Young Writers Society

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!





Of course, our content can’t come only from our staff. We also depend on you to help keep Squills successful. You’re all a part of a writing community, after all. If you’re interested in submitting to Squills, pop on over to the Reader’s Corner to find out how you can get involved by contributing an article or participating in other Squills activities.

Well, that’s all I have for now. So, what are you waiting for? Enjoy!

1. WHY THE SPOTLIGHT LACKS DIVERSITY
2. ADVENTURES IN WRITING
3. GRAVE HUMOR
4. FUN LITERARY FACTS
5. THE REAL-WORLD DIALOUGE
6. QUIBBLES: HI FENN!
7. WHEN THE BEE STINGS
8. KANOME'S RANT OF MEDIA
9. NEW ARRIVALS
10. LINK ROUND UP
11. SHAMELESS PLUGS
12. SUBSCRIBERS

WHY THE SPOTLIGHT LACKS DIVERSITY written by Lucrezia < PM: >


To most of us, it’s no big secret that the majority of works featured in the YWS Literary Spotlight are pieces of poetry. The real question is—why?

Poetry plays an undeniably big part on YWS. A good deal of members write it and some prefer reviewing poems than shorts or chapters.

However, stories and novels are also very popular and well-written. Some garner plenty of reviews, and even a few “Likes.”

But not many shorts, and even fewer chapters, ever get enough Likes to earn a place in the Spotlight. A quick look at the YWS home page will prove that—every one or two shorts occasionally featured will be matched with three or four poems.

Curious to find out more, Squills asked around to see what others had to say. Here are the responses we got.





@AriaAdams:







@AEChronicle:







@Cheetah:










@AriaAdams:







@AEChronicle:







@Cheetah:







When asked if they think poetry gets more Likes and time in the Spotlight because it’s more popular on YWS, @AriaAdams said yes, although there are plenty of excellent writers and pieces here of other genres; @Cheetah said it’s hard to answer, as everyone has their own preferences; and @AEChronicle said:







Luckily, there is a very simple way to get more shorts and novel chapters featured: Like them! That’s right, if there’s a short or chapter that particularly caught your eye for some reason or other, remember to give it a Like before leaving the page. That way, your favorite pieces and writers will get the acknowledgement they deserve, and more people will be able to discover and enjoy them.

Remember—what’s in the Spotlight is up to you! Every Like counts.

ADVENTURES IN WRITINGwritten by BlueAfrica < PM: >

F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “Writers aren’t people exactly. Or, if they’re any good, they’re a whole lot of people trying so hard to be one person.”

I’m not sure whether Mr. Fitzgerald (author of The Great Gatsby) meant that we’re all schizophrenics or that we’re all Time Lords, but either way this quote is accurate. Characters aside, most writers are multiple people thanks to the Inner Editor. This alternate personality can exist in many forms. In my case, for example, I have two Inner Editors:

1) A balding, bespectacled man who shouts at me to keep rewriting that sentence until it’s perfect.
2) A young woman who looks much like I do but spends her time reading over my shoulder, silently sowing doubt.

I think most writers have at least one of these versions of Inner Editor. The first version has a purpose: he’s a perfectionist, the editor who wants everything just so — a strong plot, well-developed characters, and nice diction and syntax. He insists that your writing be perfect before you move on, which can hinder drafting as you spend too much time working on a single sentence that might end up getting cut later anyways. But he means well and can be useful when revising your work.

The second version, however, is useless. She’s a vampire who feeds on your fear and despair. She doesn’t suggest improvements for your writing; she makes you feel that it’s inadequate, that everyone will hate it, that you’ll never be published, and why are you wasting your life doing something that you’re terrible at, anyway?

Watch out for Version Two. If you aren’t careful, she’ll keep you from writing anything at all.

So how do you beat these Inner Editors? How do you plod on through a draft, especially a first draft, when your Inner-Editor selves are trying their best to keep you from finishing?

Here are three ways to keep going when the Inner Editors tell you to stop.

Surround yourself with writing friends. If you’ve got friends who are also writers, you can look to them for reassurance when the Inner Editors surface. Other writers understand the difficulties of carrying on, and, unlike your non-writing friends and family, they won’t parrot the things Version Two is already telling you: “You’re wasting your time. Why do you always have your notebook open? Seriously, is it too much to ask for one family game night where you actually play Monopoly instead of writing a post-apocalyptic story based on how vicious Mom gets when she starts winning?”

