Founded in 2005, the Silmarillion Writers' Guild exists for discussions of and creative fanworks based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion and related texts. We are a positive-focused and open-minded space that welcomes fans from all over the world and with all levels of experience with Tolkien's works. Whether you are picking up Tolkien's books for the first time or have been a fan for decades, we welcome you to join us!
New Challenge: Potluck Bingo Sit down to a delicious selection of prompts served on bingo boards, created by the SWG community.
Bingo Cards Wanted for Potluck Bingo Our November-December challenge will be Potluck Bingo, featuring cards created by you! If you'd like to create cards or prompts for cards, we are taking submissions.
Tolkien Meta Week, December 8-14 We will be hosting a Tolkien Meta Week in December, here on the archive and on our Tumblr, for nonfiction fanworks about Tolkien.
New Challenge: Orctober Orcs on a quest for freedom seek a place sheltered and safe from the Dark Lord. Fulfill prompts to gather the clues needed to bring them to freedom.
Fingon returns to Barad Eithel after a late-autumn hunt, finding someone unexpected with his wife. The night takes an even more unexpected turn for all three of them.
A series of articles featuring fan-made maps of all the lands of Arda. Part III explores the island of Númenor and mainland Middle-earth during the Second Age.
Created for the 'Geography/Maps/Places' prompt on the "Tolkien meta" bingo board, this is a collection of maps marked with the various people groups showing how they arrived and moved about Beleriand. This collection focuses specifically on the time from the arrival of the Teleri, Vanyar, and…
Current Challenge
Potluck Bingo
Help yourself to a collection of prompts on bingo boards designed by members and friends of the SWG. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Heroes
Create a fanwork about a hero, whether the typical saves-the-world type or the unlikely, unsung, and accidental, those who have been forgotten or perhaps were never noticed at all, who made their worlds a better place. Read more ...
A series of articles featuring fan-made maps of all the lands of Arda. Part III explores the island of Númenor and mainland Middle-earth during the Second Age.
A reworking of the 2018 article for Long Live Feedback that includes data from the 2020 Tolkien Fanfiction Survey, pointing to a lack of comments as related to skill, confidence, and community connection.
Part of our Themed Collection series for our newsletter, this collection features fiction, artwork, and essays that transcend the idea of Orcs as the enemy, instead considering their humanity.
He and Diamond were visiting, though Pippin had been disappearing every afternoon, and taking Frodo and Elanor and most other lads and lasses in the neighborhood with him—though why they couldn’t use Pippin’s own pony, Sam couldn’t imagine.
Lord of the Rings Secret Santa 2024
LotR SESA has been ongoing for twenty-one years and is running again this year as a prompt meme hosted on AO3 for all genres of Tolkien-based fanfiction.
Kiliel Week 2024
Kiliel Week is a Tumblr event for fanworks about the Kili/Tauriel pairing.
November challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The challenge for November has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. Thematic prompt: refuge. Formal challenge: include imitation of a sound. As always, these can be filled independently and also freely combined with SWG and other challenges. New participants welcome!
The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.
Both of the poem and the illumination artwork are beautiful. I hope you do not mind but the artwork was displayed today at Roisin's viewing. A lot of people asked me where it came from and who made it. I thought you would want to know your artwork was very much admired by many today and it will continue to be a treasured heirloom in our home. It really is gorgeous Dawn and I know it meant a great deal to Roisin to recieve it.
Oh, Dawn, I love this. Not just the illumination, but the simplicity, the eloquence, the formatting and the message (that everything has a purpose? That's how I took it)...
Thank you, Mistrali! :) That's more or less the theme I was going for, yes; I would probably say that even from tragic circumstances, beauty can arise. I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)
I just came across this posted on tumblr, and thought it was absolutely stunning... I had a go at translating it into Quenya if you'd like to see (here).
Wow, thank you, Almare! I'll add your link to the original poem here so that others can enjoy your work on it. (Unless you'd like me to post the translation as a second chapter and give you co-author credit? Please let me know if you do--I'd love to share it here too, if you don't mind! :)
This poem inspires mixed feelings in me, since it was made as a gift for someone who turned out to be very deceptive (she continues to hold the original ... grr ...), but it's definitely an instance where bad circumstances produced something that, it appears, brought joy to others. Like so much in life!
Thanks, Oshun. Apparently, the poem and illumination are getting new mileage on Tumblr, which I like, since it lets me associate the project with something other than what it was intended for. Had I had more time, I could have done better with the calligraphy and especially the illumination, but I'm happy with it, for a quickie job.
Still wish I had my effing original back--that was on real vellum! :)
I'm with Oshun very much - it made me hesitant to comment initially, but your work isn't cheapened by the events that transpired around it, and Almarë's translation is very lovely - I am not sure how, but it maintains the same feeling as the original. Wonderful work by both of you.
Thank you, Elleth. I was tickled to see the project getting new attention on Tumblr; I like that it's being seen for something other than what it was created for, and I'm so grateful for that. Replying to comments on coauthored pieces is always awkward, as I wish we could both respond, but Almare, if you want me to add a response for you, just let me know. :)
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The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.