Anyone interested in stories and discussions about The Silmarillion is welcome to join the SWG! Above all else, we want the SWG to be a place that is welcoming and friendly to all of its members and guests. In order to assure this, we require everyone to agree to our code of conduct and terms of service before joining the SWG. All SWG members will be expected to follow these terms on our site as well as on current and future social media affiliates.
If at any time you have a question about becoming a member or our expectations of our members, please do not hesitate to contact us at moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org.
Who Are We?
Founded in 2005, the Silmarillion Writers' Guild exists as a place to celebrate and discuss Tolkien's legendarium and transformative fanworks based on the parts of that legendarium contained in The Silmarillion and related works. We welcome all Tolkien fans, from those reading his work for the first time to published scholars, as well as fanwork creators with all levels of experience with their chosen craft. Our group welcomes fans from all over the world, from all nationalities, religions, cultures, and languages.
The SWG is a positive-focused, open-minded space. We are not interested in finding a One True Canon but exist to consider the many ways that texts can be interpreted and used to make fanfiction and other transformative works. Drama, trolling, and other negative-focused communications are not welcome here.
What Fanworks We Accept
The SWG focuses on The Silmarillion and other works related to it, such as Unfinished Tales and The History of Middle-earth series. Though most of us also enjoy fanworks based on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, the SWG only accepts works involving events and/or characters based in The Silmarillion in our main archive. If you are in doubt about whether a work is appropriate for our group, please see our FAQ on "Silmworks" or contact a moderator.
We do maintain an additional archive called Beyond the Silmarillion for fanworks based on Tolkien's non-Silmarillion works and adaptations of those works. The Beyond the Silmarillion archive is available to SWG members who have posted a significant amount of Silmarillion-based fanworks with us. The Beyond the Silmarillion FAQ has more information on eligibility for this section.
With Amazon's Rings of Power series now released, some fanworks may meet our criteria of "Silmworks" but use elements from the show as well. These fanworks are welcome but should be marked as "Crossover" in the Genre field. See our statement on The Rings of Power for more information on the SWG's stance on the show, its fans, and fanworks using it.
The SWG accepts all types of written fanworks, including fanfiction, essays/meta, poetry, and other written texts. This includes all kinds, genres, ratings, and types of fanfiction, regardless of relationship, sexual content, interpretation of canon, and length. It also includes essays/meta on any topic related to The Silmarillion and related works, including those that take a critical stance on Tolkien’s work or explore topics such as racism, colonialism, or sexism in the legendarium.
The SWG also accepts non-written fanworks: artwork, audio, link collections, playlists, videos, and multimedia fanworks that combine two or more fanwork types. As with written fanworks, we place no restrictions on the genre or interpretation/analysis of canon in these works. We also accept fanworks in languages other than English.
The SWG does not have restrictions on the rating or content of most fanworks. The only exception are fanworks with a visual component, such as artwork or video (or visual components accompanying another fanwork type). In order to comply with our webhost's Terms of Service, we cannot host images or video that depict graphic sexual activity, sexualized nudity, or sexual situations involving underage characters. Please see our FAQ on Adult-rated fanworks for more information. Contact a moderator if you're not sure a fanwork is appropriate for our site.
The SWG does not accept fanworks that are produced wholly or partially through the prompting of artificial intelligence (AI) generators. Our AI policy can be found here.
SWG Member Etiquette
The SWG welcomes members from diverse backgrounds: from every inhabited continent on Earth, speaking a multitude of languages, and bringing various life experiences that shape their worldviews. Many of your fellow members will have different experiences and perspectives than you do. We approach our differences with curiosity and respect rather than judgment. This necessarily excludes those who believe some humans have more or less inherent worth than others. The equal worth of all people is a core value of the SWG and necessary for the respectful and inquisitive discussions we expect and encourage at the SWG.
Abusive or derogatory behavior will not be tolerated at any time or in any part of the SWG. We do not welcome or allow any content in our group that is designed to be hurtful or insulting. Attacks on other members based on personal characteristics (such as race, color, religion, ethnicity, nationality, age, sexuality, gender identity or expression, disability, or medical condition) are categorically unacceptable.
Members are not required to like everyone, but they are required to be civil. If you dislike a fanwork, stop reading it and do not comment. If you dislike another member, do not interact with them. If a conflict arises between you and another member on the SWG, contact a moderator for assistance. Do not engage further in the conflict.