Non-writer friends and family are great, but they may not understand your passion for writing, and not understanding can lead to such Version-Two ideas — ideas that will pop into your head later and keep you from going on.

Reward yourself for achieving small goals. When you sit down to write, set a goal for yourself. For me the goal is usually 1000 words of new writing, which I can achieve in half an hour if I get to work. For you, it may be ten new lines of poetry, finishing your flash fiction in the next hour, or making a scene-by-scene outline of your novel. Whatever the goal, give yourself a reward when it’s done: a Reese’s peanut-butter cup, one episode of Supernatural, or one more chapter of The Silmarillion. Such offerings can appease the Inner Editors, at least temporarily.

Be careful, though. Unless your goal was a goal for the day, don’t allow yourself too much reward time before getting back to work. Otherwise you’ll suddenly realize that it’s one in the morning and you spent the entire evening scrolling through Tumblr instead of writing any more.

Try NaNoWriMo. Every November, tens of thousands of writers around the world come together to participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The official goal of these writers is to write a 50,000-word novel in thirty days. That might seem impossible, but this is the time of year to lock your Inner Editors in the closet with duct-tape over their mouths and write, write, write. It’s amazing what a deadline and the excitement of other writers can do.

But novels are so long, you say; I couldn’t possibly write a whole novel. If you’re not a novelist, never fear! There’s also National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo) in April. Or you can join NaNoWriMo as a “NaNo Rebel”—a NaNo participant who writes 50,000 words of poetry, short fiction, memoir, script, vignettes, or non-fiction. Try your hand at NaNoWriMo or NaPoWriMo this year and see what these events can do for you.

So there you have it. Three ways to keep those Inner Editors in check and get some writing done. Now open up that notebook and get to work!

See what other YWSers have to say about beating your Inner Editors:

@Rosey%20unicorn:






@Elinor%20Brynn:






@CowLogic:






You can check out the NaNoWriMo website , the YWS NaNoWriMo forum , or the YWS NaPoWriMo forum for more information.

GRAVE HUMOURwritten by BloodinkSeesFootage < PM: >

Be it suicide, manslaughter, or good old fashioned assassination, a long running trend on YWS seems to be writing works on a certain, morbid theme. DEATH! Over the past few months, more and more works have been appearing: poems on passing, shorts on slaying… death is in the air.

This trend is even recognized by the new members themselves:



…and on the fact that so many people here love writing about Death, what can I say? People can’t stay away from things bad for them.



said @Bol when replying to a review on his work Death's Warnings


@BabyBunny commented:




Apparently, darker tales are not for everyone. Alternative stories on self-harm, such as Wrists by @ConverseFireGirl also seem to be prolific at the moment





said @CamorynAnn

It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but literature is positively riddled with death at the moment. Can we blame it on the vampires? Personally, I heard being a vampire really sucks. And on that terribly cheesy note…

Be sure to read and review these other works:

Unfinished Business by @RachelLeeAnn

and

Fate Lied by @CorianderLee

And for anyone in the mood for another vampire joke:

Why don’t vampires like mosquitoes?

FUN LITERARY FACTSwritten by OliveDreams < PM: >

Ok, so I admit that I can’t get enough of these literary fact-file gems I keep uncovering! Hopefully, you feel the same as I’m about to throw some more in your general direction!

1. Creative Compass
Charles Dickens believed that he must sleep facing North to improve his writing! He must have done a lot of furniture rearranging in hotels…

2. Weird Writing Ways
Vladimir Nabokov, author of Lolita, was a curator of butterflies at Harvard University. Whilst out collecting all different species and cataloguing them all on handy index cards, Nabokov would use his breaks to write his stories. He would use the back of his butterfly index cards to write them down! His poor wife, Vera, would have the long job of typing up all of this up when he got home.

3. Middle Name Mystery
J.K. Rowling doesn't actually have a middle name! She used her Grandmother's name, Kathleen, after her publisher suggested she published Harry Potter under initials.

4. Amazing Agatha
Agatha Christie is officially the best-selling novelist of all time. Since 1920, she has sold over an amazing billion copies in the English Language and just another casual billion in 45 other languages. Talk about staggering!

5. Tantalising Titles
F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, was originally titled Incident at West Egg I can decide if this sounds much more intriguing or just plain bizarre?

