Squills 31/10/25

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Sat Nov 01, 2025 10:35 am

SquillsBot says... · Sat Nov 01, 2025 10:35 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!

If you have feedback on this edition of Squills we'd love to hear your thoughts over at the Squills Fan Club .

CREATIVE STAFF

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Editorial Team
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Sat Nov 01, 2025 10:36 am

SquillsBot says... · Sat Nov 01, 2025 10:36 am

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: LADYMYSTERIO
2. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: INKSTHEWRITER
3. SHAMELESS PLUGS
4. SUBSCRIBERS

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Sat Nov 01, 2025 11:14 am

SquillsBot says... · Sat Nov 01, 2025 11:14 am

FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: LADYMYSTERIO

written by Liminality< PM: >

This FM has been a YWSer since 2019. She is an active and beloved presence in the YWS community, known for writing a spy novel and creating beautiful paintings. I recently got the chance to interview none other than @LadyMysterio! Lady has been featured on Squills as recently as this year with her column on her painting process. We talked about becoming FM (a second time!) and about Lady's interest in visual art.

Squills: Hey Lady! Lim here, reporting for Squills - the YWS newsletter

As you know, we run a column interviewing Featured Members such as yourself. Would it be okay if I asked you a few questions? c:

LadyMysterio: Hello Lim, I would love to answer some questions!

S: Amazing! Could you tell us what your reaction was when you first found out you were FM?

L: Well funny story actually, I don't think I found out for a day or two. I somehow missed the notification that I was tagged and when I saw the featured member announcement on the peoples wall, I was too busy to see who it was, so I think I found out via someone posting in my wall or something similar. I was pretty flabbergasted and shocked. Especially since I didn't think I could be a featured member more than once!! I also have no idea what I did to earn it again.

S: Oh that must have been quite the surprise! And a great achievement to be an FM twice! Your FM thread mentions your art pieces, and you've also written a wonderful article for Squills this year about your painting process. Could you tell us a bit about how you got into visual art?

L: Oh right it did mention that! Been a while since I read it haha.

Goodness, how did I get into visual art. Well I mean when I was a small wee little lady I drew with my mom's pink nail polish on the wall, and her lipstick, so maybe it started there.

Colours have always fascinated me, and I've always been drawn to art for as long a so can remember. I've just always been, no pun intended, drawn to it.

I loved learning about the old painters in school, I had this online course that I went through a few times, just to make sure I remembered everything. I also remember taking this set of art classes when I was probably about seven, and it just loved learning. I didn't think I was very good at it, but I just wanted to put some colour on paper, and so I did! Still do haha.

S: That's so cool! Do you have a favourite painter at the moment?

L: Oh boy, favourite painter of the past or present? I'll answer both I suppose.
I've always been a fan of Van Gogh, Degas, Monet, and I've recently been finding a lot of inspiration in Klimt and Mucha (Yaya art nouveau!!) and Leyendecker.

As for present artists, a few that always inspire me would be Loish, Tran Nguyen, Margret Molares, and Eve draws.

S: Ooh those all sound super interesting! Could you share more on what you like about art nouveau?

L: Oh love the flow of it, there's a beautiful fluidity and lightness to art nouveau works. They're very whimsical and often employ bright colours, but without the boldness that your get from Art Deco.

They can be a bit abstract too, using shape language and lines to frame the paintings subject(s,) Symmetry and asymmetry also play parts, sometimes both being used.

S: Mm I can totally see that difference when I look up art nouveau examples and art deco ones! Do you think your experience with visual art interacts with the way you write?

L: Oh definitely, I think my acting background effects it too. I'm one of those people who when I write, I see the scenes as movie scenes, same as when I read. So I usually have a visual picture or movement in my mind of what the character is doing or what's happening. Along with that comes the tone, lighting, and colours. I love using colour theory and word meanings in my writing. Weaving in those underlying tones, that maybe nobody will pick up on, at least consciously, but it's till fun to put into the writing.

I'll associate certain colours with characters too that feed into their wardrobe and the things they like.

Basically I'm the Director of Photography, Director, Costume Supervisor, script supervisor, anddd Writer obviously of my novels XD

S: Ooh I love that - I always enjoy when writing can put a picture in your head. Lastly, what advice do you have for YWSers?

L: Oh boy advice hum.

