Newsletter--April 2006
Mar. 31st, 2006 10:32 pm![[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}
silwritersguildApril's Challenges
Back to Nature
Nature is ever-present in Tolkien's works, from the obvious interventions of Yavanna and Oromë to the untold struggles of a tribe of mortal Men journeying into Beleriand. Few are the characters who are not asked to interact with nature at some point over the course of The Silmarillion. This month's challenge asks you to consider conflicts with nature--both overt and symbolic--and characters' relationships with that which is natural in their world.
What are some struggles individuals and groups have with nature, with plants, animals, geography, or weather? What about those with a special relationship with natural forces? Consider the various locations upon Arda--for example, Valinor, Himring, Doriath: What symbols are present in the natural environments of these places that highlight the conflicts that take place there?
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.
April Is Celegorm Appreciation Month!
Celegorm's fans have spoken and asked for a month especially for appreciating their favorite of the Fëanorions. Celegorm is a character interpreted very differently by different writers: Is he evil? Or merely misunderstood? Or misrepresented by history? Or was he justified in his (mis)behavior?
Whether you love him or hate him, in April, we feature stories, poems, drabbles, and essays devoted to Celegorm, a character with some of the most complex and ambiguous motivations of any in The Silmarillion. While all writing on all characters is welcome in our community, those of you with an abiding love for Tolkien's bad boys are invited to share your writing on Celegorm...and convince those in doubt why he deserves a month all his own.
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.
Welcomes and Birthdays
I would like to extend warmest welcome wishes to Arandil, who joined the Yahoo! portion of our group in March! Welcome also to those who have joined or are following our LiveJournal.
Brittany (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mitani5) celebrates her birthday on 13 April and favors Maeglin, Caranthir, Curufin, and Eöl. She likes any scenes involving the Sons of Fëanor, from the "Of Maeglin" chapter of The Silmarillion, or involving Eöl before the arrival of the Noldor.
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 site is making steady progress. The layout was completed in February, and most of the content was written in March. The main site--excluding the archive and forums--will be tested on free webspace sometime within the next month so that members can visit and test the site and give me feedback before it is launched under our domain, hopefully sometime this summer.
Over the next month, I will be beginning research on the archive and forum portions of the site. Several members have already provided me with valuable input about this. Anyone else with knowledge or interest in fiction archives and PHP should feel free to contact me with ideas and suggestions; I appreciate any help!
Our site will also serve as a home for our writer's workshop and our references. References will pertain to everything from Tolkien's canon to writers' resources to online fandom...please let me know if you have any ideas or contributions for our reference section!
The SWG site will represent our group and will hopefully make SWG a more fun, effective community than we can be with a LiveJournal and mailing list alone. I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciate member input, from the smallest of suggestions to the most extensive volunteer efforts. If you have any ideas for our site or skills that might be useful, please drop me an email! No suggestion is too silly; no amount of help is too small.
To those who have already contributed advice, help, ideas...or merely put up with my griping and whining: Thank you!
For those members interested in becoming involved in the development of our site and archive, please sign up for Yahoo! discussion 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.
Back to Nature
Nature is ever-present in Tolkien's works, from the obvious interventions of Yavanna and Oromë to the untold struggles of a tribe of mortal Men journeying into Beleriand. Few are the characters who are not asked to interact with nature at some point over the course of The Silmarillion. This month's challenge asks you to consider conflicts with nature--both overt and symbolic--and characters' relationships with that which is natural in their world.
What are some struggles individuals and groups have with nature, with plants, animals, geography, or weather? What about those with a special relationship with natural forces? Consider the various locations upon Arda--for example, Valinor, Himring, Doriath: What symbols are present in the natural environments of these places that highlight the conflicts that take place there?
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.
“The Light failed; but the Darkness that followed was more than loss of light. In that hour was made a Darkness that seemed not lack but a thing with being of its own: for it was indeed made out by malice out of Light, and it had power to pierce the eye, and to enter heart and mind, and strangle the very will."
-The Silmarillion, “Of the Darkening of Valinor”
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.
April Is Celegorm Appreciation Month!
Celegorm's fans have spoken and asked for a month especially for appreciating their favorite of the Fëanorions. Celegorm is a character interpreted very differently by different writers: Is he evil? Or merely misunderstood? Or misrepresented by history? Or was he justified in his (mis)behavior?
Whether you love him or hate him, in April, we feature stories, poems, drabbles, and essays devoted to Celegorm, a character with some of the most complex and ambiguous motivations of any in The Silmarillion. While all writing on all characters is welcome in our community, those of you with an abiding love for Tolkien's bad boys are invited to share your writing on Celegorm...and convince those in doubt why he deserves a month all his own.
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.
Welcomes and Birthdays
I would like to extend warmest welcome wishes to Arandil, who joined the Yahoo! portion of our group in March! Welcome also to those who have joined or are following our LiveJournal.
Brittany (
mitani5) celebrates her birthday on 13 April and favors Maeglin, Caranthir, Curufin, and Eöl. She likes any scenes involving the Sons of Fëanor, from the "Of Maeglin" chapter of The Silmarillion, or involving Eöl before the arrival of the Noldor.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 site is making steady progress. The layout was completed in February, and most of the content was written in March. The main site--excluding the archive and forums--will be tested on free webspace sometime within the next month so that members can visit and test the site and give me feedback before it is launched under our domain, hopefully sometime this summer.
Over the next month, I will be beginning research on the archive and forum portions of the site. Several members have already provided me with valuable input about this. Anyone else with knowledge or interest in fiction archives and PHP should feel free to contact me with ideas and suggestions; I appreciate any help!
Our site will also serve as a home for our writer's workshop and our references. References will pertain to everything from Tolkien's canon to writers' resources to online fandom...please let me know if you have any ideas or contributions for our reference section!
The SWG site will represent our group and will hopefully make SWG a more fun, effective community than we can be with a LiveJournal and mailing list alone. I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciate member input, from the smallest of suggestions to the most extensive volunteer efforts. If you have any ideas for our site or skills that might be useful, please drop me an email! No suggestion is too silly; no amount of help is too small.
To those who have already contributed advice, help, ideas...or merely put up with my griping and whining: Thank you!
For those members interested in becoming involved in the development of our site and archive, please sign up for Yahoo! discussion 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.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-04-01 09:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-03 06:08 pm (UTC)I'm looking forward to the "bad boy" story. *wipes drool* And I can't wait to hear your ideas! :)