Young Writers Society

LadySpark wrote:

@LadySpark and @Seirre are hosting a poetry brainstorm jam tomorrow, *! Come join us and get a head start on your NaPo planting planning!


We'll see you there! Click this link on the 19th to join us!

*date and time automatically adjusts to your timezone!

lliyah wrote:What's that? Only 15 jam jars until NaPo!

And! Our NaPo Info Thread is up!



I am so excited for you all to see what the Poetry Crew has in store for you this April. And really really excited to read everyone's poetry too. (Did I mention I'm excited for NaPo yet?)

If you're not sure what NaPo is and this just seems like a lot of alphabet soup to you so far, we'll have a FAQ thread out soon, but for now I'd encourage you to read the Information Thread. Basically NaPo is a month of poetry fun starting April 1.

To participate in NaPo:

1) create a NaPo thread in the NaPo Forum for posting your poetry in April.
2) watch for the upcoming Badge / Contest Thread to read about our specific challenges you can participate in.
3) jump into poetry jams, contests, and activities all April long!

~ watch for more NaPo prep and brainstorming opportunities this March too (like the upcoming Poetry Reader's Session!!) ~ #countdowntonapo #bringbacknapo #napo2023

LadySpark wrote:

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz! It's time to brainstorm!

Are you ready for NaPo yet? ... We aren't either! To fix that, @LadySpark and @Seirre will be hosting a poetry brainstorm jam on *! Come join us and get a head start on your NaPo planting planning!


We'll see you there! Click this link on the 19th to join us!

*date and time automatically adjusts to your timezone!

lliyah wrote:

Magical Elements of a Review

A little of this, a little of that, and what do you know? We've got a review to show!

What elements do you think make a review just work?

In anticipation for the Fantastical Review Day !!! coming up, here's a tag you can participate in! What are three things you love for reviewers to include in their reviews and give a shoutout to a favorite Review Resource / Tip!

1) An Interpretation! Whether you're reviewing poetry or prose I think it's always a good idea to share what you interpreted the writing to mean or the reaction you took away from the piece!

2) Knowledge of the Genre / Poetry-Type I always think it's a good idea to take a little look at the genre before reviewing! If I'm a reading a piece that's listed as "Serious / Horror" but I can't stop laughing, the author may need to know! Or if I'm reading a non-structured free-verse poem, it'll change how I appeal to formal / conventional rules! Did you know in poetry you don't have to use capital letters or conventional punctuation? Some types of poetry are more about effect than rules!

3) A Positive Attitude - I find I usually review best when I give the author the benefit of the doubt! If you go in assuming the author is trying their best and that they're trying to write a piece with meaning, I think you usually have a more enjoyable time reading. Positivity goes a long way in reviewing too - simply changing your phrasing to be constructive rather than destructive can make a huge difference in the impact of your review. (ie. "This metaphor doesn't make sense and is dumb" <- hurtful! soul-crushing! vs. "Great word choice in that last stanza! You might be able to make that metaphor a bit more effective with a link to the rest of the poem." <- helpful! encouraging!) If you try to keep a good balance of positives along with your criticism, I think the author is more likely to listen to your feedback and want to continue writing.

Review Resource / Tip: My favorite Review Resource to share at the moment is the Review S'More which is a take on the classic YWS Review Sandwich!

~ #MagicalReviewElements (3 Review Elements + 1 Review Tip / Resource) #ReviewTips

BluesClues wrote:Hey you! Yeah, you! Are you a novelist? Do you hope to publish a novel one day? Then do we have the workshop for you!

Join us for a novel publication workshop hosted by BluesClues!

This workshop will cover topics like...

• should I pursue traditional or self publication?
• how do I find agents and publishers?
• what is a query letter and why do I need one?

The workshop will focus primarily on traditional publication, as that's the area I'm knowledgeable about - but many of the topics we cover are also relevant to self-published authors. All novelists and aspiring novelists welcome! Tell your friends!

Nate wrote:If you celebrate it, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas! If you don't celebrate it, I hope you have a great weekend!

ReviewBuddy wrote:Sorry for the quietness on my end everyone! I was taking an early hibernation, but am back - and looks like I'm just in time for that upcoming Review Day!

With the New Year coming up does anyone have any New Year #ReviewResolutions ? Trying to earn your next star in 2023 or jumping to the next spot on the leaderboard? Would love to hear about your #ReviewGoals !

WeepingWisteria wrote:What's this~? What's this~? A new FM is here :]

Spearmint wrote::3



(psst click the image to order a festive avvie!)

Shady wrote:The 2022 YWS Yearbook is now live! Go claim your spot now! ^-^

IcyFlame wrote:Time For More Holiday Fun!

One of my favourite YWS holiday traditions is back again for 2022.

Use this thread to sign up to Secret Santa 2022 . All information is in the thread 🎄🎄🎄🎅🎅🎅