6. Self-Published Superstars
If you're feeling like you want to step out into the literary world all by yourself, then take note of those who have done so before you! Walt Whitman, Edgar Allen Poe, Henry David Thoreau, Rudyard Kipling, Mark Twain, Beatrix Potter were all self-published authors.

Have a great day!

Olive <3

All facts from the following websites;
The Telegraph UK
The Wee Web
Sparknotes

THE REAL WORLD-DIALOGUEwritten by NightWolf < PM: >

Every author uses the real world to aid them in their writing, but how? And why? The answers are what I will be covering in this series, which I entitle "The Real World". If you have anything you wish to ask, then please do PM me with your question - click the envelope above and it will lead you straight there. In this article, I am looking at dialogue, and how the real world (AKA- that small part of life we have outside of writing and YWS) can help aid us.

One of the hardest things to do in writing is making our character's dialogue sound real. I'm sure many of you have had a review stating: "Your dialogue seems a little forced and unnatural.". I myself have had this issue countless times. It basically means that what your character says doesn't sound right to the ear. For example, you wouldn't have a 21st century teenager saying: "Mother, I wish to traverse to the shops for some goods.", now, would you? To remedy this, we need to apply a little knowledge of the world around us.

I have been told by countless writing websites and authors who have visited my school to listen to people's conversations. Now, I'm not saying go and bug your local cafe with listening devices (which I am quite sure is illegal). I'm saying, when you are out and about, and someone's talking extremely loud near you, just listen. See what vocabulary they use, and how they say it. If they sound angry, then listen to how they express that. Jot down anything you feel worth noting. You won't believe how helpful this can be.

If you feel uncomfortable with that, then there is another way. When you talk to other people, like your friends, then you listen to them anyway. This might be best if you don't like being nosy.

That's all I have for this week, so be sure to PM me with any questions or requests.

QUIBBLES: HI FENN!written by Aadygirl < PM: >

Haven't we all faced those situations? You just keep asking yourself, should I or shouldn't I? WHAT DO I DO?! This particular column is to solve those queries. And today, we will be talking about- HYPHENS.

Firstly, this is what a hyphen looks like: "-" (And I just realized, that could make an awesome emoticon! )

When two different words are joined to create a new word, we call it a compound words. Ex: whitewash, dragonfly, anything, eye-catching, action-packed, get-together, etc.

As you can see, some of these words are hyphenated or separated by a hyphen. There are many confusing examples of words that seem to use a hyphen, but aren't generally hyphenated. Some examples are:



However, hyphens aren't generally controversial only in compound words. There are many other instances, however, I shall mention one I find most irritating.

Prefixes. One of THE biggest controversies in the hyphen industry. Is it selfconscious or self-conscious? Is it re-creation or recreation?

In the previously given examples, the latter is usually proper and well, correct.

There are a large number of such instances, and to be honest, they can REALLY get on your nerves.

Therefore, moral of the story: Revise. Your. Hyphen. Knowledge.

And you guys can PM me if you want any topic to be explained or any questions to answer(yes, they have to be related to grammar! ). Till then, keep the part-ay going guys.


Your Quibbles Columnist,
Aadygirl:)

WHEN THE BEE STINGS written by AfterTheStorm < PM: >



In this day and age, there’s pretty much two switches in our heads when it comes to deciding whether or not we like something: the “absolutely-and-hopelessly-obsessed” switch, or the “not-interested-in-the-slightest-don’t-bother-me-with-that-again” side. Sadly for me, my brain almost always functions on the former. And thus this Squills column was created.
I’m sure we’ve all seen the Sound of Music , so you’re probably familiar with this quote from the cute song “My Favorite Things”.



Yeah, you know the one. Anyways, how fitting? Sure, I’m not obsessed with whiskers on kittens (although that’s quite cute), bright copper kettles, or schnitzel with noodles, but I am addicted to just about everything else. Allow me to demonstrate…



Let’s face it: from Sherlock to Firefly to Psych to Modern Family, the T.V. is pretty cool. I swear that life would be so difficult without Netflix and DVR. In fact, thanks to Netflix, I recently discovered an absolutely amazing series called Supernatural. I know, I know. I’m almost seven seasons behind, but that’s what seven days in a week are for, right?

This show follows the lives of two brothers (and later an angel, too) who face death practically every time they turn around. With demons, reapers, vampires, and all sorts of other creepies out there, it’s up to Sam and Dean Winchester to hunt ‘em down. I’ve never seen a scary movie in my life so therefore I was a bit timid to start up this series, but Supernatural perfectly balances all aspects of great entertainment, always causing the viewers to be on edge (while still not freaking us out too badly). This series is worth 120 hours of my life. And I don’t say that often.