Under no circumstances should you publicly share another person's personal information on any part of the SWG. This includes their full or real name, email, address, telephone number, or any other information by which that person can be identified or contacted against their will.
Fanworks must include correct ratings and warnings (if applicable) unless you choose the option Author Chooses Not to Rate and/or Author Chooses Not to Warn. Teen- and Adult-rated fanworks must include warnings or use the option Author Chooses Not to Warn. (View our rating and warning policy for more information.)
Each member is permitted to register for one account on the archive. The sole exception to this rule is the creation of a second "pseud" account that participates on the archive independently from the identity of the primary account. Anyone interested in setting up a pseud account should read the Pseud FAQ before doing so.
Appropriate Use of the Archive
If you are archiving older fanworks with us, be considerate of members who are posting new content by backdating most or all of your fanworks so that they do not flood the Most Recent list. There should be only one copy of each fanwork on the archive. Do not post a new fanwork for each draft, revision, or chapter.
Fanwork creators can save unpublished drafts to the site. However, the SWG is not a file storage site. We are not liable for the loss of published or unpublished work stored on our site. Make sure you maintain backups of your work outside of the SWG. You should store only unpublished drafts that you intend to eventually post publicly on our site.
We are an international group and welcome members for whom English is not a native language, as well as beginning creators. We do not expect perfection. However, all authors should proofread and spellcheck their work to the best of their ability. Written work should be organized into manuscript format (that is, separated clearly into sentences and paragraphs) unless there is an intentional choice to do otherwise for stylistic effect. Non-written fanworks should be at a stage of completion where they can be enjoyed as-is by site visitors, e.g., a completed drawing or a chapter of a podfic for a multi-chapter story.
For legal reasons, the SWG must remain strictly not-for-profit. Do not use the SWG or its social media to request or offer commissions for money. If a fanwork was commissioned, do not mention that commission. Links in your profile, the fanworks you share, or on posts to SWG social media should not point to sites where you will make a profit, such as Kofi, Patreon, GoFundMe, Venmo, and similar sites. Violations of the above will be immediately taken down.
Acceptable Use of Other Creators' Work
Please take care to properly reference any sources that you use in your writing. For example, authors commonly reference sources by identifying the creator in the notes to the story and providing a link or title to the work they are referencing. This includes direct quotes from Tolkien’s works, direct quotes or original source material that belongs to other authors, and secondary source material, such as song lyrics or books. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism and is considered unprofessional and unethical. (View the SWG Plagiarism Policy for more information.)
In order to protect the SWG from copyright infringement, it is important that you do not reproduce all or most of a copyrighted work on the site without permission from the copyright holder. "Permission" includes written permission or the clear labeling of a work under a license or terms that allow for its use. Copyright applies to fanworks as well as professional and traditionally published works. When using images, you must be legally allowed to use the image, provide proper credit to the artist or photographer, and follow other policies as outlined in the SWG Image Policy. As this group is home to writers and artists, it is important that we protect the rights of all writers and artists—and so protect ourselves.
Commenting on Fanworks
The SWG includes a comment system that allows SWG members to leave comments on fanworks on this site. Readers are expected to use ratings, warnings, and notes on fanworks to avoid content that they find upsetting, disturbing, or objectionable. If you encounter a fanwork that you believe is incorrectly labeled with ratings and/or warnings, or a fanwork that you do not feel belongs on our site, use the Notify Mods flag to report it.
Authors have the ability to choose what kinds of feedback they want to hear from readers. While some authors actively and eagerly seek constructive criticism, many do not, and readers who choose to comment on a fanwork are expected to follow an author's stated preference for feedback. When an author indicates that they would like constructive criticism on a fanwork, the commenter is expected to be diplomatic in their criticism. If you're unfamiliar with the concept of diplomatic critiques, familiarize yourself with our diplomacy guidelines before responding to a fanwork with constructive criticism.
Comments that include unsolicited criticism or solicited criticism that fails to follow the diplomacy guidelines will be deleted at the request of the author, and the commenter will receive a "strike" according to the misconduct policy outlined below. Under no circumstances should a commenter critique an author's choice of genre, pairing, interpretation of canon, or other choices outside of craft.
