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Following are some frequently asked questions about our group. Please check out our topics, and if you can't find the answers that you need, feel free to contact a moderator for assistance!
Becoming a Member of SWG
What options are available for joining SWG?
SWG is largely contained here, on our homepage. This will be the location of our forums where members can hold discussions and ask questions, as well as our archive and workshop, for sharing stories and improving our skills as writers, respectively. However, SWG also has a Yahoo! email list and a LiveJournal community.
Which groups should I join?
If you are interested in participating in SWG, it is recommended that you first join our site. Here, you can:
- Read and share Silmarillion writing: stories, poems, and essays.
- Participate in our discussion forums. Chat about the book or get advice on your writing!
- Join our writer's workshop to improve your skills.
- Keep up to date on new challenges, projects, and references!
SWG also has a Yahoo! email group:
- Join in discussions with other members about The Silmarillion and about the craft of writing.
- Get answers to questions, whether relating to canon, grammar and mechanics, writing style...or anything you can imagine!
- Keep up to date on new challenges and group news.
- Promote your stories and learn when other members update.
- Participate in the discussions that shape the course of SWG. Our Yahoo! group is where we meet to discuss new ideas and group policies. If you want to participate in the leadership of SWG, it is highly recommended that you join the Yahoo! group.
And finally, we sponsor a LiveJournal community:
- Share your writing and get feedback in a fun, casual environment.
- Read Silmarillion stories and meet new authors.
- Pose questions or share your thoughts and research on Tolkien's universe.
- Keep up to date on new challenges and group news.
Members are welcome to belong to one or all of our groups, depending on their needs or level of involvement with SWG.
Sharing Stories
What are the posting requirements to share a story in SWG?
Writing that is shared on either our site archive or in our LiveJournal community must be be related to or based on The Silmarillion or its related works, which include all other books by Tolkien that pertain to the events and ideas of The Silmarillion. This is one of the questions most often posed: Does my story count as a Silmarillion story? We trust our members to use their own discretion in this and tend to view "Silmarillion writing" very liberally. If your story takes place in the Second Age or earlier, uses characters from The Silmarillion, takes place in a region that belongs solely to The Silmarillion (such as Valinor, Numenor, or Beleriand), or is based on the events of The Silmarillion, you have written something that we will more than likely view as appropriate for our group.
Beyond that, we ask that members do their best to present their work in a coherent, professional manner. We understand that everyone makes mistakes, and we do not expect writers to become experts on grammar and usage, but--at the minimum--writing should be spellchecked and proofread for comprehension and grammar. It should be organized into paragraphs and sentences--if prose--or into lines and stanzas if poetry. We do not require work to be reviewed or "beta'ed" but finding a good beta reader is a reasonable assurance that your work is in good shape for sharing on our site and community.
Do stories have to pass review to be included in the archive?
In short: no. We do not claim to be able to judge quality and want to establish a low-pressure, fun community where writing of all styles and genres and by writers of all ability levels is welcomed. If your work is based on The Silmarillion and has been checked for spelling and grammar, then you meet our posting requirements, and we encourage you to share to writing with our group.
Does SWG accept work rated for adult audiences?
Yes. All ratings and genres are acceptable--from "All Ages" to NC-17, het, slash, and general fiction--and we ask only that our members be mindful of the fact that SWG welcomes members of all ages and appropriately rate their stories and include warnings when appropriate.
Member Conduct
What actions can I take if I feel that I am being harassed or "flamed" in SWG?
SWG is committed to creating a fun and welcome place to share our writing about and discuss The Silmarillion. We frown on "fandom drama" and abusive behavior of any kind.
However, we recognize also that interpreting a person's tone and intent from emails, comments, or forum posts is difficult, and it is easy--and common--to misread an innocuous post as having an aggressive or derogatory tone. As such, our moderators will intervene without member complaint only when the behavior is obviously egregious.
Given this, it is each member's responsibility--if she or he feels abused or harassed in SWG--to report the behavior to a moderator or to the group's owner Dawn Felagund immediately. We will do our best from there to resolve any conflicts in a timely and satisfactory manner.
Please understand that our moderators are human. What we see as harmless banter you might see as hurtful. In this instance, you need to let us know of your feelings immediately, and we will take care of it. If you do not inform us of the problem, we cannot guarantee a solution.
Keep in mind that most "Internet drama" begins as a misunderstanding. Online communications are devoid of the expressions, tones, and gestures that we use to convey meaning in face-to-face discourse, and online communications are often wildly misinterpretted as a result. Please bear this in mind when both reading and writing posts. But if you are uncertain or uncomfortable in a situation, let a moderator know. We are happy to help.
Challenges
Who makes up the challenges?
Our members suggest all of our challenges. We do not have a team or person devoted to this. So if you have an idea: suggest away!
How do I suggest a challenge?
Email your idea to group owner/moderator Dawn Felagund. She will work with you from there to get the challenge in shape for the group.
How long do I have to write for a challenge?
As long as you'd like! We like our members to have time to formulate well-thought-out responses to our challenges. Many writers cannot write something of which they are proud in a mere month or two. Others may find that the inspiration doesn't come so quickly. Or maybe you want to write a novel! At SWG, our challenges are good forever. Go for it!
Writer's Workshop
What is the writer's workshop?
The writer's workshop is a place for writers who want to improve their craft to meet and discuss the art of writing, practice writing exercises, and get feedback from their peers in a low-pressure, supportive environment. Each month, the workshop will take on a new exercise about a facet of the craft of writing, i.e. characterization, setting, imagery, or mood. Participants will complete the exercise and share it with the group. The group will also discuss the month's exercise, and the moderator will provide participants with references and additional reading material, should they wish to explore the topic further.
How do I join the writer's workshop? Do I have to complete all exercises to be a member?
You need only join those workshops in which you are interested. In order to foster an active environment with a lot of participation, we encourage participants to sign up for those exercises that interest them or on which they think they need to work. Not all exercises will be suitable or desirable for all writers.
So what are my obligations, when I sign up to participate in a workshop?
A writer's workshop is useless without participation. We ask that members who sign up for a workshop do so only if they plan on participating. Participation includes not only writing a response to the exercise but also looking at peer responses and giving feedback. For each exercise submitted, participants should provide feedback to two other writers. This assures that everyone receives feedback on their work.