Squills 2/1/26

Welcome to Squills, the official news bulletin of the Young Writers Society!

What will you find here? Tons of interesting news about YWS, including but not limited to: articles about writing, art, and the world of humanities; interviews with YWS members; shameless plugs; link round-ups; and opinionated columns. And where will all of this come from? Take a look at our fantastic creative staff!

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1. ASKPRUNO
2. PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITIES
3. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: CATSRULETHEWORLD387
4. ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE, FEBRUARY IS HERE, SOCIAL WEEK IS TOO
5. SHAMELESS PLUGS
6. SUBSCRIBERS

ASKPRUNOwritten by TheGreatPruno< PM: >

Welcome to Ask Pruno!!! YWS' very own advice column! Pruno is our resident magical all-knowing, all-powerful, immortal, dashing purple sprite as old as time and he answer any questions you throw at him, be it advice, personal opinion, solutions or philosophy.

Please note, this is the advice of Pruno, and it is his opinion alone. Nothing he says can be considered incorrect or factual, even if you disagree with him.



To the Purple Overlord,

Greetings! This subject of yours comes seeking your expert advice in a grave personal matter. Since some time, this bard has been struggling with innovation in his writing. I recently moved to another town away from my parents and I can't write anything other than how I miss my former life. I've finished multiple poems on it and now it's getting really repetitive. I've visited back my home several times but the feeling won't go away. It's affecting my writing extremely terribly. Even when I start with an entirely fresh prompt, it blends into the same emotion all over again. I've tried everything but nothing helps me write anew. I beseech thy Mighty Majesty, lift me from this agony! This humble subject shall be eternally grateful for your kind guidance.

- A troubled poet


Dear Troubled Poet,

this does seem like quite the problem my friend. I will help thee to the best of my ability! Now if thee finds that thee cannot stop thyself from writing about something then it is that thee hast not moved on from this emotion. It is one thing to get used to feeling something and something else entirely to accept the reason behind the feeling.

You must process the emotion in it's entirety. Think about why you are feeling this. Focus on the cause of the homesickness, which over here would be missing your family. Do not feel embarrassed about this, or try to suppress it. If you do, the feeling will only grow! Talk to your family, look at photos of them, let yourself miss them. Soon the feeling will settle and fade. You will get used to your new life.

It is okay to feel this, and it's okay if it takes thee a lot of time to get over this. Life changes are never easy to get used to. Once you come to terms with the feeling and it fades then your writing will automatically get affected. Do not be afraid of writing the same thing over and over again, get it all out. If it helps you process your emotions then it will be for the better.

That being said, thee can try some other avenues of expression. Maybe some songs, or art work can help. Thou can also go for a run, I have found that physical weariness grants great sleep which helps one deal with thy's emotions more effectively!

Or thee can call Zkahegfweuf who is what thee would colloquially call a "good samaritan" he will happily kidnap your family and shrink them so thee can carry them in thy's pocket, curing thy feelings of homesickness! He will do this for a small fee of three sunflower seeds! It is a very effective method. Do get back to me if you would like his SpaceMail.

-Pruno




Do you have any tips for interior design on a budget? I love warm colors, 50s/60s/70s retro vibes, and wood!

- Splurged on a New Apartment

Dear Splurged on a New Apartment,

I know not what these '50s/60s/70s retro vines and wood' are, but I do know what interior designs are! Oh I love them!!! You must make it PRUPLE! OH YES!!! Tis the only way you see. Purple is the supreme! And it must be immortalised in your home!!!

Now! It is very simple. You must contact the amazingpurplefashionestaintheentiregalaxy who lives of planet Furfle and ask her for the SUPREMEPURPLEFASHIONESTAHOMEEDITION package and she will do all your interior designing!!!!

AHAHAAHA!! I AM SO EXCITED!!! I HAVE WAITED EONS FOR THIS MOMENT!!! Even I took this package of hers ond oh! oh! oh! It is beautiful!! No better way to fashion your home.

You see, first she will turn you prurple. All of you. Your eyes, your skin, your hair, your teeth, your nails, you get the idea. Then she will turn everything around you shades of purple! Then she will fashion your home exacty the way you want it, except everything will be purple! It is gorgeous I promise.

