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.
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…
This is an analysis on whether the Sindar ate the Petty-dwarves during the years they hunted them, completed for the 'Literary Analysis' prompt on the "Tolkien Meta" bingo card.
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
Inspiration
Your characters inspire you--but what inspires them? Consider what inspires your characters to act and create. 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.
Awww! Well done. I really enjoyed this story. I like the background details that you've given to Amárië. I like the interpretation that you give of the text from the Grey Annals which says, "and she was not permitted to go with him into exile." The implication, of course, being that she wanted to go, but someone stopped her.
Thank you, I'm so glad you liked it! I knew right away when I saw the challenge that I wanted to write Amarië, but I wasn't sure where I was going with her until that "not permitted to go" popped out at me when I read your character biography.
I really like how rebellious Amarie is! It shows how brave she is, even though she thinks herself a coward. It's also nice to see her find a new family, who will support her and her decisions. Also, one that's full of people who are brave in less conventional ways, like her...Arafinwe for turning back to deal with the aftermath of the fight at Alqualonde, and Earwen for holding her two people together through everything.
Great story! It's always fun to read things about the more obscure characters like Amarie.
Poor Amarië has spent a lot of time regretting not standing up to her parents and running after Finrod. She may be surprised to learn he spent a lot of time in Beleriand thanking the Valar that she wasn't there, much as he missed her... I think Eärwen needed Amarië as much as Amarië needed her.
This is so lovely. I am sorry it has taken me so long to put into writing what I told you in person at the Mereth Aderthad!
Things I love ...
The clear turning point, when Amarie realizes the convenience of conformity has led her to lose the one she loves, represented by the moment when she leaves her parents' home to go to Findarato's parents. This is such a loaded moment--the leaving of home a symbol of a coming of age delayed by the horror of the Darkening and then her hesitancy to follow Findarato.
The style is simple, the words few, and yet I have tears in my eyes when I read this. Her despair over learning not only of his death but the manner of his death is heartbreaking.
The reembodiment scene ... admittedly, this is a personal quirk because I love stories that imagine this. :) (I wrote a Finrod-reembodiment story myself, but the witness was Finarfin, not Amarie!) Her horror at the sight of him, followed by her joy as she feels the life returning to his body ... again, you are not super-elaborate in telling this story, but the simplicity really works. And of course the very satisfying ending when she realizes what she wants and decides to involve his family this time in helping her to make the necessary decisions.
Thank you! No worries, I'm glad you commented on this story - it reminded me I meant to follow up with more of Finrod and Amarie!
Poor Amarie was convinced by her parents to do what she thought was the right thing, only to second-guess herself once it was too late. Her pious Vanyarin parents never understood, and their reaction to Finrod's death was really her breaking point.
I tried to keep Lorien/the reembodiment simple but not too simple - Amarie was so overloaded for most of it that she really wasn't able to take in much detail. The only thing she really notices besides Finrod is 'wait, why does Irmo not seem more sure about what he's doing?'
Comments
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.