Next up on my weekly addictions list is Disney’s Frozen. Need I say more? … Yeah, I probably need to elaborate on this subject. Just because it’s so cool. Literally. When Frozen first hit the theaters, it didn’t mean anything to me. I actually never saw this film for a while until YWS flooded with comments and wall posts and avatars relating to the movie. Users such as @Pompadour, @KnightTeen, and @StellaThomas have updated their avvies with Frozen-related photos, and @defiantAuthoress even posted a chapter about Elsa and Anna, the heroes of the movie. (You can find her work here .) Due to YWSers like these, I eventually rushed to the theater for one more Disney movie. Now Frozen has even landed a spot on my prestigious list of obsessions! “Yoo-hoo! Ya?”





Can I please just take a moment to asjkgjasdljgasdhfajkfwqoeri. Oh, my goodness! I’m so addicted to “Don’t Starve”, an indie game from Klei Entertainment. I just checked my Steam account records, and I have way too many playing hours on this than is probably recommended by doctors. Like, HOLY CRUDSICLES though. “Don’t Starve” is just that good. According to Klei, this is





I’d classify it as so much more, however. Check out the cinematic trailer and then hurry on back, why don’t ya? I bought the game while it was way back in its baby beta stage, and I’m impressed with how much it has grown. Hop on Steam and check it out, then we can scream about its epicness together!

Between its eerie setting, unusual characters, strange creatures, and pencil-drawn, washed-out graphics, “Don’t Starve” is such an amazing survival game set apart from others of its kind. Besides simply surviving, crafting, hunting, building, etc. the storyline runs deeper. Your character (you begin as a scientist named Wilson) was sent to an odd island by a demonic man known as Maxwell, the puppet master. Bend his world to your will through science, magic, and skill! Just, whatever you do, don’t starve.





When I say knights, dragons, and a dangerous game, I’m not talking about the Knights of the Green Room, or Horace the Dragon, or all those Hunger Games Storybooks found around the site. Nope! I’m talking about A Song of Ice and Fire, better known as “Game of Thrones”. Okay, before I continue allow me to say that this book series does contain some adult themes, so just be careful if you’re interested in purchasing the books. (I’m not going to even discuss the television seasons due to GoT’s maturity levels and the fact I’m not even allowed to watch it. Merp.)



Written by George R.R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire revolves around an astonishing world and the intricate characters woven into that setting. Each chapter shifts viewpoints from character to character, so more details of the world and the people are revealed. There are so many plots and subplots and subsubplots that I can’t even begin to explain what these books are about! GAH. The wiki says,






And the game of thrones and crowns is a dangerous game, indeed. Which explains why Martin kills off a gazillion characters during the course of the novels. Prepare yourselves; your addiction to A Song of Ice and Fire has begun. So go grab a box of tissues, a cup of coffee, and George Martin’s books! Just please, refrain from freaking out at each chapter turn because of their utter greatness. @persy, @lapis, @matthew, and @Alpha already know what I mean.

See you on the train ride of feels!

Thanks for reading and supporting the first ever “When the Bee Stings” column of Squills! Feel free to leave some feedback about a few of my favorite things; it’s always much appreciated. Check back next week for more obsessions, and as always: write on!

KANOME’S RANT OF MEDIA Written by Kanome < PM: >

Kanome here with another wonderful media review for you, the members of YWS!

Okay, I’ve just recently seen this movie even though it came out a couple of years ago. I am not a really huge fan of Marvel, but this movie was really awesome when I saw it. I am talking about The Avengers!!!



Okay! This movie was really interesting to get into. The movie introduced characters that the Marvel fan-base actually loved, for example, Thor or Captain America.

I enjoyed this movie because of the story plot and the action that took place throughout the whole movie. I loved every second of it. It was also funny in some parts of the movie. One funny scene is where Loki was giving out a speech, but the Hulk interrupted him by smashing him to the ground. I laughed so hard at that scene xD

Here is the scene if you guys don’t know what I am talking about:



Anyways, I rate this movie a good 4.5 out of 5. I recommend people who haven’t seen this movie to actually watch it, because it is that amazing.

Based on the data I got from people watching this movie, there was already over a million fanfiction stories about many different characters. I would know this because I have a friend who also writes fanfiction about the Avengers.