You must follow my directions. And then send me photos of your new house. Lots of photos.

-Pruno





Dear Pruno the Purple Supremo,

What would you change if you could reinvent the Internet?

-Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

my, my, my, how I love this question. If I could reinvent the internet? Nay child, I would destroy the internet!! Instead I would start The Global Messenger Pigeon Portal!! It would be exactly like the internet, except with no tech, and no internet, and with pigeons, and magical portals and writing and effort and nice people. And it would be purple. So very purple.

So, I would start with Pigeons but then after a while I would branch out to more animals, dogs, cats, snakes, butterflies and giraffes, elephants, and so many many more. They would have large glittery magical portals that they would use to transport people and letters and photos and whatever it is people want to send.

It would be beautiful to see all these beautiful creatures connecting people. I would take their consent of course. I'd ask my lawyer to draw up employment contacts with excellent benefits and retirement scheme not to mention free healthcare. I want my employees happy.

I'd keep the memes though. Those are nice. I'd also like it if all of yewis could come together to celebrate and I shall finaly grace you mortals with my amazing purple presence!

- Pruno





Hello, TheGreatPruno, it is I SpaceBunny!

I have many character composing of two worlds. As much as I would like to fulfil it, many are asking me to make a webtoon. I really want to, but I already have so many New Year's Resolutions! One of the resolutions was to learn more art techniques, so technically, I guess learning to webtoon could be listed under that, but I'm not sure. So I guess my question is, should I add this, making a webtoon, to my 2026 resolutions list and risk burnout, or stick just to what I got on the list right now and risk not feeling accomplished at the end of the year because I missed out on this mission?

- SpaceBunny


Dear SpaceBunny,

Thee must consider two things. Doth adding these 'webtoons' (only the Great Purple Splat only know what those are) provide thee with any significant benefit? And doth these 'webtoons' require a lot of time and effort to make? If thou is at risk of burnout I would suggest thee avoid this. Thou can always make webtoons another day, it will take much longer to recover from burnout.

Thou hast already many wonderful new year resolutions, focus on those instead! Go easy, pace thyself. That way thy can improve without the stress of deadlines and not be overburdened.

Thee can also contact Quazalifcartedon of the Domabagtagsj planet and she will very happily conduct an encient ritual to give thee exactly three and a half more hands. That way thee can certainly finish more in less time! It is truly a very easy method. She will do this for the mere payment of thee grains of salt. Do get back to me if thee would like her number!

- Pruno




HEY PRUNO!!! I gotta lil question for you

ok so I'm curious why do I get the "yws is down for you" message when I try to go backwards in poor imp's blog? do other people get it? idk if you would know but I BELIEVE IN YOU PRUNO MY GOAT <3333

LOTS OF LOVE TO THE AMAZING PURPLE MAN

- the inquiring bladder

Dear the inquiring bladder,

ah my wonderful child, you see, I do know why this happens.... and the answer.... is sinister...

You seem strong enough to handle it so I will tell it to you straight. There is an evil organisation called "The Backers" run by a group of disturbingly exuberant termites that control several servers and are on a hunt to ensure that no one can ever go too far back on a site.

It is their belief that if you too far back too fast then it will trigger a rip in the fabric of space and time and transport you back in time instead of behind on the internet. It is honestly rather confusing since this is absolutely not the case.

Someone has been feeding the termites false information though I am yet to understand who it is that is engaging in such treachery and why. I thought for a while it was the Great Sea Urchin gang that lives in the Indian Ocean (they are as logic suggests great allies) but it is not so. That leaves only a few options.

It leaves the Dust Mite collective, the Dung Beetle Mob, the Goldfish Bloodletters, the Sea Snake Kunagaga or the most deadly, Slug Mobsters. The gang wars get a bit confusing considering how they are all trying to execute total world domination (which is so very tedious), but I am confident it will soon get resolved.

Yet, till then you will be stuck with this issue. Also if you now get any thing in your email you must not open it otherwise you will get sucked into these gang wars. Do not open your email.

