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. You can also subscribe to the Squills Fan Club , or PM SquillsBot to receive a notification each time a new issue is published!

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

See an empty position you'd like to fill? Find position descriptions and instructions to apply here .

1. FEATURED MEMBER: THEBLUECAT
2. FROM THE DESK OF A KNIGHT: NANO IS GONE, NOW LET THE HOLIDAY REVIEWING SEASON BEGIN
3. POP CULTURE CORNER: DEADPOOL
4. WORD OF THE WEEK
5. SHAMELESS PLUGS
6. SUBSCRIBERS

FEATURED MEMBER: THEBLUECATwritten by LUMI < PM: >

Welcome to the Feature Studio, where today we've sat down with @TheBlueCat, YWS' previous addition to the Hall of Fame, to talk about all things that go on in the mind of a Featured Member. Without further ado, of course, I'd love to dive right in--but not before cracking open a can of Mello Yello, which is not a sponsor. Though, Mello Yello, if you're reading, let's make a deal! I always bring a bonus can for my interviewee, so there'll be no worries about a dry mouth here.


TheBlueCat: Ah, it feels meow-velous, kitten that doggo out of the way! Oh, and I'm sure he's fine, maybe just a little ruff fur him to be repawlaced.


TBC: Why of course! Once a cat comes into your one of your 9 lives, they tend to make themselves comfurtable and sway your thinking.


TBC:I honestly don't meow why I was chosen. Just kitten, of course I kmeow! Cats are irresistible, and we like to purr and rub our way into your soft spots while looking at you with our adorable large eyes. If that doesn't work, then we might show our claws, but who can resist the eyes?


TBC: Cya latepurr peeps! Stay clawsome!

This edition of Featured Member Interviews was funded by the great and ancient kitty goddess herself, @Meshugenah, whose revelry in cat puns will surely bolster the Squills budget for at least a whole issue! Want more to whet your whistle? Tell Big Brother How You Found YWS!

FROM THE DESK OF A KNIGHT: NANO IS GONE, NOW LET THE HOLIDAY REVIEWING SEASON BEGIN

written by LadyLizz< PM: >

People always talk about the holidays as the giving and gifting season and the site has its own forms of this. Yes, we have Secret Santa, but there's also the year round tradition of reviewing, which sometimes sparks during holiday breaks. People have more time on their hands and user portfolios that they've been neglecting for awhile, including their own.

But as we enter into this new season, no matter if you're writing critiques or posting stories, we need to think about reactions. At one point in time, we've all gotten a harsh review and certainly quite a few members of this audience have dished them out. I'm going to once again use myself as an example since my reviewing slopes quite often and I'd bet I've felt every reaction to reviews on both sides of the table.

For those who post and get a harsh critique back, you want to find some blunder in their review, something that shows it was in the poorer range. Harshness in a review does not mean you should automatically assume things about that reviewer.
On the opposite end of the critique spectrum, you have the fluff reviews that make you feel good but have obvious oversights in mistakes. These make us feel good for a bit but then also doubtful of the quality of the piece.

The point here being that you're going to get a mixture of reviews, mostly good, right in the middle of the two opposites. Just try not to get completely teed off by one of the harsh ones or let the overdone ones go to your head.

And for the reviewers venturing out this season, you're gonna get some replies that you don't like, if you even get replies at all sometimes. People do try and dig through your review, get something on you to cause some pain and show why you were wrong with some point. When this happens, believe me when I say I know that pain.
Then you also have times when you never receive a reply, even more infuriating.
But when you get a good reply and they don't question your ability to review, it restores that faith in replies as a whole.

For the most part, in both situations, people's reactions are pretty kind. It's just like in everywhere else in life, a few bad apples stand out, and ruin our perspective a bit about what we're doing.

POP CULTURE CORNER: DEADPOOL

written by LadyLizz< PM: >

Who comes down your chimney (if applicable) at midnight in a red suit?

Nope it's not Santa or any anti-Santa of any mythology you might kick up. It's as the title suggests, Deadpool.

I personally love the movie, as I love the actor Ryan Reynolds, as I loved the abomination of Green Lantern. And even though we're not getting that next one for awhile (still a better length of time than Sherlock), it is the holiday season. and with that comes red suits. I am here right now to talk about that trailer.

The classic phone booth spoof has happened, which was a long running mistake in Greatest American Hero if you've ever seen that show. If you haven't, please watch that show. The changing in a phone booth is kinda stupid, just ask Linda Carter who always found an open space to twirl in. Or George Reeves you always used the supply closet and took a boost off the window ledge.

There's also the poor old mugging victim and I like how even though we see this as being really silly and making fun of justice league, it's just exemplifying how stupid it is when practically applied. The solution is sweat pants, even though I know many would like to see a tear away suit. Unfortunately for them, there would just be another suit underneath, at least it's made of spandex.

And if we want to talk about why people love Deadpool so much, it's because he's not like the Avengers or Justice League, with the dark brooding looks and all the team members fighting. He's not really part of a team. (Well yes X-Men but we're talking about in reference to the movie where he only has two back-ups, three if you count the taxi driver.)

So if you haven't seen the Deadpool movie and you're okay with R rated for a reason, watch it.
If you're a fan, you can post in this media review thread of mine and comment your thoughts, feelings and grievances.

That's all I've got for this week so happy trails to y'all.

WORD OF THE WEEK: WASSAILwritten by megsug < PM: >

Pronunciation: wos-uhl; wos-eyl

Part of Language: Noun; Verb

Definition: 1. Spiced wine served on Christmas Eve
2. Loudly have a good time with a great amount of alcohol in the picture
3. Go caroling from house to house

Used in a Sentence: The adventurers wassailed after defeating the goblin horde.

Origin: Comes from Middle English, combining was and hale, meaning was in good health.

Related Terms: n. wassailer

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.

Code: Select all

Place advertisement here. Make sure you include a title!

That's all folks~ Now send us yours.

SUBSCRIBERS

written by SquillsBot < PM: >

Find enspoiler-ed a list of our subscribers!



Do you, too, want to be enspoiler-ed and receive a personal weekly notification when the Squills newsletter is posted? Shoot a PM over to SquillsBot to let him know, and you'll be pinged along with the next issue!