Ten Years.

[dawn_felagund]

Today is the SWG's tenth begetting day. Just like an Elf, the SWG has both begetting and birthdays since I created the group, chickened out about what I'd done, and then waited several months before, at the urging of ford_of_bruinen, actually inviting people to join. So today, ten years ago, I created the SWG here on LiveJournal and on Yahoo! Groups.

And what a ten years it has been! When I started the SWG, I was a completely fandom newbie, having only commented on a few stories and chimed in on a few discussions (usually pretty disastrously); I hadn't started posting my own work, and why I thought that I should start a group for Silmfic is something I don't really have an answer for except that I am glad that I did. I have learned so much in the last decade, grown a lot as a person, read some wonderful stories, become much more knowledgeable about Tolkien's world, and most importantly (in my mind) met many, many excellent people.

I want to thank you all for the last ten years and raise my virtual glass to many decades more. Even if we've never spoken, if you've supported the SWG in any way, I am grateful to you for helping to bring our group from its humble and more-than-a-little-awkward beginnings to what it is today. My dream in starting the SWG was to build a place where all Silmarillion fans could meet to discuss Tolkien's books and share stories without the incivility and judgment that were plaguing some fannish spaces at the time, and we've come pretty close to realizing that dream.

We will be doing something for our birthday in July; my comods and I felt that since our begetting day falls in the middle of March and, therefore, Back to Middle-earth Month, that is was best to wait. And, in my own mind, March 15 is the day the SWG came into being. Even if I didn't do much that was visible to others in the time between its advent in March and opening the group to new members in July, it was on my mind constantly, and the dream it represented never left me (which was why chickening out over its creation didn't involve deleting it outright). Watch this space for an announcement in the coming months about our birthday festivities.

Finally, when I presented about the Tolkien fan fiction community at Mythmoot this year, I was asked by Curtis Weyant, the editor of the Signum University Eagle, if I would write an article about founding and running the SWG. I did, and in a lovely coincidence, it was published two days before our ten-year anniversary. If you want to read more about how the SWG was founded and the everyday stuff that goes on behind the scenes, check out In a Stone House by the Sea in the Eagle.

Thank you all once again and here's to many more milestones like this one!

Comments

[binkaslibrary.livejournal.com]

:::raises her glass:::

Here's to the SWG!

[dawn_felagund]

*drinks with you* :D

[spiced-wine.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! SWG is an amazing, and quality archive with some truly amazing authors.

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! :)

Slainte!

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

And you now know that the team behind you will not let you chicken out any more, on the contrary... unstoppable! ;c)

RE: Slainte!

[dawn_felagund]

Yes! :D Ironically, I think it is to the contrary now, and sometimes you all are charged with giving me a much-needed reining in. ;) But our mod team is my absolute favorite group of people to work with. I do not like collaborating in general, but I can truly say that every member of our team brings something unique to the SWG, and I value you all's input, experience, and ideas so very much. In the "Stone House" article, I said at the end that I built the foundations and many others raised the walls, etc. You all have done some very heavy lifting over the past ten years, and I love and thank you all for it!

RE: Slainte!

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

If people only knew: a: I have this idea... b: I wub it, Dawn can we keep it? ;)

But we will gladly continue to restock the pantriesl, dusting the lamps, taking out the trash and mucking out the inboxes (I think that should be done soon..). I am sorry to have missed the draft, but thank goodness Angelica helped you with it. My brains were too fever riddled then.

Re: Slainte!

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

Terrific, Rhaps! I appreciate you all so much.

RE: Slainte!

[dawn_felagund]

Yes, we probably should muck the inboxes soon. *sigh* ;)

I knew that was an insane time for you. I didn't expect you to reply so no worries! Angelica is great at that sort of thing, so she got me on track and reassured me too that I hadn't written utter crap (which I did need after how long I spent writing and rewriting the dang thing!)

[ysilme]

Congratulations! The SWG is one of a kind, and the Tolkien fandom would be a much poorer place without it. *raises glass to you all*

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you, Alcina! It's hard to believe that this milestone is here. I remember our fifth birthday like it was yesterday.

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

OMG! You mean it was not yesterday! I am still working on the last chapter of my 5th Anniversary story. Time is folding in upon itself for me.

Happy Begetting Day to the Silmarillion Writers Guild

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

Looking forward to so many more. With any luck, I hope to be more helpful in the future. I could not be more grateful to you, Dawn, and your earliest comrades in this venture. I, of course, appreciate every day how lucky we are to have the talented and generous mods we have now. They keep the website running without any fuss and bother (which means maintain and monitor it constantly, no small job).

Here's a toast to all of those people and doubly and triply a toast to Dawn, whose determination, passion, and insight hold everything together.

I am very proud of the SWG and thrilled to be a part of it in my own small ways and intend to continue to do as much as I can to help promote and nurture it.

