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What are you writing about now?
By invitation, I have recently begun a fanfiction of my own in The Red Book of West March channel. It's proven quite absorbing, so much so I actually have some difficulty working on other projects when the opportunity is there to work on it instead 😅 @Tyelkormo the Fair has certainly been a great help granting links to sites I can use to translate Quenya and giving me ideas on how to improve a few things, and I am grateful to the others, especially @Glorfindel Goldtress for sharing other stories and for reacting to my work :]

It is both a great pleasure to delve so much back into Silmarillion lore and a sorrow, for I am writing a tale I often wished would be mine in reality. But there is no Middle-earth in this world, beyond New Zealand's landscapes and association. One day, perhaps, I shall go there and be as nearly in Middle-earth as this world will allow. For now, I can only read, and write words meant to capture the heart and submerse the mind as deeply into Middle-earth as my current skill will allow. My heart aches. "Hiraeth", I have heard it called: a homesickness for a home one can never return to, or for a home not existent in the first place.

At any rate, this will surely bring me back to Amandil's story too. I must resume work on it when I can(for family comes first, even before Middle-earth), and get to know my characters and my setting better. There is more yet to be done before I can begin writing the story.
 
I've been travelling and ability to get on the internet has been spotty.

First of all, I would like to apologize to all I offended. My examples were over-the-top and inappropriate. I like all of you and absolutely did not intend to imply that any of you are evil people.

I'm at a medieval conference in Leeds, England. I attended three sessions in which a total of 9 papers on Tolkien-related material was presented.

Some I found quite interesting, some I scratched my head about. I was given a link to this Tolkien-related website. I'll pass it on, haven't have a chance to look at the papers on it yet.

https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/
 
I can speak only for myself, @david_wendelken - and as for me, your apology is certainly accepted - and appreciated.
There's not a one of us who hasn't had, doesn't have today, or will not have upon some future 'tomorrow', a bad day or "oops" time.

And, "it takes 2 to tangle" as an original phrase is abused to say... yielding an equal truth to that original.

The event was quite uncommon for this thread...and uncommon for the participants involved. I have no concern, personally, about a repetition.

Thank you for the link above... I'll get to it "as soon as" for sure.
 
Same response as Ent, on my part. I haven't held it to heart, and you and I are on good terms, so for as I'm concerned. :]

I hope you enjoy your medieval conference! It sounds fascinating(what I can imagine of it, anyway). In England, too! Ah...one day maybe I'll travel. Have fun!
 
Well. Though I've begun a deep dive into Music in many respects, the writing projects just won't leave my mind. I've set myself up and come a ways in the Music environment, so can start splitting my attention again. (To the detriment of faster learning of the piano itself, but that is fine. It's already being quite helpful.)

And, having now done a revision of Appendix A and B for The Religion of Opinion and posted it here on TTF, the first response to it has shown me clearly the book is still essential. The very first post following is so exemplary of all its tenets, it can't be left undone. The only question remaining: "will people 'get it'".

But such is the truth of every book..certainly also the one other I must finish: the Middle-earth: Its Religious and Moral Elements - What J.R.R. Tolkien's Texts Unveil. Will people 'get it'? What I'm trying to say? Bottom line, it's not important whether they get it or not. They also don't really get what Tolkien said and did. The important thing, I've concluded, is to say it nonetheless.

So... you're likely to see me back in here a little more again with comments, and I hope, occassional encouragements. Sorry I've neglected you to a degree in my haste to make a certain kind of progress on the Music front, which I have achieved - though at some small cost. (And I don't mean (just) financial.)

For me at least, it's good to be back.
 
Finished up the Medieval History conference today. Attended 3 sessions of 3 papers each on medieval espionage. Fun stuff! I'll be incorporating some of that knowledge into my works.

Attended a session on medieval craftwork, one on medieval Brittany, several on medieval military logistics, and a number of Tolkien sessions as well.

