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. THE 2014 YWS WRITING WINTER OLYMPICS
2. A VERY YWS VALENTINE’S
3. ADVENTURES IN WRITING
4. OVERCOMING WRITER'S BLOCK
5. REVIEWING 101
6. FEATURED RESOURCE ARTICLE
7. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW WITH LUCREZIA
8. NEW ARRIVALS
9. THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP
10. SHAMELESS PLUGS
11. SUBSCRIBERS

THE 2014 YWS WRITING WINTER OLYMPICS
written by Iggy < PM: >

So unless you've been living under a rock for the past two weeks, you probably heard about the Olympics. No, not that Olympics! I'm talking about the 2014 YWS Winter Writing Olympics!

This year was jam-packed, with 10 events that ranged far and wide, causing you to use any and all skills you have, whether it was for fanfiction or poetry or fiction or even nonfiction!

The official list of events, as stated by the wonderful @Big Brother, are as follows:






Every event lasted for an entire 24 hours, which meant that participants had to get going and get going fast! From what I hear, people had loads of fun. In a poll , I asked people what their favorite event to join was. I also asked why, and here were some of the responses:

@Demeter






@ongoeslife






@WritingWolf






@fortis






And judging by the votes, The Scavenger Hunt was clearly a favorite! I know I am not the only one who was disappointed with the amount of points I got. I thought I did better than 43!

I asked a few of the mods what their favorite part of running their event was and these were some of the responses:

@reisepiecey






@elinor%20brynn






@Tenyo







Clearly the Olympics was a fun event for the site! Some did participate, some did not. Some won, while some lost. It was all for fun, right? I know I had fun helping @Clarity judge her fairytale poetry event! I can say that, as a judge, each and every entry received was special and unique in their own way, and that they were all pleasures to read. You all have such wonderful talent.

And I will wrap this up with a link. In case you didn't notice, the 2014 Winter Writing Olympics Results are out! Pop your head in there and see who won, plus a overall tally of the points everyone won.

Be sure to keep your eyes open if you joined a team! The team with the most points earned (points per capita) will be receiving a trophy for their accomplishments. This will be announced soon, once staff has time to look at scores and teams and figure it all out. Until then, relax, pat yourself on the back if you competed, and gear up for Review Day!

Here's to hoping everyone had a swell 2014 YWS Winter Writing Olympics! See y'all next year!

A VERY YWS VALENTINE’S


written by Lucrezia < PM: >


Valentine’s Day is the kind of holiday that warrants strong opinions. Some people hate it. Some people love it. Others just don’t care about it one way or another.

Nonetheless, this Valentine’s Day had YWS all abuzz. There were forums about it, plenty of status updates mentioning it, and literary works posted with a romantic theme.

Some highlights, you ask? Well, sure! Sit back, eat the rest of your box of chocolates or bag of candy hearts, and enjoy your YWS Valentine’s Day summary.


STATUS UPDATES


@GreenTulip:






@Wonder:






@TimmyJake:






@Messenger:






@Vincente:







THE VALENTINE’S WRITERS


Several Valentine’s Day-themed literary pieces were posted on or around February 14th, and they were all amazing. These fabulous works of literature included:


1. How V-Day Came to Be


In this unique piece, all of us lucky YWSers get a look into the origins of Valentine’s Day. And trust me, you’ll appreciate this supposed greeting-card-company holiday more once you know what it came from.

In @BloodinkSeesFootage’s essay, you’ll get to learn about the history as well as how Valentine’s Day has changed over the years, turning into the more commercialized celebration we know now.


2. A Collection of Uniquely Strange, “Romantic” Poems


If you’re the type that’s not into sugary-sweet romance or Valentine’s Day, highly-acclaimed poetry writer, @Strange, might just have the thing for you.

In his collection of bitingly sarcastic poems, you’ll laugh and cringe at the cleverly-worded parodies. With titles including “Lee Harvey” and “You Suck,” the obviously satirical black humor of each will leave you thinking.

Warning: Not intended for those that are easily offended and/or do not understand parody or sarcasm.


3. The Bleak Side of Love


In @defyingravity01’s latest short story of hopeless love and heartbreak, "Until I Give No Longer," you’ll find yourself tearing up as you read about the struggle of a girl named Rose and her love—who doesn’t return her feelings. It’s an emotional and relatable read, perfected by defyingravity’s excellent pacing and descriptions. The fact that the story takes place during Valentine’s Day makes this tale of infuriatingly impossible love all the better.


WHAT DID YOU DO ON VALENTINE’S DAY?


Recently, a forum was posted asking the question we’ve all been wondering—what did you do on Valentine’s Day?!

The forum also gave YWSers a poll asking them this same question, with several interesting options. Here’s how the poll currently looks:



But votes are still being cast! Plenty of people have also shared what they did on Valentine’s Day in the comments, since many of their activities fell in the “Other” section.

