December 2005 Newsletter

[dawn_felagund]

December's Challenges

Trinkets and Treasures

The Silmarillion is full of stories pertaining to or involving items that are magical or valuable in some way to their owners. Write a piece in any form--short story, drabble, poem--about how one of these items influenced history or its possesor, how the item was acquired or created, or how the item was lost.

The Silmarillion canon is full of items that could be used for this challenge, but also, there are items that must have existed by receive no special mention and items that exist only in the imaginations of fanfic writers. Any item--canon or not--is suitable for this challenge. Here are some examples to get you started:

• How/from where did Maedhros acquire his first sword after losing his hand on Thangorodrim? Describe his first challenge in learning to use it.


• Follow Nauglimir through its history, from its Dwarven creation until the death of Elu Thingol.


• Write a romance during which Beren creates or acquires a wedding ring for Luthien.


• What were Aulë's thoughts, upon the forging of Angainor, on having to restrain the mightiest of his kinsmen?


• Write three drabbles about what each bearer of the three Elven rings of power felt in the instant s/he became aware of the One Ring.

If you have ideas for compelling story hooks for this challenge or know of any good examples of stories that satisfy this challenge (either your own or someone else's), please feel free to share them in a comment or in a post to the group.

A Holiday Challenge

The holidays are upon us and there is no better time to appreciate the friendship of our fellow authors and readers. Perhaps you want to thank someone for their help and support or maybe you're looking for some new writing ideas, but this holiday season--why not write a story for a friend, on a character or topic that s/he enjoys? This is a great way to show someone you care while getting the chance to try new things as an author.

Other Ongoing Challenges
At SWG, challenges never die. You are welcome to write for a challenge at any time. All of our past challenges have been tagged and may be found here.

A Call for New Challenges!
The SWG does not have a committee or person devoted to challenges: The challenges are for members to create! If you have an idea for a challenge, please do not hesitate to suggest it on-list or email me privately at DawnFelagund@comcast.net.

As always, all Silmarillion writing, including challenge responses, are welcome in our LJ community.


Welcomes and Birthdays

I would like to extend warmest welcome wishes to our three new members who joined the Yahoo! portion of our group in October! Welcome also to the many who have joined or are following our LiveJournal.

sirielle will be celebrating her birthday on 12 December. She is requesting stories about Cuivienen. Happy early birthday, sirielle!

Do you want to get stories for your birthday and other special occasions? Sign up on our "Give Someone a Silmaril" database, located on our Yahoo! Groups homepage or post your request to the list or the LiveJournal.


Not a member? Do you want to be?
The SWG consists of two components: a Yahoo! email group, for discussions, story promotions, and planning, and a LiveJournal community for sharing our Silmarillion writing. Members are welcome to belong to both or just one, depending on what best suits their needs.

Read more about the Silmarillion Writers' Guild at our LiveJournal Community Information page.

To join our Yahoo! group:

Subscribe to SilmarillionWritersGuild
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At any time, I encourage people--both members and non-members--to contact me with inquiries. I may be reached at DawnFelagund@comcast.net or through either the Yahoo! or LiveJournal groups.

Comments

[ford-of-bruinen.livejournal.com]

bunnies stay away! :P (damn the maedhros bunny!)

[dawn_felagund]

*feels all proud and such*

You're the second person to tell me they got bunnies off of my challenge. As I told mirien, welcome to my club! I've got at least 5,000! :^D

[sirielle.livejournal.com]

LOL, I just updated the database and.... Mess! I think you need to delete my entry or fix it ;)
Um, sorry! There should be December not '12' and I messed with my nick names.

[dawn_felagund]

That's okay! I'll go and fix what needs to be fixed. :)

[sirielle.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And sorry for the mess again.

[dawn_felagund]

Oh, and do you want to (or want me to) make an announcement on-list about your request? :)

[sirielle.livejournal.com]

Should I choose a theme? If so - something about Cuivienen, please :)

[dawn_felagund]

Yes, that's fine! I'll make a post to the list and update the newsletter. :)

[tehta.livejournal.com]

How/from where did Maedhros acquire his first sword after losing his hand on Thangorodrim? Describe his first challenge in learning to use it.

