What are the posting requirements to share a story in the SWG? How does the SWG define 'Silmfic' or 'Silmarillion-based writing'?

We ask that members do their best to present their work in a coherent, professional manner. We understand that everyone makes mistakes, and we do not expect writers to become experts on grammar and usage, but--at the minimum--writing should be spellchecked and proofread for comprehension and grammar. Unless the writer has a good reason for doing otherwise, it should be organized into paragraphs and sentences--if prose--or into lines and stanzas if poetry. We do not require work to be reviewed or "beta'ed" but finding a good beta reader is a reasonable assurance that your work is in good shape for sharing on our site and community.

Writing that is shared on either our site archive or in our LiveJournal community must be related to or based on The Silmarillion or its related works, which include all other books by Tolkien that pertain to the events and ideas of The Silmarillion. This is one of the questions most often posed: Does my story count as a Silmarillion story? Or my story uses characters and events from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. How do I know if it's appropriate for your site? Does the SWG accept multi-age stories?

How does the SWG define 'Silmfic' or 'Silmarillion-based writing'?

When considering if your work is appropriate to post on our site, remember that the SWG was founded by and for Silmarillion fans who wanted a place where Silmarillion-based fiction wasn't "drowned out" by the more prolific stories based on The Lord of the Rings. Most of our readers either read primarily Silmarillion-based stories or come to our site because they are in the mood for Silmfic. Work posted on our site must have a significant basis in or connection to The Silmarillion.

Our moderation team does reserve the right to request the removal of stories without a significant basis in The Silmarillion. However, we generally trust our members to use their own discretion in this and tend to view "Silmarillion writing" very liberally. To help you as an author, here is a checklist with examples to use when you are considering posting a story to the archive and you are unsure. Your story should meet at least one of these criteria.

If in doubt, please don't hesitate to email us at moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org with a link to the story elsewhere on the Web, a summary, or copy of your story. We'll be happy to advise you!




Last updated 29 July 2018.

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