Writing in the SCA: An Overview and Discussion

By THLaird Colyne Stewart (mka Todd Fischer)

Fruits of our Labours (FOOL), May 2014 (AS 49)

POETRY

• Norse poetry
• Anglo-saxon poetry

Places to Publish Poetry:

• A personal SCA blog
• Bardic websites, such as http://bards.ca/
• Bardic collections, like Cry of the Wolf
• Bardic groups on social media sites, like https://www.facebook.com/groups/166859486846742/

SONGS

Filking

Filking is a modern term for taking the tune from a song and writing new lyrics for it. Outside of the SCA, filks usually make references to science-fiction, fantasy, video games and other ‘geek’ culture. Usually when filking the borrowed tune is from a modern song. If you’re using a tune from a period song, that is more accurately called contre-fait.

Contre-fait

Like filk, contre-fait is the practice of taking the tune from an existing song and writing new lyrics for it. This often happened in period, with regional lyrics popping up for the same songs.

Original Songs

Places to Publish Songs:

• A personal SCA blog
• Bardic websites, such as http://bards.ca/
• Bardic collections, like Cry of the Wolf
• Bardic groups on social media sites, like https://www.facebook.com/groups/166859486846742/
•  

SHORT STORIES

Places to Publish Short Stories:

• A personal SCA blog
• Bardic websites, such as http://bards.ca/
• Bardic collections, like Cry of the Wolf
• Bardic groups on social media sites, like https://www.facebook.com/groups/166859486846742/
•  

EVENT REPORTS

Places to Publish Event Reports:

• A personal SCA blog
• SCA Today, http://www.scatoday.net/
• History of Ealdormere, http://ealdormerehistory.blogspot.ca/
• The e-list
• Kingdom, barony and canton/shire webpages

A&S PAPERS

Places to Publish A&S Papers:

• A personal SCA blog
• The Archive of St. Etienne, http://archive-etienne.blogspot.ca/p/a-papers.html
• Guild webpages
• A&S collections

AWARD SCROLLS

Places to Publish Award Scroll Wordings:

• A personal SCA blog
• The Scriptorium, http://scriptoriumsca.blogspot.ca/

PROCLAMATIONS

In period, when a tournament was held, a proclamation would be made. If your event is going to have a tournament, why not write such an announcement?

Places to Publish Proclamations:

• A personal SCA blog
• The e-list

LETTERS

Sending emails or writing letters is also an opportunity to flex writing muscles. You can base your communications on letters and epistles from period.

Places to Publish Award Letters:

• A personal SCA blog
• The e-list

CHARTERS

Occasionally the opportunity may arise for you to write a charter. Guilds often have charters, and sometime when the crown grants lands, they may want a charter written up.

Places to Publish Charters:

• A personal SCA blog
• The Scriptorium, http://scriptoriumsca.blogspot.ca/
• History of Ealdormere, http://ealdormerehistory.blogspot.ca/
• The e-list
• Kingdom, barony and canton/shire webpages

LIST OF HELPFUL WEBSOURCES

Full Texts: Collections

• Archives, Libraries, Texts and Manuscripts, http://tudorhistory.org/links/books.html
• Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts (British Library), http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/welcome.htm
• Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse, http://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/
• Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies - Corpus of Electronic Texts (CELT), http://www.ucc.ie/celt/publishd.html
• From Dawn to Dawn: Troubadour Poetry (trans. into English), http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/French/FromDawnToDawn.htm
• Hanover Historical Texts Collection, http://history.hanover.edu/project.php
• Internet Medieval Sourcebook, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.asp
• Internet Medieval Sourcebook - Full Text Sources, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook2.asp
• Irish Scripts Onscreen, http://www.isos.dias.ie/
• Medieval Manuscripts on the Web, http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/sechard/512digms.htm
• Medieval Source Material on the Internet (Particularly Heralds' Visitations and Charters), http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/sources/olmed.shtml
• Middle English Texts, http://labyrinth.georgetown.edu/display.cfm?Action=View&Category=English,%20Middle
• The National Library of Wales (search function), http://www.llgc.org.uk/

Literature

• Medieval Scottish Literature, http://medievalscotland.org/scotbiblio/literature.shtml

Letters

• Epistolae, http://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/letter/index.html
• Letter from Robert the Bruce, http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2013/06/robert-the-bruce-letter-found-at-british-library.html

Poetry

• Building Blocks of Anglo-Saxon Poetry, http://cuip.net/~iabrams/OE_Rap_port/oepoetryworksheet.htm
• Dróttkvætt or That Old Norse Poetry Thing, http://www.academia.edu/458624/Drottkvaett_or_That_Old_Norse_Poetry_Thing
• How to Write Your Own Anglo-Saxon Poetry, http://hugohouse.org/how-to-write-your-own-anglo-saxon-poetry/
• Medieval Lyrics and Ballads, http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/English_Literature/medieval/medieval.htm
• Medieval Welsh Poetry, http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/sechard/492welsh.htm
• Skaldic Poetry: An Introduction and Brief Explanation, http://knuds5.hubpages.com/hub/Skaldic-Poetry-An-Introduction-and-Brief-Explanaition
• Viking Age Skaldic Poetry, http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/literature/text/Skaldic_Poetry.htm
• Viking Answer Lady: Norse Poetry, http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/meters.shtml

Writing (Misc.)

• Byzantine Literature, http://web.clas.ufl.edu/users/kapparis/byzantium/byzantium.html
• Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse, http://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/
• Medieval Writing, http://medievalwriting.50megs.com/