In situations like these, fandom afficiandos in a very real sense get the home-site they deserve. So here's another toast! To everyone who reads, posts, and helps in any way to promote and keep the SWG growing.

Artwork "Feanor and the Silmarils" by Dakkun39 (where would we be without Feanor!)

I read your essay Dawn and loved it. It's inspirational as a detailed account of the birth, growth, and maintenance of a fantastic idea, a great example of moving from an idea to execution and continuing with follow-through. But also it is warm, human, and passionate. This is what I had hoped in my youth that women could bring to a future where they became the leaders that they were capable of being. Lovely work, Dawn!

RE: Happy Begetting Day to the Silmarillion Writers Guild

[dawn_felagund]

I, of course, appreciate every day how lucky we are to have the talented and generous mods we have now.

Me too. I really loathe collaboration. I often quote from The Hangover and say that I'm a one-man wolfpack! :D But our mod team makes me realize that collaboration actually can work. But ... they are also ridiculously talented people and very generous with their skills and time. That makes the difference. This is one of the only collaborative projects I work on where I don't think it would be ideal to run it alone.

They keep the website running without any fuss and bother (which means maintain and monitor it constantly, no small job).

Thankfully, most of the time things work as they should. Every now and then (usually right before I'm about to log off to do something fun), I get one of those emails: "I tried to do such-and-such and it didn't work." Or: "I noticed this and it didn't seem right." Like when we installed an emergency security fix that stripped away the ability to add characters or genres to stories. Or the notification email debacle. I am really not skilled beyond the web design side of things, so I usually end up having to punt to Rhapsody and Russa, whose collective knowledge always sees us through.

With any luck, I hope to be more helpful in the future.

I had to laugh at this. You are one of the most helpful people in the group! Very few people put in more hours than you. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do!

This is what I had hoped in my youth that women could bring to a future where they became the leaders that they were capable of being. Lovely work, Dawn!

:D Thank you! That is my hope too. "Be the change ..." you know the rest. :)

[hhimring]

Happy Begetting Day, SWG!
Thank you so much for all of that, Dawn, and thank you to your collaborators also!

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you, Himring! And ... thank you, Himring, for as one of our top authors and commenters, you are definitely just as responsible for us being here right now as anyone. :)

[suzll.livejournal.com]

Happiest of Begetting Days to one of the best archives around :D. Here's to many, many more!

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! :) I am already looking forward to the 20th, when we can all sit around and say, "Remember when we turned ten??" The fifth anniversary seems like just yesterday.

[independence1776]

*raises glass* Here's to the SWG!

[dawn_felagund]

*drinks with you* To many more! :D

[ithilwen.livejournal.com]

How can it be ten years already?!

Happy Begetting Day, SWG! And thank you, Dawn and the mod team, for creating such a wonderful thing for all of us to share.

[dawn_felagund]

I know! The fifth birthday celebration seems like just yesterday. I suspect the 20th will be here tomorrow at this rate. ;)

Thanks so much for your kind words, Ithilwen!

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! :)

[angelica-ramses.livejournal.com]

*getting the champagne* For many more years full of elves!

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

I'll toast to that, Angelica! And want to think you for all of your good services over the years.

[angelica-ramses.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Oshun! It's been a real pleasure both meeting really cool people and doing super fun jobs :D

[dawn_felagund]

Oooh, champagne! I'm pretty sure I've been drinking cheap local wine till this point. ;)

To many more! :D

[angelica-ramses.livejournal.com]

Only the best will do for this occasion!:D

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! :)

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! :)

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

I still clearly remember Uli, who loves the Silm so much, dragging me along to join the Yahoo group. The SWG has come a long, long way since then! Happy birthday :)

[dawn_felagund]

I don't think we'd be here but for Uli. I remember very clearly the day she emailed me and was like, "Are you ever going to do anything with the SWG?" and my response was something like, "*squeak* OMG. Willyoubemycomodplease??" She thankfully agreed and kept me in line for the first few years, and I needed it! :D

Editing to add that I hope Uli will be able to come back with us someday. She's one of the old-school people that I miss a lot.

And I forgot to say thank you. :)

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

Young children and major health issues keep her away, but I know she misses writing and the sense of community. It'd be lovely if things improved enough for her to get back to what she loves.

Heh - I am terrible about updating (everywhere, not just SWG), so I posted a fic to mark the day. Maybe that's one of the things you could ask people to do for the official celebration? I can't be the only one with fics I've never quite got round to archiving.

[huinare.livejournal.com]

My life is definitely the better for having found the SWG and its folk. Thank you and congrats!

[dawn_felagund]

Eep! Thank you so much! I love hearing that. :)

[klose.livejournal.com]

Congrats!

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! :D

[shirebound]

Happy Anniversary! How wonderful. :)

[dawn_felagund]

I know! It's hard to believe it's been ten years. :) Thanks for the well wishes!

[rathanylakan.livejournal.com]

Congrats :)

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! :D