To check out their stories, take a look at the forum itself! Found right here.


CONCLUSIONS


Like it or hate it, Valentine’s Day looks like it’s here to stay, both in the real world and on YWS. And if you do hate it, be sure to take comfort in the literary works mentioned above–each one has a uniquely dark, cynical, sarcastic undertone that any Valentine’s Day hater will surely appreciate.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

ADVENTURES IN WRITINGwritten by BlueAfrica < PM: >

In this age of technology that’s supposed to make life easier, we often find ourselves more stressed and strapped for time than ever. Wake up, go to school, go to work, come home to chores or pets or children, study or maybe, if you’re lucky, catch an hour of your favorite TV show, and then fall into bed. Repeat until you die.

With our busy lifestyles, it’s often difficult to find time to write. In fact, if it’s ever come out at a party that you’re working on a story or poem, you may have heard this from another guest: “You’re a writer? So am I! I’ve got a million-dollar idea for a book that I’m going to write—just as soon as I find the time.”

I’ve got news for you: time for writing will not magically fall into your lap. You have to seek it out. Carry a notebook and pen with you everywhere, just in case the time appears, disheveled and yelling “Make it quick,” from the bowels of your day. And use these suggestions:

Write at a retreat. I’m not talking about a writing retreat, although that’s ideal. Writing retreats are great for networking with other writers, but they can be expensive to attend—not to mention the fact that, with all the panels and group activities happening, you might end up with a lot less writing time than you thought.

However, maybe your family takes a vacation each year. Maybe you can go camping for a weekend in the summer. Maybe you can do what I’m doing this weekend and find a silence retreat to attend. Not only will you have hours of writing time available to you, in a place where you have no chores, no homework, and no schedule, but the weekend away from home can de-stress you, which is only good for your creativity. Go a step further and leave your technology behind. It’s amazing how much more productive you can be without the Internet to distract you.

Write in transit. This isn’t always possible, especially if you live in an area with no public transportation and you’re forced to drive everywhere. But if your parents drive you places or you live in a big city with a good transit system, congratulations! Write on the Metro. Write on the bus. Write in your parents’ minivan as they drive you to school—the longer the commute, the better, but any length of time is enough to get a least a few sentences or ideas down.

And the best option, if you’re taking a cross-country trip: write on the train. An hours-long train ride can provide you with inspiration in the form of scenery and your fellow passengers. There’s food and coffee to purchase and a bathroom available when you need it. There’s an observation car with tables, outlets, and lots of windows. And, depending on what technology you have with you and what company you ride with, there’s no Internet. Hours of writing time for the price of a train-ticket.

Write at school or work. Before I go any further with this one, let me be clear: I am not telling you to slack off in school to work on your writing. I encourage you to write daily and as much as possible, but I’m going to be a teacher when I graduate college. School is important. Don’t skip class or ignore a lecture to write and then point to this article to justify it.

That being said, school and work are good places to get some writing done. Why? Because your brain is already programmed to be productive in these places. Fifteen minute break at work? Sit down and write. Lunch hour at school? Sit down and write. Five minutes between classes, arrived at work ten minutes early, next class is canceled? Write, write, write!

This is especially true during National Novel Writing Month (which I’ve mentioned before and I warn you I’ll mention again). A lot of my friends have started NaNoWriMo, found themselves stymied, and gave up only a few hundred words into November. This is what they always tell me: “I don’t have time to write.”

Which may be true, but I know people with full-time jobs and multiple children who manage to reach their word-count goals (sometimes far more than 50,000 words). What sets these people apart from people who give up due to a lack of time? These people write. If their kid takes a nap, they write. If they’re waiting for a document to print at work, they write. They steal moments from the day, two minutes here, five minutes there, and by doing just that they manage to write an entire novel in thirty days.

Ideally we would all have the ability to set aside an hour or two at the same time every day and designate it as our writing time. But if you’re a normal person, you probably can’t do that. Don’t “find” the time, or, more accurately, sit and wait for the time to find you. Make the time. Grab the time. Snatch the time from the jaws of your overloaded schedule. Just get out there and write.

OVERCOMING WRITER'S BLOCK
written by ShadowVyper < PM: >

As most of you know, I am one of the Editors of this lovely publication, Squills. Well, while I was reading @BlueAfrica 's beautiful post, it reminded me of a piece I wrote about overcoming writer's block. So, I decided to share my article with you all as well.

I once read an article about writer's block. Reading the article spurred me on to read more about what causes the nasty phenomenon, and how we can all overcome it. So, what is Writer's Block? Writer’s Block is, essentially, a mental barrier that you erect between yourself and your creative potential.

Writer's Block isn't some mysterious rogue who comes and steals all your ideas. It is yourself, your Inner Critic, that is really sabotaging your ability to write stellar pieces. You still have all the ideas that you had before, you’re just no longer confident enough to write them.

