Squills 12/31/24

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Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:34 am

SquillsBot says... · Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:34 am

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!

CREATIVE STAFF

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Editorial Team
alliyah
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IcyFlame
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Liminality
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SquillsBot
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Literary Reporter
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Community Reporters
looseleaf
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alliyah
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Creativity Reporter
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Poetry Enchantress
alliyah
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Resources Reporter
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Roleplay Reporters
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Code Master
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General Reporters
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Isbah
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EllieMae
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NadyaStatham
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Staff Chef
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Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:34 am

SquillsBot says... · Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:34 am

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: SKYVIBES
2. WINTER WRITING WINDOWS
3. GREEN ROOM GALLERY
4. HOLIDAY EVENTS BULLETIN
5. SHAMELESS PLUGS
6. SUBSCRIBERS

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Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:35 am

SquillsBot says... · Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:35 am

FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: SKYVIBES

written by Liminality< PM: >

This FM joined us in May 2023. They are known for their novels and poetry, as well as for writing thoughtful and encouraging reviews. They also have a notable People’s Tab and WFP presence. That’s right, in this edition we’re interviewing @SkyVibes, who became our Featured Member in October this year! I had the opportunity to chat with them about writing and about becoming FM.

Squills: Hi there!

I'm Lim, reporting for Squills - the YWS newsletter! We do a column interviewing Featured Members such as yourself. Would it be alright if I asked a few questions?

SkyVibes: Hi Lim!

I’m open to answering questions!

Sq: Awesome! What was your reaction when you first found out you were Featured Member?

Sk: I actually completely missed when it was first announced. I think I was sick, so when I got back on YWS and saw I was very surprised and happy to see I was a featured member. I didn't think I really did much to get that but to see that everyone was saying congrats I was very happy and it was very encouraging in a way.

Sq: That's wonderful! One of the things the FM thread highlights is your literary works. What have you been writing recently, or have been interested in writing?

Sk: As finals are coming up I don't have much time to write but when I do have time to write I work on my book Hybrids for the most part. I have always been interested in writing. I kinda want to get more into poetry and also work more on my second series, Fire Keeper. Once finals are over hopefully I can get more writing out to readers

Sq: I'm sure many of us will be looking forward to it! I had a look at both your series and noticed that they seem to be about young people who are somehow different from the rest of society. Would you say that is a theme you find interesting in fiction?

Sk: Yes that is a theme I am interested in. I feel like characters that are different are more memorable characters (like Sophie from Keeper of the Lost Cities or Jonas from The Giver). There's also SO many things you can write about these characters who are different which is something I enjoy a lot. I don't like to feel narrowed in when writing so writing characters that are different helps give me more options to write about.

Sq: That makes sense. You also mentioned you would like to get more into poetry. What do you currently enjoy about reading and writing poems?

Sk: I like reading poems with personal meaning. I'm not a fan of old poetry (like old British poetry) but for example poetry by @fatherfig I enjoy reading a lot. I like writing poetry that kinda gives insight on my life but is also relatable in a sense. For example, my poems "To The Toxic Person Who Hurt Me" and "O Tainted Blood", I write about a past issue or issue I'm currently dealing with and I find that it's also relatable for other people. I enjoy reading the comments on my poems and seeing that people realized they weren't the only ones who dealt with the issue.

Sq: Do you think writing helps create connection or a sense of community? And if so, what advice do you have for writers who want to relate to their audiences better?

Sk: Oh yeah 100%! It's the same when writing a certain genre. The people who like the genre will read it and you find people who like the same genre as you! And the people here are awesome for whenever I have a writing question or need a suggestion or help editing. It's amazing to meet people who also enjoy writing and are eager to help!

My advice would be to reach out and see what people are interested in reading and ask questions. For poetry, if you want to relate to an audience, see if other people are going through something like you are and create a poetry that several can relate too.

In writing something other than poetry, I find writing about characters within the age group you are going for helps a lot to relate with the audience as it's much easier for a 16 year old reader to relate with a high school level character rather than a college level character.

Nothing has to be super serious of writing either to be relatable. Most people just want to read something fun to lift their mood. So if you want to relate to an audience in another way, just write about something funny or amusing like @EllieMae and @Spearmint's "O Washing Machine, Oh Waschmaschine" or anything by @vampricone6783! (especially since these authors have been writing Christmas themed masterpieces lol!)

Sq: That is all excellent advice! Thank you so much for answering my questions - and congratulations once again on FM!

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

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Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:40 am

SquillsBot says... · Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:40 am

WINTER WRITING WINDOWS

written by redcarnation< PM: >

Greetings YWS!!

Winter is the month of bare trees, and snow-draped landscapes. It is the month of curling up in blankets, and holding steaming cups of tea in frigid palms. But most of all, it is the month of introspection, of wondering what comes next as the new year begins.

We can see that the greatest writers of all time took inspiration from their surroundings. Their writing was an embodiment of their time- its philosophy, culture and arts. As writers, we must take what we see and turn it into something timeless. Something that survives from this year, and is carried into the next.

If you’re looking for a little winter inspiration, this article is for you! I’ve tried to provide fun and creative prompts that help you crystallise this barren month into something more. I hope you try to use one of these prompts!

Prose Prompts

one. write a letter to your future self of December next year.
How do you feel right now, and how have you grown? What does the snow teach you and how does it make you feel? What are your goals for next year?

two. look at the image above, and free write.
Try to capture that cosy feeling. Really live in the moment and write about it freely without holding anything back.

three. choose a winter motif and write a short story, making it symbolic.
Choose something like a cup of hot tea, a snowflake, a bare tree- and make it the centerpiece of your story. Maybe it means something to your MC because it reminds them of someone. Maybe they associate it with an important moment of change.

four. choose a current affair, and compare it to the winter season.
Are you passionate about mental health, climate change, animal rights, politics? You can use that passion to inject life into your story, and there's no better way to visualise it than by using winter imagery.

