Young Writers Society

SquillsBot wrote:Beep boop! After a long hiatus, I'm happy to announce that Squills has a fresh new issue for you, hot off the press! Read on for a recap of April events, Featured Member Interviews galore, and original columns~

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. THE CHIEFLIEST OF EDITORS
2. WANT TO WRITE FOR SQUILLS?
3. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: ACEASSINOFTHEMOON
4. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: KELISOT
5. CAMP NANOWRIMO IN APRIL
6. NAPO RECAP: SQUILLS EXCLUSIVE
7. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: PAIGEFANTASY
8. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: LADYBUG
9. POETRY THROUGHOUT THE AGES: SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS
10. GREEN ROOM GALLERY
11. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: FIGMOON
12. APRIL FOOLS ROUNDUP
13. WUZZLES PUZZLES
14. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: THE EGG
15. SHAMELESS PLUGS
16. SUBSCRIBERS

Arcticus wrote:When the poet said, “You won't find the same person twice, not even in the same person.”

Chicken Fan Club wrote:

DreamyAlice wrote:OUR NEW FEATURED MEMBER

BluesClues wrote:If you're not a screenwriter, you may wonder how this affects you. I'm sure the video @Elinor linked will get into that, but here's the short version: It affects you as a viewer because it means your favorite shows will be affected - and whatever you may think of television and film quality these days, the last time the WGA went on strike, the writing quality went wayyyyyyyyyyyy down as studios rushed to hire scabs (and this time it's likely they'll try using AI, which, don't get me started).

It affects you as a writer because WGA is making some demands that have the potential to set precedents for ALL kinds of writers! Not only that, but some demands directly affect other kinds of writers. Again, the video probably gets into this, so I won't get into detail. But in general, what helps the workers in one creative industry raises all boats - and screenwriting and publishing are tightly linked in many ways.

So! If you're wondering how to help as a viewer or writer:

Spoiler! :

As a viewer:
- be loud about your support for the striking workers on social media
- boost WGA's social media posts
- share information about the strike & the writers' reasons for striking
- please note that the WGA is NOT calling for a boycott of streaming services, films, or television at this time!!!

As a writer:
- do not provide written content for struck studios for adaptation
- do not negotiate or even discuss contracts with struck studios
- do not turn in any materials or documents to struck studios
- halt any ongoing negotiations
- do not take scab work!! lots of studios are going to put out calls for short-term writing gigs that are probably paid better than what they pay their regular writers, and that might look attractive to someone trying to get a foot in the door. but do not!! if you need a reason other than "stand in solidarity with striking workers," here are two for you: (1) the WGA is very strict and WILL NOT let you join in the future if you have scabbed in the past, and (2) there's a reason the WGA is striking, and if you think the studio will treat you better just because you helped them out during a strike, think again

To provide additional context for this strike: studios met with WGA's requests with "nope" and no counter offer. Just "nope, we're not doing that." Striking is a last resort of workers, as it's risky and means no paycheck until the strike ends, IF the strike ends in such a way that the workers can return to work.

(HCPU was lucky to have mass publishing industry support during their three-month strike; the strike fund was well-maintained with donations that allowed workers to stand strong without their paychecks.)

Not only is the WGA on strike, but 97.9% of voting members voted to go on strike. An overwhelming majority even higher than HCPU's 95% that voted to go on strike back in November 2022. That tells you that conditions are bad, the writers know it, and they're tired of it.

Again please note that WGA is NOT calling for a boycott at this time!!! Well-intentioned people often take matters into their own hands with "wildcat" boycotts during a strike, but please, please, please listen to the union's asks. Labor unions know what needs to be done to meet their needs, and even the best-intended alternative actions undertaken by random citizens can hurt their efforts in a variety of ways. So while you may want to help, listen to the union. When in doubt, boost WGA's social media posts and leave it at that!

See the WGA's rules for writers here.
See a list of struck companies here.*

*Note: this link takes you to a webpage with a .csv download; the list isn't on the webpage itself, just fyi.

(Can you tell I am going to be almost as obnoxious about this as I was about the HCPU strike? Get ready, friends.)