Heh. I've kind of written this one already, but am now tempted to do a version that does not mention Fingon, Maglor, or Curufin. (Much respect to anyone who does just that.)


Write three drabbles about what each bearer of the three Elven rings of power felt in the instant s/he became aware of the One Ring.

I started thinking about this, and then I wondered--why three? Wasn't Gil-galad a bearer for a while?

[dawn_felagund]

Heh. I've kind of written this one already

Do you want to post a link to it? :^D

And I don't think I've read this one! How did that happen??

I started thinking about this, and then I wondered--why three?

I meant the three who were wearing it at the precise moment that Sauron made the One Ring, as "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age" says that they were immediately aware of him, as soon as he put the One upon his finger. Now if one were to drabble for *all* of the bearers, that would be more than three.

Perhaps it's not worded clearly enough. I normally write the newsletter a week in advance, p-locked in my LJ, and literally revise it everyday. This month, though, it didn't get done until yesterday.

[tehta.livejournal.com]

It's my question that was stupidly worded, or rather missing key info. It should have been 'Wasn't Gil-galad a double bearer for a while?' I have not researched this beyond the Silm, which mentions him as the first bearer of two, so I have no idea *when* the rings got passed around.

In my head, I've even sort of been assuming that Celebrimbor only sent them out once he was aware of Annatar's betrayal--or maybe that he gave Galadriel one ahead of time, since he fancied her and all. But I guess I suspected that one of them was intended for Celebrimbor himself, because surely he would want to benefit from all his work, and that he sent it to G-g only in a panic when he knew that Sauron was on his way.

Hmm. Now this is a reasonably-sized bunny. I have to do some research, but unless I find a contradiction, I will assume that the people who held the Rings at that moment were Galadriel, Gil-galad, and Celebrimbor.


And I meant my first fic, Gathering the Pieces (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1714091/1/). It doesn't explain where he got the sword he learnt with, but I think he just took one from a smithy. It does explain where he got the one he ended up using... and it definitely describes him practicing.

[dawn_felagund]

It's my question that was stupidly worded, or rather missing key info. It should have been 'Wasn't Gil-galad a double bearer for a while?'

No problem! If I had a dime for every incomprehensible comment--and yours was far from wholly incomprehensible ;^P--then I could quit my job and have time to write comprehensible comments. Anyway....

I am *really* bad on anything past the First Age. "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age" was my only resource for this particular example, and it doesn't say to whom the rings went. Gah. Any Second Age canatics around?? *looks around hopefully*

And I've read "Gathering the Pieces." A long time ago, though, so that's my excuse for my dodgy memory.

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Dammit. In 'The History of Galadriel and Celeborn' it says that it is only Galadriel who convinced Celebrimbor to send the rings away from his keeping, to hide them from the revealed Sauron.

What Celebrimbor intended to do with the rings is not clear.

[dawn_felagund]

So does this imply that Celebrimbor alone had the rings when Sauron was revealed, according to this source?

*is confused*

And I just noticed that your icon has changed. I didn't see your stained glass tree initially because the picture wouldn't load on my comp *shakes fist at LJ and State government comps* but it is beautiful! Very well done. :)

[tehta.livejournal.com]

I think that's what it implies, yes.

Tyellas would know this stuff, since she has written about it. Maybe I'll ask her.

[dawn_felagund]

Hmmm. "The Rings of Power and the Third Age" says, "As soon as Sauron set the One Ring upon his finger they were aware of him.... Then in anger and fear they took off their rings" (emphasis mine), which implies that the rings were worn by more than one person. Or perhaps Celebrimbor had a bit of dissociative identity disorder, :^P

Go figure...the sources contradict each other! :^D

[tehta.livejournal.com]

But there were lots of other, minor rings made, too. Weren't there? That's why Gandalf had to read the writing on the One Ring before he was sure it was the One, right?

Isn't that what that line refers to?

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Oh, and thanks for liking my tree!