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: Bollywood This month's challenge offers songs, films, and tropes from Bollywood, the world's largest film industry based out of India, as prompts for fanworks.
Cultus Dispatches: Fandom Chocolate … or Authors Love Comments Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data provides insight into how comments benefit authors and which authors are most impacted by a lack of comments, with a digression on authors' perspectives one-click feedback like kudos.
A Sense of History: Passing Ships As Tolkien's characters in various texts gaze out to the sea, what do they see? What is brought by the ships coming out of the West?
Beta-Reader List Now Available The beta-reader list and profiles have been moved into our new system and are available again.
Largely focused on Númenor, its fall, and the aftermath, as seen from the perspective of two Mannish scientists, bit players in some ways, but who nonetheless cast their shadows across the history of Middle Earth.
A story of three friends in Númenor, one of whom attracts the attention of the High Priest. What does friendship mean in the shadow of the Black Temple?
Nimruzimir, a natural philosopher recently out of his apprenticeship, hardly considers himself very important to anyone, least of all his colleagues. When his strange, prophetic fits bring him to the attention of the High Priest, however, he may find that his existence is less superfluous than…
Elrond and Celebrían celebrate their anniversary with their family.
Current Challenge
Bollywood
Prompts this month are films, songs, and tropes from India's dazzling film industry, Bollywood. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Turgon's Rock Opera
On the anniversary of the publication of "The Silmarillion," we’re reflecting on the importance of music in Arda with prompts that come from rock songs. Read more ...
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data shows that authors view comments as driving their motivation to create fanfiction. However, perception of comments by authors is part of a larger shift in fandom around how and how often fans interact with each other.
The arrival and departure of ships across the Great Sea carries mythic significance for the peoples of Middle-earth. The image of ships crossing out of and back into a mysterious West appears as well in Beowulf and is alluded to in Tolkien's tower analogy in his lecture "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics," where the tower allows those who climb it to observe the passage of the ships.
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data shows that while most authors self-identify as taking their craft seriously, a growing subset of authors may be pushing that norm.
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.
So gathered they were to Bree, what lieutenants who could be spared, from their scattered watches west and east, for their chieftain had returned from his long sojourn in lands godless and mountains strange.
Aragorn returns from the South to tells his tales. Halbarad listens.
July challenge at tolkienshortfanworks posted
The tolkienshortfanworks challenge for July has been posted to the Dreamwidth community. The thematic challenge is: original character or unnamed canon character; the formal challenge: fixed length of multiple of 50 words. New participants welcome.
Teitho June/July Challenge: Mentor
The June/July prompt for the Teitho challenge is "mentor" and invites fanworks about this relationship in Tolkien's works.
Scribbles & Drabbles 2024
A chill Tolkien event, where artists make art, and authors write little stories in response. Begins in June and ends in November.
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.
Anérea has requested the following types of constructive criticism on this fanwork: Anatomy, Background, Color/Tone, Composition, Flow, Proportion, Shape/Line, Style, Technique, Texture. All constructive criticism must follow our diplomacy guidelines.
This is just stunning: the light on the water, the sense of motion in the figure and in the sea, and the wildness of that wave that you convey. My jaw is on the floor!
Thanks Dawn ? I'm so happy you feel energy of it. This was really fun to paint, and I have to admit that I'm rather happy with how the water turned out.
Thank you! This is actually surf!Círdan version 2, because the first one looked more like a cross between Ossë, Ulmo, and an older Billy Ocean (ironically!), but some of that wild energy remained. Now you mention it, I think some of this is also inspired by In the Heart of the Storm by IgnobleBard.
This is perfect! I love his expression, and how you have drawn the wave! I'm sure Ossë is watching him somewhere. I could look at this for a long time.
What a delightful comment, thank you! I'm glad you like his expression, I was wondering whether it was a bit intense. (His anatomy could do with a bit of work, but since this is the oddest pose I've painted yet by far, I've decided to just enjoy the rest!)
Hmm, Ossë could well be watching, especially if it's it the Ossë from Ignoble Bard's fic I've linked to in my reply to Himring above... (A lovely story that I now I think about it went some way to inspiring this.)
I just remembered yesterday that surfer!Cirdan was sparked by a comment by Gabriel-seven at the TSFW, and wanted to share with you in case there's any ideas lurking there, and also in the "Movie Stand-in" comments lower down here ↓
Círdan's pose is so dynamic! And I love the light on the water and Círdan's shadow. (And I agree, of course the Teleri would not wear clothes when they go into the water!)
Thank you! It was very fun to paint. (Definitely the oddest pose I've ever attempted and, despite having a photo reference, I owe huge thanks to my mom for her artistic sight and correcting my initial attempts.) Painting this wasn't quite as good as actually surfing, but since I was never able to surf such gnarley waves anyway, (naked or otherwise!) it was definitely the next best thing!
I have this scene in my head of Cirdan acting as everyone expects, being old and the lord of the Falas and yet in secret he surfs under the light of the full moon.
Yes, I'm starting to believe there are pieces to Cirdan's life we can't even begin to imagine.
Oh yes! I love this idea. Making people think he's too old and noble (and dull!) so they don't invite him in the first place is so much easier than making excuses all the time to avoid all the boring events someone in his position would otherwise be expected to take part in. I'm falling in love with him more and more!
(ETA: Oh! To surf under the full moon! I'd be there with him in a shot. In the buff, of course; got to follow protocol.)
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.
Anérea has requested the following types of constructive criticism on this fanwork: Anatomy, Background, Color/Tone, Composition, Flow, Proportion, Shape/Line, Style, Technique, Texture. All constructive criticism must follow our diplomacy guidelines.