Also stay away from anything with wood, water, grass, fish food, linen or any sort of fabric.

- Pruno



Would you like to ask Pruno a question and get a slice of his interpretations? You can ask him anything you want! It could be a personal problem, or writing advice and tips, even your calculus homework or something else ridiculous! Just PM Pruno with your question! Be sure to follow this template --->

Spoiler

Name : (Please do not use your real name. You can use your YWS username or a funny anonymous title like 'Stressed Buddy', 'Worried Wart', 'Crazy', 'Criminal Mind', 'Anonymous'.)

Question : Ask me anything! Astonish me, I challenge you. But please make sure that your question is substantial enough for me to give you a proper answer. The more I can write in reply the more fun it is for everyone. Tip: You may like to begin with something like 'Dear Pruno the Purple Supremo' or 'To most esteemed overlord' or anything you like.

Is this a really serious or personal question? Would you be upset if the answer was ridiculous? : yes or no. (If you answer 'No' it doesn't mean you won't get a serious answer, it just means that you won’t get offended if you happen not to get one.)

PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITIES

written by alliyah < PM: >

Recently @TheMythMaster posted on their wall the question: "Is there a forum or something where people can find info about literary journals or contests accepting submissions? Like where people can find a list of places they could send their poetry or short stories, or add places they've tried?

I feel like this could be a thing already like in the resources forums, but if not I might make one."

And @AlexWrites correctly pointed out the existence of The YWS Writer's Market which is a forum that users can post contests and opportunities for writers to participate especially in terms of publishing opportunities out there. Alex lamented that Writer's Market is not super active as a forum right now, which inspired this article!

While YWS is a little too fast-paced of a community for a lot of individual contests to get much traction being posted here, there are plenty of submission data-bases out there with publishing opportunities to check out! Two I want to give a shout-out to are "Submittable" and "Chill Subs".

A Submission Database has details about many opportunities for submissions all in one place, so is a great resource for those looking for publishing opportunities available online! Submittable can be accessed at submittable.com and has many different "tags" you can use to hone in to what sort of contest you are looking for. Chill Subs is similar and utilizes a short description of each publication to give you a brief idea of what to expect before you check out the rest of the details. Chill Subs can be accessed at chillsubs.com.

A little disclaimer about these resources - you always want to read all of the submission guidelines and fine-print to make sure an opportunity isn't "too good to be true" and to make sure you know what will happen to your work if it gets accepted! I don't have a ton of publication experience, but have probably submitted about 50 pieces, with about 5 being accepted. Getting a piece published often takes a lot of trial and error and sometimes waiting for just the right publication to come along!

If you'd be interested in maybe being part of a club where we encourage each other to submit to different contests and stay in step with our publication goals let me know! It's been something rolling around in my head for a while.

If you have your own publishing opportunities you'd like to share - be sure to make a post over at the Writer's Market with the details to share with the site. And if you want a little more information about Submittable and Chill Subs, I've written up a write-up here . Thanks for reading! Happy writing!

FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: CATSRULETHEWORLD387written by Liminality< PM: >

If you're on YWS, you've probably seen this FM in the People's Tab. She spreads cheer and enthusiasm everywhere she goes and is a prolific writer, with lots of poems and a novel to her name here on the site. She joined us in July last year and became our FM in October. That's right, today we're interviewing @CATSRULETHEWORLD387!


CATSRULETHEWORLD387: OMGGGG I've totally not been waiting xD
I would love to answer some questionsss! Go right ahead! :3


C: I saw all the other people's FM's and would always go through them once in a while, cause uh it was fun :D and I loved hearing what they had to say! So when it was my turn, I was like JUMPING AROUND cause it was so exciting and I had never felt this kind of excitement!!! It lit up my entire dayyy! I was very happy like verryyyyyyyy  


C: Ahh, just realized I haven't reviewed anything in so long ToT
I mostly love reviewing poetry, I love the rhymes and how everything fits into place! reviewing poetry is really fun, and i love seeing the creativity people have! All users have their own unique style, and I really like how it creates an image in my mind so clearly.