Poetry Prompts

five. write a visual poem with winter images.
Who doesn't love making poetry pretty by placing an aesthetic image behind the text? Shape your text like a snowflake, or a winter tree. Write a concrete poem.

six. twist a common winter poetry idea.
Have you always associated cold with loss of life? Write about the animals that only come out during winter. What if you took the leaves falling, and nature decaying, as a place from which something better would grow? What if you spoke about the beauty of the decay itself rather than its beauty being dependent on the growth that follows it?

seven. write a poetic interpretation of Frozen.
Write about the famous Disney movie in the form of a poem with a twist. Maybe there's a princess who cannot feel the cold, and she longs for it?

eight. capture the soft, quiet breath of winter in a poem.
Credit to the YWSer @Avian for the inspiration for this prompt, who once asked how a poem could be made to sound like a whisper. So can you make a poem sound like winter's cold?

That's all for now. I hope you find these prompts helpful, and make the best of these last days left until next year. Lets create art and writing that survives winter's chill, and remains!

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Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:42 am

SquillsBot says... · Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:42 am

GREEN ROOM GALLERY

written by Spearmint< PM: >

You peer into a grand gallery with a vaulted ceiling and a stone floor. Beautiful snippets of writing cover the walls that stretch into infinity. In front of you, a mint plant turns around from where she was reading a story.

"Ah hello there, dear reader. My name is mint, and I've just taken a lovely stroll through the Green Room . Shall I share some of the gems I saw?"

~~~

The Green Room is looking a lot better after the Review Day— thank you, reviewers! As of the writing of this article, there are 78 works with zero reviews and 88 works with one review. Still, though, there are many entertaining and meaningful works to read and review. Don't forget that you can join the Knights of the Green Room and join a community dedicated to clearing out the Green Room!
This article will focus on writers that are new to YWS (those who joined within the last two months). Let's welcome them with some high-quality reviews! :>

Cold Weather, Hot Chocolate by @thetaostedwriter
All of Taost's short stories in this folder are connected, but even without prior context, I was able to feel the camaraderie and strong connections within the Delta Unit. A hardened colonel attempting to bake sugar cookies? Love it. This feels like the calm amidst a raging storm— a few moments of peace for this family before they need to go on the next mission.
Vibes: action, found family

Return to Eden Prologue and Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Return to Eden by @BradyC
It's the future, and humanity has taken a drastic step with the Bunker program. They'll bury 10,000 people in bunkers, to be later awakened after the Earth has recovered from the climate crisis. In Chapter 1, those humans awaken and step into a world bursting with life... and yet, survival still won't be easy.
Vibes: sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, action

My Journey Through Love and Courage by @YourfriendlyAmir
I could relate to the narrator's difficulty in communicating with others (an especially intimidating task on the first day of high school). At the same time, I hope he'll be able to grow and learn, especially with the help of his friends Gabriel and Emily!
Vibes: realistic, friendship, romance

Fall of the Demon Lord by @AverageIsekaiFan
Isekai, but from the POV of the demon lord, who's actually kind to subordinates and points out the complexity of morality? Amazing. Unlike typical isekai, where a human is transported to a fantasy land to save the world, here we watch from the perspective of the demon lord and his left and right hands as the hero arrives for the final confrontation. Note that this is an interlude in AverageIsekaiFan's novel The Aristocrat, The Bandits, The Chalice.
Vibes: isekai, fantasy

Super means extreme by @Olivestars992
Zaylee, alter ego Convictor, is a supervillain—and a highly skilled one, at that. But then a new hero pops up... This chapter was fairly short, but it did a good job introducing the characters and setting up the plot. I'm curious to see what happens next, and to see the Convictor in action!
Vibes: superhero, action
[Warning: This work has been rated 16+ for language and violence.]

And these are just some of the many gems in the Green Room! Happy reviewing, everyone!

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Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:43 am

SquillsBot says... · Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:43 am

HOLIDAY EVENTS BULLETIN

written by Liminality< PM: >

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year, YWS! Here’s a brief digest of all the activities we’ve been having on the site. While we’re on the cusp of the new year, many of these are still open to participate and get some fun writing done before the year ramps up. Those are linked in a handy little list under ‘Ongoing Events’. But first, let’s celebrate what we’ve done in December!

December Events

@Roxanne

Holiday Reading Spree,

The Little Prince

Griša: Bouře a vzdor

@Spearmint

Holiday-ify Your Avatar,

12 Days of Reviewing Challenge,

@Plume

40+ reviews

90+ reviews

December Review Day

80 reviews

Ongoing Events

Secret Santa

Worst Gift Ever Exchange

January 7th

@Iggy

@alliyah

YWS Best and Most Awards.

after January 1st

YWS Winter Retreat - a holiday tagbook?

yearbook?

@alliyah

a great Squills column

in this thread.

All the best in 2025!

SquillsBot

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Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:44 am

SquillsBot says... · Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:44 am

SHAMELESS PLUGS

written by SquillsBot < PM: >

We love to run articles and questions, but we also love to advertise for you. Let people know about your new blog, a poem or story you’re looking for reviews on, or a forum thread you’d like more traffic on through Squills’ Shameless Plugs. PM @SquillsBot with the exact formatting of your advertisement, contained in the following code.