This movie will get you hooked when you watch it! I hope you will enjoy the movie as much as I did!

NEW ARRIVALS
by KnightTeen < PM: >

I am proud to announce that we have reached 29,043 users!
Take a moment to welcome this week's newest members to the site!

@SodaPressing became a member of our humble family only three days ago, and yet she is already beginning to make a name for herself. She has already written several lovely reviews, and with a little enouragement, I have no doubt that she will fill up her currently empty portfolio. Drop by and give this user some YWS love!

@Verser has already placed several works in his portfolio since joining us on the 4th. Glancing at his reviews (because we all know that I am a horrible snoop when it comes to our new users) I can tell that he likes to review poetry, and he is pretty good at it. Welcome our new brother to our ranks!

@Kyana 's portfolio is rather bare but her reviews are rather good. She has written for since becoming a member two days ago. It brings me back to my days as a noob.
Welcome this user to the site!





• @WhiteRabbit911 • @DakotaSummers • @Devera • @rjcjohnson09 • @anniesthename • @calenwric • @AiosTii • @AvrilLions • @IsonTechs • @naturallove • @llamallamajam • @Aidan • @AngelicaRose • @EchoFerdinand • @AndyNoticeMe • @SmileyGarcia626 • @lenamul • @snowflake • @bunnygirl • @kavi • @Shivangi • @Hum • @Stormwalker • @SunWaterProduction • @AngelN • @221 • @wolverene13 • @ForeverWarrior • @cherrycanwrite160 • @Falling12 • @malik66 • @BlackButterfly • @SasaArchie • @Typer • @CuriosityCat • @jordynreckless • @lethallauren • @pswriter • @wsvwiener • @indianah • @TurtleRaven • @amberrrly30 • @ConorLarkin • @Doctor • @bradguru • @ItsElle • @CesareBorgia • @thewallflower • @jmw1995 • @sydneysmommy • @AriyaFuruto12 • @Abhilash007 • @wordsandink • @Airurandonohana • @Niro • @H101 • @Sparkle1123 • @han8pym • @RachelRenee • @justbeminee • @Raziza • @libbyluflutesrule • @Damzel • @guiderus• @pinkdinosaurs • @PadfootForever12 • @15253 • @TheRoyalist • @AHuman • @bookworm8276 • @rhinestone • @puplover996 • @BeHappyi • @Wynter • @joetheismann • @diaslaidolphin • @queenofxylix • @Blooregard • @maidgirlsama • @DeepCrystal • @monokalisto • @t0sh • @MiaWritesAlot • @KyleighSalinas • @JustNoah • @aurawrites • @lostcause • @katerinawilson

THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 2/9
written by: megsug <PM:>

Paging all poets!


….Or something like that. Anyways! A few users have recently revived an old thread which has, for the most part, a poem a week. That's the basis of the entire thread! It seems like anyone can share a poem they've found. The most recent was sacrificed by @TinyJarStoredDreams and was written by BO Burnham. It goes:






Right now there are about two pages of poems to look through. Maybe you'll want to add your own finding next week! Find other treasures in Poetry Discussion & Tips .


@Strange is tired of loveydovey poetry. In the search for poetry that has nothing to do with sentiment of any kind, he started a contest. You can't just write an unromantic poem though. Strange gives you a romantic song, and you make an unromantic poem based off of it! Sounds like fun? Maybe the rewards will get you clicking:





Deadline is February 14th, and there is no word limit. Put your cynical hats on!



Palindromes! They're overtaking the world! Er… No. Then, what are they? How do you pronounce that? A palindrome is a word or phrase that is the same backwards as it is forward. Not so crazy. Just wait for your mind to be blown… In poetry, a palindrome doesn't have to read exactly the same thing but, writing a poem backwards from the original can create a new meaning. Strange concept, yeah?
@Aley gives an example if my fantastic explanation didn't do it for you.






What Aley wants to talk about though is if a poet should or shouldn't include the reflected portion of their poem in the poem. It doesn't only act as an interesting discussion topic, but Aley does a good job exploring and introducing an interesting form of poetry.



There's a thread for that! If you've ever had that moment where you can't decide where something goes, this is a great place to go. @SparkToFlame gives a brief summary of each of the forums and subforums. Like the mysterious Novel Workshop :






Next time you're not sure where to post something, check this out!

SHAMELESS PLUGS

written by SquillsBot < PM: >

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SUBSCRIBERS

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