SWG Newsletter--March 2006
Mar. 1st, 2006 09:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dawn_felagund posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
silwritersguildMarch's Challenges
Great Journeys
The Silmarillion is filled with characters going places, from the great and important journeys to the daily travels that must have occurred but live only in our imaginations. This month, we join our favorite characters on the road, to discover the actual and symbolic importance of journeys.
So where shall you go? Here are a few places to start:
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.
The Quote of the Month Challenge
The Quote of the Month challenge asks you to write based on the themes and thoughts the quote inspires or about the event in which the quote occurred. You may write in any format--poem, story, essay, or drabble--with any characters, genre, or rating.
Do you have a favorite quote that you think might inspire other authors as well? Let me know! I am seeking quotes for future quote challenges; please email me at DawnFelagund@comcast.net with your ideas.
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 or would like to suggest a quote for the monthly quote 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, is welcome in our LJ community.
March Is Back to Middle-earth Month!
March is Back to Middle-earth Month, and we are going to join the many other groups and individuals who are participating...but with a Silmarillion approach, of course!
Members participating in B2MEM are welcome to post their entries and contributions in our community LiveJournal, as long as they are Silmarillion-related. How did you get involved in the Silmarillion fandom? What made you first pick up the book? What were your first impressions and inspirations...and what continues to inspire you to this day?
Or make it your goal to share a piece of fan fiction this month...or promote a new writer or artist...or share Silmarillion icons or banners--the possibilities are limitless, and all is welcome!
Welcomes and Birthdays
I would like to extend warmest welcome wishes to katjamorgue and Levade, our new members who joined the Yahoo! portion of our group in February! Welcome also to those who have joined or are following our LiveJournal.
Two of our members are celebrating birthdays and have signed up with story requests! Tarion (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tarion_anarore has a birthday on 23 March and loves anything about the House of Finwë, only no slash please.
Allie (allie_meril celebrates her birthday on 29 March. Her favorite character is Nerdanel, although she likes anything pertaining to the House of Finwë, Celeborn, Thingol, Melian, any Numenorean, Haleth the Hunter, or the Valar and Maiar. She likes angsty, angry stories but no rape, suicide, or death of her favorite characters, please!
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.
News and Announcements
The SWG Archive Site
The first stage of our archive site--the layout--was completed in the past month! This month, it is my hope to complete the content of the pages and begin working on the archive.
I am still open to suggestions and discussion regarding our site, and I have a lot of new things planned on which I would love member input. The archive site is planned and discussed in our Yahoo! discussion group. If you want to be involved in this project, please sign up for this group or email me at DawnFelagund@comcast.net.
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:
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.
Great Journeys
The Silmarillion is filled with characters going places, from the great and important journeys to the daily travels that must have occurred but live only in our imaginations. This month, we join our favorite characters on the road, to discover the actual and symbolic importance of journeys.
So where shall you go? Here are a few places to start:
- Follow the early Elves as they journey to start a new life in Valinor. What challenges did they encounter? What of those who turned away on the road? What were their hopes, dreams, and fears, and did the journey help the Elves to realize them? Or just the opposite?
- Follow a character on the road to visit a friend. Fingon visits Maedhros in Himring; Haleth visits Caranthir; Beren seeks Luthien: What motivates these characters to take to the road? Love? Friendship? Political gain? Take us on their journey, both on the road and in their thoughts.
- Many groups of people great and important journeys during the earliest days of Middle-earth, but we hear little about them. Men, Dwarves, Moriquendi...history was shaped by such travels. Take us along with either canon or original characters as the history of Middle-earth unfolds.
- Take the point of view of the proverbial bearer of bad news. What are the thoughts of an ordinary Elf or Man as he or she brings news of death or defeat?
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.
The Quote of the Month Challenge
The Quote of the Month challenge asks you to write based on the themes and thoughts the quote inspires or about the event in which the quote occurred. You may write in any format--poem, story, essay, or drabble--with any characters, genre, or rating.
“And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined."
-Ilúvatar to Melkor, The Silmarillion, “The Ainulindalë”
Do you have a favorite quote that you think might inspire other authors as well? Let me know! I am seeking quotes for future quote challenges; please email me at DawnFelagund@comcast.net with your ideas.
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 or would like to suggest a quote for the monthly quote 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, is welcome in our LJ community.
March Is Back to Middle-earth Month!
March is Back to Middle-earth Month, and we are going to join the many other groups and individuals who are participating...but with a Silmarillion approach, of course!
March 2006: Back to Middle-Earth Month
"Miss the golden days of the Tolkien fandom? Get homesick for Middle-Earth?
Then this is for you!
You don't need to sign up anywhere to participate. But if you see this on your friends-page and like the idea, please post this text to your LJ to spread the word.
How to participate:
1. Pick a day of the week (or more than one) on which you resolve to always post something Tolkien-related in March, and let your friends-list know.
2. Go back and read your favourite chapters from the book, or watch the LotR movies again. Let the beauty of Tolkien's work inspire you. And then, share the love.
3. Start your subject line with (B2MEM) when you post, and use a "b2mem" tag. This'll make it easy to spot your B2MEM-entries.
No matter if you just ramble about your undying love for Tolkien's world, picspam us, post wallpapers, icons, or write fan fic / create fan art, the plan is to get as many Tolkien-related entries on our friends-pages as possible throughout March.
Sounds good? We've been there, let's go back again!"
Members participating in B2MEM are welcome to post their entries and contributions in our community LiveJournal, as long as they are Silmarillion-related. How did you get involved in the Silmarillion fandom? What made you first pick up the book? What were your first impressions and inspirations...and what continues to inspire you to this day?
Or make it your goal to share a piece of fan fiction this month...or promote a new writer or artist...or share Silmarillion icons or banners--the possibilities are limitless, and all is welcome!
Welcomes and Birthdays
I would like to extend warmest welcome wishes to katjamorgue and Levade, our new members who joined the Yahoo! portion of our group in February! Welcome also to those who have joined or are following our LiveJournal.
Two of our members are celebrating birthdays and have signed up with story requests! Tarion (
tarion_anarore has a birthday on 23 March and loves anything about the House of Finwë, only no slash please. Allie (
allie_meril celebrates her birthday on 29 March. Her favorite character is Nerdanel, although she likes anything pertaining to the House of Finwë, Celeborn, Thingol, Melian, any Numenorean, Haleth the Hunter, or the Valar and Maiar. She likes angsty, angry stories but no rape, suicide, or death of her favorite characters, please!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.
News and Announcements
The SWG Archive Site
The first stage of our archive site--the layout--was completed in the past month! This month, it is my hope to complete the content of the pages and begin working on the archive.
I am still open to suggestions and discussion regarding our site, and I have a lot of new things planned on which I would love member input. The archive site is planned and discussed in our Yahoo! discussion group. If you want to be involved in this project, please sign up for this group or email me at DawnFelagund@comcast.net.
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:
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.