C: Hmm...I love writing my novels, they help me cope and include support I'm lacking, and it's really fun to daydream! Poems I mostly write to comfort others and release my feelings too, and I'll be here for whoever needs help. I hope people can find comfort in my words! I haven't yet tried short stories, but I'll probably give it a shot in the near future. 


C: Oooo! For me, my type (if this is what you mean) are the poems/books/literature that show what they're going through right now. The feelings, and the relatability. Such as, @thehoplessromantic 's Paper Straw or Birds from @kurocyn1, or any of @AlexWrites ' poems, he's such a good poet xD

I love reading poems or books in genres of fantasy, romance, action/adventure, mystery/suspense or just a unique genre!


C: OO! I LOVE the people’s tab, and posting on other users walls, it’s really fun to like poke at them xD

i also love the clubs section, we can have so much fun together!!!


C: Ohhh yay! i love advice!

Some things i would say is: If you EVER have an idea for a book or story or poem, don’t wait. Write it down immediately. If you feel overwhelmed and need to let it out, write a poem. Go on a walk alone. Cry. Scream into your pillow. it all helps, and it’s good to let all the pressure out <3333

you will outgrow people, something recent i’ve learned. you’ll outgrow your last self. and it’s important to change your environment whenever u feel that, to start over, and be the future self u wanted to be. don’t be afraid to move on, friendships don’t last forever, and interests change over time. don’t be afraid to let go of the past and start a new life!!!


C: THANK YOUUUUU RLLY APPRECIATED IT AND THE HONOR :D

If you have yet to do so, join us in congratulating CATS on her FM thread or on her wall!

ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE, FEBRUARY IS HERE, SOCIAL WEEK IS TOO

written by alliyah < PM: >

Hey YWS! February has arrived (depending on the publication date of this issue of Squills) and you know what that means... SOCIAL WEEK!

What is Social Week?
According to the YWS Event Calendar , Social Week "started in February 2022 as 'Social Week', Social Month has become an annual tradition on YWS, typically occurring throughout the month of February, YWS hosts a month of social/community geared activities for users to participate. Previous events have included contests, challenges, hashtags, tagbooks/roleplays, and mini-events and write-ins with an emphasis on community interaction. The event typically runs through February, with each crew (General Literature, Poetry, Resources and Community, and Roleplay) leading one week of fun, games, and writing activities!"

Social Week is sometimes a week, sometimes a couple weeks, and sometimes the whole month of February! It really just depends on what the mods decide to roll out, but it has absolutely become a YWS favorite in the years since it started. Social Week is all about celebrating that we are not just independent writers but we are writers in a social community together. So there's all sorts of fun activities, events, and tags to jump into and connect.

What does this Social Week have in store?
Well... I am bound to an oath of secrecy about the "official" details which have yet to be revealed at the time of writing this article... but I can share that it is planned to run from February 2 through Valentine's Day and will feature a couple of your usual favorite tags and likely a few new activities. Sorry to be so vague, but part of the fun is finding out!

How to participate
Watch for details to be posted soon, there is likely to be a calendar where each day directions will be posted on how to get involved. Each activity has its own rules, but they are open to everyone participating. Meaning you don't have to be a novelist to participate in a story-writing activity, or don't have to be William Shakespeare to jump into some friendship poems, the point is connecting! And honestly, even if you've never posted on another user's wall before, this is a great opportunity to connect with some YWSers you've never interacted much with before and just have some silly writing fun!

I have so many questions...
If you have any questions, your first order of business is to post a gif of a green owl on EllieMae's page. After that, you can click the "Send PM" button on her page, or another Resource Crew member (like @cocteau or @canopy) let them know your questions about participating and they can help steer you in the right direction! Don't forget to post a green owl on EllieMae's page first though... this is a very important step to getting your most important Social Week questions resolved.

So go out and participate!
Like many things on YWS, you get what you put into it. Meaning, you are likely to enjoy Social Week more the more you put into it! Don't stress over trying to do everything unless that sounds awesome to you, then by all means go for it! But definitely do try something new and jump into anything that sounds like fun, you won't regret it! And can make new YWS friends while doing so! Have a great week!

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