Rendering Tolkien's Reality

All Night Long…

The races of Middle Earth all come with their own innate qualities and features. Each was meant to be unique, but sometimes authors tend to treat one as another with a few additional frills. In particular, portrayals of elves often seem to fall victim to this method of writing. Some authors have them wooing and mating like lords in a human settlement. Others have them bedding down for the night to close their eyes in sleep. In many cases, Tolkien himself was quite clear as to what elves would truly do (as with sleeping, or, in the case of an elf, *not* sleeping), but the fanfic authors aren’t quite all that worried about those details. An elf ends up being a human with a prettier face and a better singing voice.

Don’t be afraid to do some research into the race about which you want to write. _History of Middle Earth_ includes some stout deposits of detail as to elven custom and behavior, and a lot of elf fanfics I’ve read would have done very well to have picked up some basis in those works before they went to the publishing stage. Feel free to ask around in a forum as to whether or not what you propose to do with a character is in theme for the race or culture, and be ready to accept if it isn’t. No, you don’t have to go out and buy books for your shelf. No, you don’t even have to pester your local librarian for a series of interlibrary loans. You should, however, take the time to ask around among your audience, who just might know what is in those sources and can make suggestions regarding whether or not your portrayal fits what is thematically correct for the culture and/or race you want to involve.