I had a nice time and learned a number of new things. Plus, they had a medieval craft exhibition and I got to make some paper.

For those who want to consider writing and presenting a paper, here's a link: https://www.imc.leeds.ac.uk/imc-2025/. You should be able to find other info if you root around on the menu at that link. Just remember that they just finished the 2024 conference today so some pages for the 2025 conference won't be updated for "a while." Sometimes, papers can be presented remotely. (It just depends, so you submit a request to present and list that as a limitation.)

@Ent could use it as a sounding board for his ideas, for example.
 
Ent At Large said:
Well. Though I've begun a deep dive into Music in many respects, the writing projects just won't leave my mind.
Click to expand...
I think you and I are a lot alike in this way. I have so many different hobbies, and in order to make any decent progress on any of them, I can only focus on one or two at a time. Today has been a Writing day for me as opposed to an Art day or a Sewing day.

But I really enjoyed reading your Religion of Opinion, and I'll probably revisit it again sometime soon since I was a bit in a rush when I read it, and there's a lot of hefty content to think about.

Anyway, today I wrote an entire chapter for my Silmarillion fanfiction, Ill Chances and Strange Fates. (If you recall, I wrote a long post about it some weeks ago here.) I took a break from the current arc and went all the way back to the beginning of the book, when Maitimo and Aranya first met. This chapter was a hilarious one to write and I really enjoyed it! Maitimo is an awkward mess in general, being the equivalent of a teenager and struggling through growth spurts and voice cracks. He's also responsible for babysitting all his brothers and struggling to manage that and his studies. And Aranya basically looked at that pathetic mess and was like, "Yeah, I want that one." I'm not going to spoil the exact circumstances under which they met, because I do plan on posting the fic here and on AO3 sometime soon, and some of you might want to read it. But their initial conversation was really fun to write, being full of awkwardness and snarky banter. And even though I joke that Aranya decided Maitimo was a pathetic mess and she liked that, in all seriousness, she was amazed by how he politely and respectfully treated her as an equal, even though he's a direct heir to the throne and she's a servant.

Once I get the beginning arc wrapped up and connected to the later arc I started, I believe I will start posting it here and on AO3.

Even though my long-term goal is to finish my fantasy novel, this has been a very fun and refreshing project, and I think it's important for my brain to have another project to fall back on so I don't get burned out.
 
*Sticking out tongue*

I have the beta reader privilege.😌
 
Maedhros_Nelyafinwë said:
Even though my long-term goal is to finish my fantasy novel, this has been a very fun and refreshing project, and I think it's important for my brain to have another project to fall back on so I don't get burned out.
Click to expand...
This is something I've realized too... As I write, i'm not going to be able to focus just on one book or the other. I'm going to need to dapple with them both at the same time, reading and preparing the next segment for one while I write on the other, then switching them back and forth continually.

It's a bit refreshing not to be 'singularly focused' in the writing... I think @david_wendelken was the first remarking on this directly somewhere back. I realized when I was editing then writing, even if writing only on one work, I still had the refreshing refocus on another work.

Doh. I remain ignorant on so many things... I'm glad I refuse to quit learning, and applying principles not only within, but across, disciplines.
 
Well my dear friends, I had given some thought to starting a thread and posting bits of my books as they progress. (Though not too much, as it might spoil some decent surprises, who knows.)

And I think it would have been healthy, because I could have gotten some feedback letting me know if what I was working to deliver was clear.

But having posted just the Appendices for Mankind, Life, and the Religion of Opinion, and seeing the results, I don't think it would be a good idea. I don't think some folks would be able to handle much of anything of Middle-earth: Its Religious and Moral Elements - What J.R.R. Tolkien's Texts Unveil - regardless of how uncontroversial it is in itself.

I guess my work just roves too close to areas able to be steered into dangerous ground, and there's an element unable to resist steering into off-topic, unnecessary and discordant channels. Especially with my posts it seems, for some reason, but also with other people's whose worldviews and personal manners of expression differ, as some have seen and noted.