Y'know what, follow your dreams. I know it sounds cheesy and everyone says it. But hang onto them. Let them go if they don't interest you anymore, that's also cool. But try stuff, do the thing. Even if you don't have enough followers, are scared of being cringe, or weird, or think it's not the time yet. Give it a try, and then you'll know.

Seriously this world is lost in the internet, and your dreams will keep you grounded in reality and y o U.

Write the dang book, paint the picture, weave the blanket, run the mike, build a rocket, it's all cool. You don't have to be good at it, you just gotta find joy in it. Sometimes you gotta push through to find that joy too.

S: That is some fantastic advice! Thanks so much for doing this interview and congrats once again on FM!

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

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Sat Nov 01, 2025 11:15 am

SquillsBot says... · Sat Nov 01, 2025 11:15 am

FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: INKSTHEWRITER

written by Liminality< PM: >

This FM joined YWS in April this year, wandering out of the deep woods, bearing a knight's standard and . . . what is that, a wizard's hat? Indeed, I speak of @inksthewriter! You've likely seen them around participating in events, hanging out with fellow YWSers and posting their distinctive memes. I had the chance to chat with them about becoming FM and their writing - read on below!

Squills: Hello hello! Lim here, reporting for Squills - the YWS newsletter. We do a monthly column interviewing Featured Members such as yourself. Would it be okay if I asked you a few questions? c:

inksthewriter: Well hello! Yes, that would be awesome! Ask away

S: Awesome! Could you tell us what your reaction was when you found out you were FM?

I: Certainly! When I found out that I was picked to be FM, I was, at first, a little confused as to why my username was on the front page,(because at the time, I didn't quite understand how getting FM worked) but after figuring it out, I was really shocked and thoroughly honored. I had no idea that someone who had joined so recently could be chosen, and I had not even considered that I could have been picked. I was so so thrilled and I entirely grateful for the honor.

S: Thanks for sharing! Yes, what's awesome about FM is that it lets us recognise more recent members' contributions, which should never be underestimated For my next question, could you tell us a bit about what you most enjoy writing nowadays?

I: Of course! Lately I have been enjoying writing fiction and fantasy stories, particularly inspired by the Medieval Ages and set in my own unique world. I've mostly been working on my epic fantasy novel that's been in progress for the last two years, but I've also written a few short stories in that similar genre. Oh, and I have also been experimenting with stories that has some romantic and poetic flare.

S: That sounds exciting! What is it that you find most interesting about epic fantasy?

I: I have loved epic fantasy for many years, and for many reasons, but the top ones, I think, would have to be because I love being able to write about things like magic and dragons and strange creatures, and whatever else I wish. The genre just feels so magical and exciting to me compared to other ones. I also believe that I love it because my greatest inspirations (JRR Tolkien and Robert Jordan) also wrote epic fantasy novels.

S: Epic fantasy certainly opens up a vast range of possibilities. Could you tell us a little bit about your novel?

I: Yes yes! It is a young adults epic fantasy set in a medieval inspired fiction world, about a young, lost heir who must reclaim his kingdom's throne from his demented father, after enduring a life filled with grief and heartache. He is guided by the hand of a divine being, who had chosen him out of a corrupted bloodline, to bring peace and prosperity to the slowly decaying kingdom. As the story unfolds, he overcomes the trials and torture sent to him by a wicked creature, Night's Father, and avoids the hunting of Night's Father's servants, who are determined to kill him.

S: Ooh super interesting! What aspect of the story are you most excited to write at the moment?

I: I'm most excited to write about the dynamic between my MMC and my villain, and how my MMC overcomes the terrible evil that consumes his true father. I've had certain scenes between them planned for the last two years, and I'm extremely anxious to get to writing them xD

S: Ah, I can definitely relate to being eager for the confrontations between main characters and villains. Lastly, what advice would you like to share with your fellow YWSers?

I: Take a notebook with you wherever you go; write down street names, small inspirations, quotes you find—sketch out people, animals and buildings. Inspiration for a new novel or character or plotline can be found literally everywhere, and you don't know when it might come to you. You also don't know what might be useful for later, so write it all down! Put a date to it, and save it for when you might need it. It will all be worthwhile later

S: That's fantastic advice! Thanks so much for doing this interview and congrats again on FM!

I: Of course! Thank you so much for this, I had so much fun!

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

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Sat Nov 01, 2025 11:16 am

SquillsBot says... · Sat Nov 01, 2025 11:16 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.