Rohan

[mysteryman3]

In my previous post, I did not give any clues as to the contents of my story, or the nature of the concepts in it. As soon as I recieve a reply, I will be happy to discuss what I have written so far. Just to give an indication of how you may like it, my family all think it is excellent (although they would probably have said that anyway if it was terrible), but I have tried to stay true to the grammar and style of Tolkien, as well as the lore of Middle Earth. I have also not used any finished ideas, leaving them finished. I am using ideas that Tolkien left 'open' and only partially explored.

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by mysteryman3

In my previous post, I did not give any clues as to the contents of my story, or the nature of the concepts in it. As soon as I recieve a reply, I will be happy to discuss what I have written so far. Just to give an indication of how you may like it, my family all think it is excellent (although they would probably have said that anyway if it was terrible), but I have tried to stay true to the grammar and style of Tolkien, as well as the lore of Middle Earth. I have also not used any finished ideas, leaving them finished. I am using ideas that Tolkien left 'open' and only partially explored.

Yes, it is against copyright. No, Christopher Tolkien will never grant you approval. Never. Ever. What you are writing is called "fan-fiction" and the Internet is filled with it. Thousands upon thousands of stories, novellas and novels. Some are good, but most are not fit to line a bird cage.

FanFiction.net has over 46,000 such offerings, and none of it can be published: Lord of the Rings Stories Index

Post your story there, and perhaps get it reviewed by other fans. Otherwise, think of something original to write. Because, chances are, your plot has already been written ten times over.

[mysteryman3]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Otherwise, think of something original to write. Because, chances are, your plot has already been written ten times over.

I never said that my story wasn't original, and I highly doubt that even one other fan-fiction writer came up with the same ideas as myself. Despite what you and many other people may think of me, I can assure you that I am not a simple fan-fiction writer, and I do have considerable skill as a writer. I am wincing at the fact that I sound boastful, but I do feel that I need to convince you that I am not simply another Tolkien wannabe.

My story is entirely original, using only the verified facts of Tolkien's universe and my own original ideas. The story both develops and expands upon unfinished concepts which Tolkien includes in his own published works, not least among them being vampires and werewolves. The Necromancer, for example, becomes a vampire or a similar creature according to the Silmarilion (I do apologise if that is incorrect as I have personally never read the Silmarilion). In addition, much of the story takes place in the far far east, which has so far been overlooked in the way of physical details.

In short, the purpose of my first attempt (18 months ago) to write a sequel was based on the desire to continue a finished and completed story. Obviously this was doomed to fail no matter how far I got. This time, the aim for writing a sequel is to look more closely at the creatures which have been excluded (for the most part) from the major published works. Very little has been written about them and I'm trying to tell their tale.

However, thank you for the advice on where to post my story, and despite my post, I do take on board all criticism, judgement, encouragement, and advice (just as every writer does whether they try to or not). As the published action author Matthew Reilly is fond of saying - "To anyone who knows a writer, never underestimate the power of your encouragement."

[Mumriken]

Thing is mysteryman as long as your story isn't approved by Christopher Tolkien it will remain fan fiction no matter how well written it is. Also if you write this story and profit from it you will surely be sued.

[mysteryman3]

Okay, so you guys are saying that what I write is fan fiction by definition, not by design. Now that makes more sense. Thanks.

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by mysteryman3

I never said that my story wasn't original, and I highly doubt that even one other fan-fiction writer came up with the same ideas as myself. Despite what you and many other people may think of me, I can assure you that I am not a simple fan-fiction writer, and I do have considerable skill as a writer. I am wincing at the fact that I sound boastful, but I do feel that I need to convince you that I am not simply another Tolkien wannabe.

There are several fine writers of Tolkien fan-fiction on this very site. That they write fan-fiction does not detract from their writing skills; however, they are at least aware they are writing fan-fiction.

Originally Posted by mysteryman3

My story is entirely original, using only the verified facts of Tolkien's universe and my own original ideas. The story both develops and expands upon unfinished concepts which Tolkien includes in his own published works, not least among them being vampires and werewolves. The Necromancer, for example, becomes a vampire or a similar creature according to the Silmarilion (I do apologise if that is incorrect as I have personally never read the Silmarilion). In addition, much of the story takes place in the far far east, which has so far been overlooked in the way of physical details.

As a newly-minted writer of fan-fiction, you do yourself a disservice having not read The Silmarillion, or the 12 volume History of Middle-earth, for that matter. You may well find the "unfinished concepts" you are grappling with are dealt with in more detail than you are aware of, including a more complete picture of Sauron the Maia, lieutenant of Morgoth Bauglir, who in his long history was known as Mairon, Gorthaur the Cruel, Thu the Hunter, Annatar and the Necromancer. And the history of Far Eastern Middle-earth has been dealt with in great detail by other fan-fiction writers.

[mysteryman3]

Thanks for the help guys. Your help is greatly appreciated. I knew it was a good idea to ask for help on the web. I think I'll do some more research (like reading the Silmarillion) before I continue writing.

[Mithalwen]

"Can I / someone else write / complete / develop my / their own version of one of these unfinished tales ? (or any others)
The simple answer is NO.
You are of course free to do whatever you like for your own private enjoyment, but there is no question of any commercial exploitation of this form of "fan-fiction".
Also, in these days of the Internet, and privately produced collectors’ items for sale on eBay, we must make it as clear as possible that the Tolkien Estate never has, and never will authorize the commercialisation or distribution of any works of this type.
The Estate exists to defend the integrity of J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings. Christopher Tolkien's work as his father’s literary executor has always been to publish as faithfully and honestly as possible his father's completed and uncompleted works, without adaptation or embellishment"

[Lalwendë]

It's not entirely true that no other writer has been allowed to publish material based on Tolkien's work. There was The Fall of Gondolin by Alex Lewis. However, and it's a fairly big caveat, he directly asked for the approval of Priscilla Tolkien (some say, it was perhaps a fait accompli that she was presented with - the Tolkien Society is rife with gossips so who knows...) and it was limited to a strictly private publication of fifty copies only!

Don't be put off though, fan fiction is worth doing. I've had fun myself on this site, taking part in our RPGs, which are often based on developing unfinished ideas/tales (take a look, they're great). And if you want more recognition then use it as a basis for your own creation. If it's an original idea then it may well stand a move out of Middle-earth and into your own created world.

There is one Englishwoman currently making a mint out of her altered fan fic of Twilight. What she wrote in my opinion deserves nothing more than hearty belly laughs, what you propose sounds much more interesting and if you can turn it round and make it your own I'm sure it should be good.