him.
Of Huor of the House of Hador by StarSpray
Six moments in the life of Huor son of Galdor
Of Voronwe's Parents by Himring
Two vignettes featuring the parents of Voronwe of Gondolin.
Inspired by Oshun's bio of Voronwe's father Aranwe, which is here.
A Second Chance by Grundy
"She whom he had loved was Amárië of the Vanyar, and she was not permitted to go with him into exile."
Sunset to Sunrise by Tyelca
A quiet night at home for Arien, Bearer of the Sun.
Annael's Reunion by Kaylee Arafinwiel
After far too long, Annael of the Grey-elves reunites with one he thought lost.
The Snakes and the Flowers by Lyra
A young Vanyarin poet makes some clever observations, the relevance of which only grows apparent in good time.
Inspired by Oshun's character biography of Barahir, and written for the "New Directions" challenge... and a different character altogether.
New Directions by hennethgalad
The friends of Eärendil, returning from Valinor.
With a surprise visitor.
