![]() Author has written 11 stories for Lord of the Rings, and Silmarillion. Dare to enter my Middle-earth fortress? Ok. I'll bring the wine if you bring the food. Call me Gwed! - You'll find me over on Tumblr under the same username: @chiliadicorum or chiliadicorum(dot)tumblr(dot)com - And also on Ao3, again same username: https://archiveofourown(dot)org/users/chiliadicorum/pseuds/chiliadicorum (Concerning Tumblr, I am VERY active over there. Best place to hit me up or interact and I've posted countless Tolkien-related things over there, and "anonymous" is always turned on. Feel free to talk to me here or on AO3, but it'll take longer for me to get back to you since these sites aren't on mobile) Jan 6th, 2024: *peaks out from behind a rock* Hello. I just published a fic and it's honestly kind of mindlblowing that it's been 6 yrs since I last wrote/published anything. And while writing, it was exhilarating, but also the weirdest experience. I've never done anything before where it literally felt like I was shaking rust off, that the gears were squealing and stop-starting as they turned, that the writing was jerky and felt like I was wading through mud, muscling one foot forward at a time. Very weird, but it came smoothly at the end, as if the writing machine inside me just got freshly oiled (still needs a tune-up though, I think). I'm saying all this I guess as encouragement to anyone else trying to bust through that out-of-practice state. I've been on a writing hiatus for so many years now. Not fully by choice, the muse was just dead. I really apologize to all those reading Hells of Iron. I had nothing coming, no imagination, no will to try piecing a sentence together, nothing. I cared but also didn't care. Then in August, only a few months ago now, something huge changed (I won't specify what here) and it's like pandora's box was opened. Everything came rushing back, the passion, the desire and more than anything, all the ideas. All the thoughts and nuggets of everything that I wanted to happen in these stories that have been put on the backburner for years. I see my notes (which I found after I long believed them lost when moving) and all the memories come rushing back and better yet, new inspiration. I haven't felt this in years and a month ago, for the first time in 5 years, I continued writing my wip. I can't describe what a victory that felt like. I can say with all sincerity that Hells of Iron is being continued. Not will be. Is. Not only continued, it's being revised (I've had a few epiphanies this last year and know how to make it better than it currently is). The revision isn't enormous so it won't take long, but some things I no longer want to exclude are being written in bc I want to go all in with this fic. I'll give a new update when the latest version of HoI is uploaded and then the story will be continued, uploaded over on ao3 at the same time. I'm excited guys. I haven't felt this excited about writing in what feels like forever. I'm back. I can say that with actual confidence now. Also, if you've left any review(s) I've never replied to, I sincerely apologize. I'll be combing through to see if I missed anything, but feel free to get my attention if I've overlooked you at all. That's all for now. I'll update again later About my writing: Obviously, a Tolkien writer. Maybe one day I'll publish in another fandom, but who knows. I love writing gap-fillers, studying what Tolkien wrote, figuring out a feasible explanation for its context, and filling in the blanks to offer a plausible connecting-the-dots, as it were. It's challenging, sometimes horribly slow, but the process of piecing together a puzzle is so rewarding. I don't like unanswered questions, so I try to figure out how to answer them. No, I'm not declaring my way is the only way, just one inspired by canon. :) Another thing I love to write/read are stories that bring to light characters that are left in the dark, characters that Tolkien uniquely described, and characters that seem to be so often ignored or sidelined. I also like to dabble in Tolkien's languages. And I don't write slash or romance fics, so if that's your cup of tea, sorry, but you're in the wrong place. Gap-fillers: Since this is probably the largest focus of my writing, I feel obliged to clarify just what a gap-filler is to me. Aside from filling in a gap in canon, it means not using any shortcuts to make the writing of it easier. It means the story is as authentic and logical as it can be. And while there are many interpretations of canon, nothing will contradict canon to the best of my knowledge (feel free to correct me if I made a mistake). My two cents on writing: The key to successful writing is successful characterization. Despite the popular perception of the importance of plot (yes, plot is important) it is ultimately the characters that drive a story. No matter how complex and jaw-dropping your plot is, it is the characters that keep the audience reading. Without them, the story is dry and tedious, because face it; if your audience isn’t interested and hungry for the characters, why would they care what happens to them, good or bad? They wouldn’t. Yes, plot is important, writing quality is important, suspension of disbelief is important, the pacing is important, etc. But as much as the word of one avid reader counts, I want to shout from the roof that the ultimate success of a story comes with the success of your characters’ development. Don’t ignore them. Let them be 3D. Let them tell the story for you. Let them become alive and vibrant to the point where you become as attached to them as your readers do. Have your plot planned out, but let your focus when writing be on those characters who are the actual ones carrying out the plot, and all else will flow from that. Reading yours: I do welcome requests to read your story or another’s. Many people have done it and I hope many more do. I only ask two things before you do. 1) Please do not be offended if I decline. Like everyone, I have likes and dislikes and some fics are simply not my cup of tea and I don't want to go into your fic already not liking the character or theme it's about. Not fair to you. And 2) provide some kind of reason why you want me to read your story? Believe me, I love being told about stories of which I am thoroughly unaware of their existence, particularly since I can’t browse for them as much as I used to. But I’d like to think that there is something valuable to my opinion that you would go so far as to ask for it, that I am not just seen as another number in your traffic tallies or another review. Just tell me what it is. Even if it’s simply that you are curious about what I think of your story, then fine! Tell me that. I just don’t want to be treated like another number. One person asked me because they were curious as to how canonically accurate their story was, another because their fic revolved around a character I love, and another included a theme I enjoy. Any reason's fine, even if it’s just, “I think you’ll enjoy this!” Honestly, if you believe it will be worth my while to read your story because you think/know I will love/appreciate it, then I wholeheartedly welcome you telling me to read it for that alone. There are never enough fanfic gems. Posted 01/16/19: Ok, someone pm'ed me looking for an old fic. This is irrelevant to probably every single person reading this, but back in the maiden days this account was jointly used, yes. I took full ownership/usership of this account in late 2012? I think? Around there, I can't remember. We split ways, she got her own account and I deleted the two fics she had on here (with her permission, don't worry). I imagine she reposted them to her own account. So if you're looking for those two fics, you're going to have to remember their titles and search for them yourself. Please don't ask me to find them for you. I haven't spoken with her in years and can't even remember what her account name is (it was "jezzy" something) (\)_(/) |