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!
So You Want to Present at a Tolkien Conference? Putting Together the Presentation The video and materials from our latest session of "So You Want to Present at a Tolkien Conference?" are now available. This session covers crafting a paper intended for presentation and designing helpful, accessible visuals to accompany your talk.
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with cloudyhymns by Shadow Dragons are one of the most familiar creatures in Tolkien's world and one of the least understood. In this interview, Shadow spoke with cloudyhymns about his Mereth Aderthad presentation "The Design of Dragons and the Doom of the Dwarves," the nature of dragons and their connections with Dwarves, and the musicality of Tolkien's works.
A series of half-drabbles using the one word prompts for the March/April 2025 Birthday Bash Challenge, looking at the perception of time through the eyes of Maiar (in general) and Maedhros (specifically).
They passed out of Lhûn and the wider coastline of Middle-earth opened up before his eyes. He had wandered those shores for centuries, and even now he felt the pull of that same wanderlust, and knew he would miss them for the rest of his life. Their wildness, the untamed waves, the rocky…
Finrod is truamatized from the sudden responsibility thrust upon him and from crossing the Helcaraxë. When he receives a message stating the Petty-dwarves of Nargothrond plan to murder his people, he exiles them. Mîm decides to assassinate Finrod to stop him. What could go wrong?
Video and materials from our session on how to put together a paper and presentation for a Tolkien conference. The session covers how to structure a paper for a presentation, assembling a presentation to support your paper, and accessibility and other tools for ensuring everyone can access your…
We get together from time to time on the SWG Discord and produce spontaneous fanworks based on randomly chosen prompts. This collection includes drabbles, ficlets, and other flash fanworks produced as part of our instadrabbling sessions.
Video and materials from our session on how to put together a paper and presentation for a Tolkien conference. The session covers how to structure a paper for a presentation, assembling a presentation to support your paper, and accessibility and other tools for ensuring everyone can access your work.
Shadow spoke with cloudyhymns about his upcoming presentation for Mereth Aderthad 2025, "The Design of Dragons and the Doom of the Dwarves," where he shares his theory about how Dwarves and dragons are connected in the legendarium, a topic full of implications for fanworks.
Dawn spoke with polutropos about her upcoming presentation for Mereth Aderthad, “'Kidnap Fam' and the Living Legendarium," including the appeal of kidnap fam, the appeal of Maglor's character, and how The Silmarillion as an incomplete, complex word makes it ripe for both fanworks and scholarship.
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.
One wrong decision can make a world of difference. When one of the Fellowship makes the mistake, the consequences are so severe that only the Valar can repair it. But will they?
Glorfindel daughter's life is in Elrohir's hands and only she remembers th eir love for each other. The fate of…
The Gardens of the Entwives are fallen, but two Entwives remain.
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Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang (TRSB) Sign-Ups Open!
The Tolkien Reserve Summer Bang is a collaborative fan event celebrating the works and adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien. Writers and artists will team up to bring new stories to life—from the Shire to the far reaches of Valinor (and everything in between).
Silmarillion Epistolary Week 2025
Silmarillion Epistolary is a challenge dedicated to creating fanworks to tell the story of the Silmarillion in the style of an epistolary novel.
April Challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The tolkienshortfanworks challenge for April has been posted to the Dreamwidth community. The thematic prompt is: wood. The formal challenge is: linnod (Gilraen's canonical verse form). These can be filled separately and freely combined with other challenges and prompts that allow this.
Tolkien Ekphrasis Week 2025
This is a Tolkien-fandom-wide event dedicated to the art of ekphrasis in Tolkien's worlds. Its goal is to illuminate the artistic surroundings of the places, people, and stories we love, in as many media as possible.
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.
Oh this is beautiful!! It really has me thinking about what she was like after it was all done and she had chosen mortality - how very different her life became after all of it, and yet she only got the life she wanted in the end.
Most of what I read about Lúthien is set before/during the quest of the Silmaril, but it's really interesting to think about what happens during their Happily Ever After.
How did it feel for her to suddenly be human? What about becoming a mother?
Galadriel is such a fascinating character to write about.
Sure, we mostly see her as the all-knowing lady of the light in Lothlórien, as a leader of her people and someone revered for her wisdom, but how did she get there? Wisdom isn't something inherent, it's something you learn, after all.
It's been especially on my mind since the Rings of Power.
The prompt for that last drabble was Raise a little, and I immediately thought of Raising a toast, but suddenly I found myself at the beach with them, and Elrond wanted to sing, and well, what better song to sing when the age of the elves has ended?
Alas, they will not meet in this universe. Although I'm sure Maglor could do with some good hobbitish sense.
Belladonna is perhaps one of my absolute favourite characters of the legendarium, and while writing these drabbles, it was quite the relief to finally get a break from all the angst and drama Nerdanel, Lúthien, Galadriel & Éowyn were supplying me with.
(Éowyn is getting a story all for herself, because her cycle is very firmly a LotR story, so it's going into the Beyond section).
Hobbits are just delightfully chill to write. I love them.
Oh, and last but not least, thank you for leaving a comment on every single chapter! It was great to see the email alert in my inbox this morning!
Oooph Nerdanel's chapter was so brutal! I really liked that last phrase: "Her life is hers to live. Fëanáro will rule it no longer." So much sadness in a broken relationship :'(
I knoooowwwww
There is just so much angst hiding in their relationship, and this cycle really dug into that.
I usually like to make for it by giving her lots of things to be happy about after the sun rises, but these prompts were not cooperating in that regard XD
I love Nerdanel so much, this women deseve so many good things in her life, I always dream that one day she will reunite with her sons and Feanaro, I personally have no do doubt that she will love him still but she will be much changed, more wise than how he has left her.
I love her so so so so much, beautiful drabbles, they depict perfectly her inner turmoil
I love Nerdanel so much, this women deseve so many good things in her life, I always dream that one day she will reunite with her sons and Feanaro, I personally have no do doubt that she will love him still but she will be much changed, more wise than how he has left her.
I love her so so so so much, beautiful drabbles, they depict perfectly her inner turmoil
And if that includes reuniting with Feanaro, that's cool. I have no fixed opinion on this, it really depends on the universe and story I'm trying to tell 😅
Luthien is such a strong and caring elf, I love her so so much. She is so attuned to the natural world around her, she really can feel the Song of the World and I'm so in awe for this, she truly bows to no one and she leads her life with this principle! Beautiful drabbles!
I can relate so much with Belladonna and her wandering soul, that feeling of having to go, to explore, the fact that the road holds no expectation over you... I can really feel that.
I loved them, they really touched me, I can relate a lot with what you have written. Beautiful drabbles Shadow! <3<3
Comments on Awesome Ladies
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.