Elinor wrote:Posting a personal plea/announcement to all of you --

As you've probably heard, the Writers Guild of America, the union that represents working screenwriters, is on strike. While we can feel a little bit distant from it as a community of novel/poetry writers, this is obviously something that's very important to me and you should care about it too. When my time comes I think I'm going to join the DGA (Director's Guild) instead, since WGA is mainly for writers for hire, but it's still important to me.

And for real, as much as I trash what I think is an epidemic of bad writing in Hollywood on this page (and in fact, I'm seeing a lot of anti-union sentiment that mentions this)-- in this case, it doesn't matter.

A lot of us have talent, drive and voice, and if we want to make a go at this we deserve to be paid fairly. I've read tons of books, videos and advice about novels that have helped me with my screenwriting, and I've read screenwriting books that have helped me with my novel writing. It's almost as if the medium we choose to create in matters that the fact that we've chosen this crazy life of creation, and as hard as it is, I know a lot of us wouldn't have it any other way.

"What they cannot take from us is each other. Our solidarity."

I made this post about it on Cinderella Pictures: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrwC9kQPFLG/

Essentially, they are making writers do more work for less pay while studio heads line their pockets. Support your fellow writers. Be informed. I'm still learning myself, but here's another good video too. I encourage everyone here to stand in solidarity with the WGA and I'm happy to chat about this with anyone who has questions too.

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Quillfeather wrote: What's that I see? A new FM!

Congrats to our newest Featured Member!

BluesClues wrote:

By "it" I again mean "an audiobook" and by "happening" I mean WE'RE FULLY FUNDED SO IT IS IN FACT ACTUALLY HAPPENING

Anything over the original goal goes towards funding book events for me, as well as more and better preorder goodies! The audiobook can be preordered on the Kickstarter page.

Blue's Crews wrote:

By "it" I mean "an audiobook" and by "happening" I mean "my publisher is going to open a crowdfund"! Since Hansen House is a very small, fairly new press with limited resources, they have limited resources and haven't been able to produce audiobooks yet.

But thanks to the interest in Remarkable Retirement - and specifically the many requests for an audiobook from Tumblr - they figure we might have enough interest to fundraise for an audiobook! So here we are.

The crowdfund isn't open yet, but you can follow it on Kickstarter if you want to be notified when it goes live!

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BluesClues wrote:A good Tumblr post on Internet safety for minors.

Highlights:

• don't put your age, medical diagnoses, trauma, or triggers in social media profiles
• be wary of posting selfies or any real images of you, especially as a very young teen
• "If you're not comfortable with every stranger out there having access to this information, you shouldn't post it on the internet"

Here on YWS, we have rules like "don't publicly post your last name, phone number, or address," which, like the above suggestions, are there to keep you safe online. Here are the YWS Internet Safety guidelines. You may already be familiar with them, but it's good to review them periodically to make sure you're interacting online as safely as possible!

Big Brother wrote:Hi all! This is a reminder from your BB Team that if you ever believe any user is behaving inappropriately towards you or someone else, or causes you to feel uncomfortable, you are encouraged to report such behavior using the Contact Mods button or by sending a message to a moderator.

In the interest of member privacy and fairness, we do not publicly discuss details of reports made. We want users to feel safe knowing that any details of a report they make are private and will not be shared outside of moderator forums. Whenever reports are made, they are taken very seriously by the moderating team, and are always investigated thoroughly prior to action being taken. Sometimes this process can take several days to gather and review all relevant information. Thank you for your patience in these situations. All YWS users, without exception and including all moderators, are always subject to the YWS Site Rules which can be found here.

If you have specific questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out via PM to the Big Brother account, use the Contact Mods button at the top of the page, or refer to How to Report: threads, trolls, members, spam etc. We're here to help.

YWS BB Team

Spearmint wrote: Save the Date!

We'll be having a 23in23 pad party on (automatically adjusted to your local time)! Feel free to join and write, do some last-minute prep for NaPo or Camp NaNo, or just hang out! ^-^ Hope to see you there!! <3

(Note: pad link will be posted on the day of the party. Bringing pizza, snacks, or drinks is highly encouraged =P)