I pretty much quit posting anything of consequence on TTF some time ago, as some may have noticed, and I just stick with making bad jokes, poems for newcomers, and 'occupying space' now. I used to post a number of (relatively) good questions - but even Tolkien related ones became targets.

'Tis also why I started this 'writing thread' which resulted in a couple more similar threads... these seem fairly 'safe.'

Anyway, I'm still thinking about the best course of action, as I really dislike losing the opportunity for review and critique... but I can't unsettle the Forum either.
(Sadly, sometimes I wonder if that's the objective of a certain element - get certain people to quit posting. A very real possibility - which way should I go? A rhetorical question not needing response here. Just lots of thoughts rolling since yesterday.)
 
I will need to research 'blog'. I hear about them, but have no idea how to initiate one, etc.
Is it somehow conjoined with something like a Facebook account? Or is a blog a fully stand-alone thing.
(Teach the Ent time, I guess.)
 
How sad it is not many can accept those who take what seems to be a position flowing against the general stream of society. I do not wish to think you have been "casting pearls before swine", for there are those who would benefit from your messages and not only hear but listen. I hope you will not give up your pursuits, dear Ent, for they are worthy ones. Not many are elected to such a high task as you have been, and you bear it hardily. If my "opinion" can be said, I would say you of all the people on the forum most deserve to be listened to.

I sincerely hope you will continue your ambitious writings for all to see. I would not wish for anyone to simply be "occupying space" whatever he or she might believe, and you of all people should not have to be. I have missed your writings "of consequence", for I find there is a profound sense of loss to the flavor of discussion.* There will always be folks whose opinion is to disagree with everyone else, but let this not stop us. Please keep up the good work with all Grace provided to you.


*Not just here, but in life, I can think of many examples.
 
I agree with what Glorfy said! Unfortunately, I think the reactions you've been receiving, @Ent At Large , proves how deeply rooted our opinions are and how your work is necessary. Honestly, I was even catching myself falling into my own "religion of opinion" in a conversation with someone recently and I realized I needed to just back off because the issue wasn't important. I'm agreeing with the others that a blog might be a good idea. That way, you can invite anyone you want to look at it, and it won't be stirring the proverbial pot here on TTF. I'd certainly be interested in reading more of your thoughts.

Here's a link to my Wordpress blog in case you're interested. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about Wordpress, though I'm not an expert in it and I basically just know how to create pages and posts.

Amelia Marie

Seamstress, Fashion Designer, Corset Maker
ameliaseamstress.wordpress.com

(Speaking of my blog, I've been slowly chipping away over the past few months at an extensive post analyzing the historical accuracy of Christine's costumes in Phantom of the Opera. I'm comparing and contrasting the Broadway show vs the 2004 movie as well. I've gotten up to the Pageboy costume, which appears about halfway through the show. Maybe I can make some more progress on it this weekend. I guess that counts as a writing project too, right?)
 
Wordpress. I had put up something with them containing some of my Biblical work, lesson plans, essays, etc.
So that's a 'blog' thingy, eh? I'll go back and take a look at it. As I recall, I felt it a bit cumbersome to use... but mostly attributed it to Enterator error.
Thanks for the reminder.
 
My little brother recently started playing this game called The Last of Us.
It's and apocalypse themed game, and some of you might be familiar with the live action of it which came out around the time RoP did.

The official theme music which played before click on start piqued my interest as I was hanging out with him today. My newest work is as apocalypse themed as The Hobbit and LoTR go, but for some reason, listening to this game score helps me a lot whenever I feel stuck anywhere during my writing.

They carry this sense of impending doom yet are hopeful at the same time, and sometimes even adventurous.(As it should be, considering the context of this game)

I'm looking forward to delving deeper into my new project while listening to them.(Probably after my exams on Thursday next week.)
 
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