What Next?

[Aiwendil]

I think that it is a good idea but I would not restrict our draft for only the members of the project but to anyone who would want to read our work.

Okay, I agree. My main point was that we should actually send it to former project members and thus sort of actively court their interest. But certainly we can also make it available to anyone who wishes to read it.

That is very tricksy in a way. I don't think there is an easy way out of this Aiwendil. I don't like the idea of fixed law, but unless there is a great argument that could sway the minds of the other members (ex. like Findegil's Mechanical Monsters proposal) I think that we should adhere to the vote.

Yes, the more I think about this, the trickier an issue it seems to become.

If the project had a relatively fixed membership it would not be much of a problem - the rule could simply be that if a majority of those that were on the winning side in the vote agree, it would be reopened. But it's very common here for members that voted to have disappeared.

Maybe this just means we ought to be really careful and make sure we get the votes right the first time . . .

I would have liked for continuity's sake to follow with the Eärendil Chapter because we have already begun to discuss about that in the Fall of Gondolin section. We could use the advantage that we have those arguments fresh in our minds (relatively) and finish it, rather than going to the very beginning.

That's true. I suppose there's no reason we could not follow with Earendil.

I just worry that if we move on, say, to Earendil and then to Doriath, and if those each take something on the order of the time it took to do FoG, we will be working on more or less the same few stories for years to come - whereas if we went to some earlier and easier chapters, we would make much more rapid visible progress.

Before diving into another very large project, we ought to at least take note of the fact that it was on the fourth of June 2001 - two years and nine months ago - that we started the Fall of Gondolin (if I were inclined to make poor, text-based puns (which apparently I am . . .) I'd point out that we've had almost three years of FoG on the Barrow-downs).

But, then, I don't think that Earendil will prove quite as difficult as the Fall of Gondolin. Also, a good deal of the time spent on the previous project was spent in acquiring and refining our methods and techniques; now that we have practiced them, I suppose things will move along more quickly.

So if Findegil agrees about moving on to Earendil, I suppose we'll do it.

We have to note that the Ainulindalë and Valaquenta chapters are very advanced and I think that they need only minor revisions. Antoine has those drafts ready or nearly ready. (I think)

Yes, I suppose those are just about finished. But I think we should re-examine them, finalize any little bits necessary, and make them "official".