The Haladriel One-Shot Fanfiction Exchange works the same as a game of “Secret Santa.” Disa will ask for a particular story, and this request will be sent to a secret writer (Elrond). At the same time, Disa will receive a request from someone else (Durin) detailing what kind of story they’d like to receive as a gift. On the Exchange Day, Disa will receive her gifted fic from Elrond and Durin will receive his gifted fic from Disa.

Between Jan. 1 - Jan. 10, you will fill out an application form detailing what kind of story you’d like to receive and what kind of story you’d like to write. Then, Mods will contact you to reveal who you’re writing for and what kind of story they’d like to see. Once your story is done, you will upload it into an AO3 collection, where it will stay a secret until Exchange Day. On Exchange Day, all stories will be made available to read!

Pretty much. We want to ensure everyone gets the totality of the gift they signed up to receive. If you need to break your story into 2-3 chapters, the work must be completed by the announcement of the 2026 Exchange (timing tbd) in order to participate.

That’s okay! Mods are here to help facilitate brainstorming sessions with other participants or we can work directly 1:1 with you. Mods can also present brainstorming ideas to your prompter to help make the writing process easier and keep the short story a one-shot.

Yes! All submissions are due on March 18. If you think you’re in danger of missing this date, please email Mods ASAP!

So glad you asked! March 25 is Tolkien Reading Day, which celebrates the canonical anniversary of the One Ring being destroyed in Mount Doom.

We will assign you based on interest and themes in common. Which means if you request a Modern AU, you’ll be paired with someone who enjoys writing Modern AUs.

An effective prompt should help provide direction to your writer but does not need to be overly specific – a sketch, not a full picture.

Think about the What/When/Why of your story – what tropes do you want to see the characters engage in? What’s the setting like? Do you have an idea about the central driving conflict (i.e., what is propelling the plot forward)?

Alternatively, consider what tags/summaries you look for when choosing to read a fic on AO3 – what tags/summaries would compel you to click on this fic you’re requesting?

Yes! We have an Exchange Discord! You can join us to find spaces to brainstorm with other participants, join writing sprints, and receive writing support. Please note it is not a general Haladriel server – this is a space for the Exchange only.

Here is the link to the collection. This is moderated and each posting will be approved by the mods according to our participant list to limit it to who has signed up for the Exchange.

Once you’re here, click “Post to Collection.”

In the posting area you will find a box labeled “Associations.” In the line to “Gift This Work To,” type your recipients’ AO3 handle so that on Exchange Day, they will be notified about their gift. Once posted, your fic will not be available to read until Exchange Day.

PLEASE ensure your posting date is set to March 25, 2025, otherwise your story won’t show up as a new post on Exchange Day.

If you’re concerned about harassment, you can limit your work under the “Privacy” box. You can choose to only show your work to registered users, AND/OR enable comment moderation (which means you have to approve all comments before they show up on your fic), AND/OR restrict who can comment on your fic to 1. Registered users and guests (i.e., everyone), 2. Only registered users, or 3. No one.

Once you hit “Post,” your story will be sent to moderators to review and approve. Please allow up to 24 hours for this process to be completed. If it takes any longer, please reach out to the Mods.