I almost hate myself for joining the "Insert Number of Reasons Why" trend that is ravaging our beloved website, but I thought to myself, "Why not fight fire with fire?" This is something I'm pretty sure we can all agree on. However, if you're anything less than a dedicated YWS fanatic, you might want to stop reading right here. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Reason 1: Reviews, reviews, reviews!
YWS is, to my admittedly limited knowledge, the only website (or at least the only one anybody knows about) where you can not only share your work, but also get comprehensive peer reviews on it. I mean, there's nothing better for an aspiring writer than getting a solid review from someone who actually knows what they're talking about. Your mom may think your story is terrific, and your dad may not be able to tell a comma from a lounge chair, but the kids on this site are legit. They'll give it to you straight, and sometimes I do believe they review by the principle "Revenge is a dish best served cold." In any case, you may join YWS a literary wreck, but like it or not, you will emerge a New York Times best-selling author. Well, maybe. But no money back if I'm wrong.
Reason 2: Custom Titles
What began as the little space beneath your username that listed your rank (Novice, Writer, Speaker of the Forum, etc.) has now grown into a full-scale creative phenomenon. I mean, where else can you have a special little place to be completely and utterly random? Unless, of course, you choose to be boring and use it for your rank, it has no purpose whatsoever except to serve the people. Some users are sticky about signatures (it has to be funny, it has to be deep, it has to be a quote, blah blah blah) and though you can get quite quirky with your location (Narnia, the toilet, the fourth dimension, etc.), it still has to be something that can be defined as a place. Not so with your custom title. It is yours and yours alone; and whether you want it to be about cupcakes or your favorite band or the end of the world, no one can justly nitpick it, because it is a custom title, in the purest sense of the word. Where else can you find something that compares to that?
Reason 3: Having your cake and eating it too
Let me explain. On Facebook, you can have friends, give information about yourself, and post statuses, right? Well, guess what: you can do that on YWS too! We've even got a "Like" button! So basically YWS has all the good qualities of Facebook combined with its own literary opportunities, in which Facebook and all other social networking sites are sadly lacking. In addition, you have at least one thing in common with every friend you make on YWS: we're all writers. So quit posting those self-pitying Myspace statuses about your miserable life and lack of friends and start connecting with people who are actually like you. And wipe that smile off your face. This is the army!
Reason 4: NO censorship!
When I post a status on Facebook, I oftentimes have to be very careful what I say, because I know that 417 people (some of whom I don't know, and some of whom know me too well) will be looking at it, and I don't want them thinking "Well! That is not the kind of girl I want my daughter hanging around!" or better yet "Oh she did, did she? I just might have to tell her parents that interesting tidbit." And I'm not just talking about language or whatever. You have no privacy, therefore no freedom of expression. No catharsis. But on YWS, you can write a page-length, over-the-top, emo/cutting/suicide/death/despair/darkness poem with no problem. I mean, you may get some pretty scathing reviews (guilty), but at least you know you're safe from the unfriendly stares of your community.
Reason 5: It's NOT a waste of time
Finally, a website frequented by young people that is actually worthwhile! Think about it. You could be chatting with your next-door neighbor on Facebook, listening to the latest Ke$ha monstrosity on Playlist, and/or engaging in a game that was probably designed by a 12-year-old boy for twelve-year-old boys, or you could be doing something that both enhances your writing abilities and helps you appreciate those of others. Which will get you farther in life: searching desperately for "gorgeous singles in your area" or honing your writing skills? Because in the end, we may be geeks, but we are the geeks who will shape the future--one heavily edited literary work at a time.
Thank you, YWS!
This piece made me even more grateful for YWS. Thanks for the read.