Inclusivity
We highly value the diverse membership base that has made the SWG the group it is today. We want the SWG to be a place that not only welcomes but celebrates diversity and the various perspectives different fans bring both to reading Tolkien and the creation of Tolkien-based fanworks.
That said, we also recognize that Tolkien fandom has been both explicitly and structurally hostile and dismissive of fans from marginalized groups, especially fans who are Black, indigenous, and people of color; LGBTQIA+ fans; and fans with disabilities. As the SWG is part of the fandom and has benefited as an organization from the status quo, we therefore strongly feel that the SWG must be part of the solution.
When a decision involves or impacts a marginalized group disproportionately, we will seek feedback from fans who belong to that group and prioritize their input in our decision making. We will maintain an inclusivity focus group to review groups policies and decisions through a lens of inclusivity. Any SWG member who is a member of a marginalized group within the fandom can join this group; please contact a moderator to do so. We will maintain an open-door policy where any member can request input of the inclusivity focus group on a moderator decision.
We also welcome fanworks and discussions that concern marginalization, both in the legendarium and in the fandom. Fanworks that take a critical perspective or serve a reparative function are welcome here. In addition, we welcome fanworks and discussions that tackle marginalization and exclusion in fandom and how we can build more inclusive fandom spaces.
How We Handle Misconduct
Our moderation team avoids being punitive whenever we can and prefers to work with members to follow our rules rather than resorting immediately to suspensions. We generally observe a three-strike rule, but this is contingent on the member demonstrating that they are willing to abide by our rules and showing efforts to improve. If moderators feel that someone is acting deliberately to harm the SWG and/or its members, or we see repeated rule violations with no attempt at improvement, we reserve the right to suspend that person's account without prior warning.
Our site moderators are also contributing members of the SWG who interact with other members through public forums like the site's comment system or social media affiliates (currently Dreamwidth, Discord, and Tumblr). Members should be aware that moderators will not address private issues or concerns through any public systems. Unless a public post or conversation warrants a public response, all such correspondence will be conducted through private messages or email; whether public or private, communications from moderators will be clearly identified as such. Any official group business conducted by an individual moderator using tools available on the website or through our social media accounts to reach the entire membership base will be clearly labeled as such. In all other matters, moderators carry the same status as SWG members.
Terms of Service
- You retain all rights to and control of the materials that you share on the SWG.
- You assume all liability for using the site(s), services, and features associated with the SWG. We are not liable for any damages that occur during the use of our site(s).
- The SWG archive and other group services are not intended to serve as a document backup system. In the event of a data loss, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to restore any or all of the materials that you have stored on the site(s), and we will not be held liable for any lost information. Please make frequent and careful backups of your work.
- In accordance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, the SWG does not accept members under the age of thirteen. In joining the SWG, members are acknowledging that they are thirteen years of age or older and members under the age of eighteen are acknowledging that they are doing so with the knowledge and permission of a parent or guardian. Parents and guardians should be aware that the SWG contains content intended for adult readers.
- The SWG archive utilizes a combination of ratings and warnings to assist our members and visitors in avoiding content that they may find offensive. However, the SWG does not guarantee that these systems will be properly or consistently used and does not take responsibility for any material posted on our site(s) that is incorrectly rated or labeled and/or that may be offensive to some visitors.
- The SWG may link via our site(s) to Internet content outside of the SWG. Such content has not been reviewed or approved by the SWG, and we make no guarantees to the veracity, suitability, or safety of such content. Users of the SWG site(s) access such linked material at their own risk.
- Using SWG-provided features including the comment system, discussion forums, private messaging, or any other means of contacting SWG members via the SWG site(s) to harass, threaten, or spam other members will result in termination or deletion of the user's account.
- Upon registering with our archive or any future site features that the SWG might offer, members will be expected to provide a working email address. If an email address is found to be not working, the account will be locked, and the member can contact the moderation team to have the account unlocked and email address updated. In the instance of mass registrations of invalid email addresses that do not appear to be intended for legitimate use of the site, or other suspicious activity, the SWG moderators reserve the right to delete these accounts. An account with any legitimate past or present activity (including but not limited to entry of information into the bio page, review activity, posting stories or podfics, or creating a Favorites list) will never be deleted under this rule.
In joining the SWG, you are acknowledging that you have read and understand the terms above. You are agreeing to abide by these terms or risk having your member account suspended or deleted. Questions should be directed to our moderation team at moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org.