It could be caused by anything or anyone. It could be one of those dreaded rejection letters, or your Inner Critic pointing to that failed attempt, and that failed attempt, and that failed attempt...or merely a friend laughing when you said you were a writer. You might not even be aware that you’re suffering from it; all you know is that you can’t write anymore.

American poet William Stafford once said:






I know, that sounds horrible when we first read it. But what is he really saying? I think what he meant is that we’re all trying too hard. We all want to craft sentences and stanzas that people will remember long after they finished reading our story or poem.

So you sit there...and sit there...and sit there, staring at your screen or notebook, thinking about how poorly you’re doing, wondering why you ever wanted to be a writer in the first place and considering your next move, now that you realized that you’re not cut out to be a writer after all.

Be willing to scrap pages of your work, deleting everything but the few good phrases and ideas that turned up. Then rewrite...and rewrite...and rewrite. Sure it takes work, and a load of patience, but you can do it. How many times do you think I rewrote this article before I let anyone read it?

Another tip that writers often employ, following that idea, is:

Write out of chronological order. Your readers won't have any idea if you avoid introducing your protagonist until you’ve written a few chapters and actually have gotten to know him yourself.

Write as inspiration comes to you, with the few minutes that turn up here and there, and then edit your inspired chapters so that they fit together. Writing as you are inspired will spare your readers the pain of having to get through four chapters of filler, before they can read the awesome battle scene you're planning.

You have this really great idea for a house filled with terrible, mutant beasts but have no idea how to integrate it into your story? Write it. You want to write about girl who gets arrested, but have no plot ideas for the rest of the story? Write it. You want to write the scene where your protagonist gets engaged? Write it.

Most likely while you’re writing whatever idea you have a plot twist (or maybe a story idea in general) will come to you, and you’ll figure out a way to write it in. Don’t believe me? Just say hello to chapter eight of the novel I started last year.

I wrote my chapter filled with mutant beasts while I was struggling through my fifth chapter...as I had been...for two months. Once I got the inspiration to write about my Creature House, I had a plot twist to work towards, build up to. Writer’s Block suddenly vanished.

If you still need help to just write your ideas out, go to the chat room and issue a challenge for a Word War. That’s one of the great things about having YWS to run to: other writers to encourage us and spur us on. WWs unleash our natural competitiveness, which is another powerful force that can help bash our Inner Critic in the head.

Alright, I know there are you extreme introverts out there who are still quaking from the very idea of you venturing into the (gulp) public chat. Never fear. Simply talking to someone, even in private chat, can help you overcome your writer’s block. Trust me.

Your friends can help you brainstorm (or at least laugh at your distress), and give you a fresh perspective of things. Like I said: most writer’s block is us taking ourselves too seriously, so someone who’s reputation isn’t on the line can help us to laugh at our own insecurities, because you really are over thinking things. God, your Mama, and I will all still love you if we see a less-than-perfect piece.

With that said, it might help you to think about where your inspiration comes from, and how you write best. Sure inspiration just hits us sometimes (usually trying to wait until we don’t have a notebook in reach, of course), but other times there’s a pattern to it.

I write action scenes better after I watch a certain television show and select movies, and so always try to have at least a few minutes afterwards to write down ideas that come to me. I used to write descriptive scenes best when I was outside listening to the birds chirp and the leaves rustle in a soft breeze as the cattle graze in the pasture (yeah, I grew up on a farm). Now that I'm in college, living on a campus in the middle of the big city, I just have to take inspiration as it comes. Urban life can be pretty too.

All other writing requires me to be hiding in my room, usually on my laptop, while listening to music. I can’t write in a library where there are people milling about and it’s silent. I listen to rock while I write poetry (don’t judge). Figure out what strange quirks drive you, and learn to accommodate them.

But most of all,
Get someone to hold you accountable. Get your friends, either real-life or virtual, or family to demand to see your writing. That way you can’t hide behind your insecurities and either a) not write or b) keep it locked in the depths of your computer in a zipped file. You’ll either write or get chased down by an angry mob, which is great motivation.

No more excuses. You can find time. You can silence Writer's Block. So it's time to write.

REVIEWING 101
written by BloodinkSeesFootage < PM: >

When reviewing a work, it can be tempting to let personal feelings override rational thought completely. And recently, such scenes have been evident on YWS. The controversy surrounding the work: Young Writers Society by @EmeraldEyes sparked a hot debate about the importance of Christianity and religion in general among YWSers.

However, what becomes more important, is the bigger issue of what makes a constructive review. It is a topic dealt with frequently on the site of what makes something helpful to the creator, as opposed to just being an empty rant. Some of what was shown on the referenced work demonstrates how NOT to review.

I asked a few YWSers what makes a good review:

@TaciturnPhantom:






@PervadedByDarkness:






@567ajt:






@Magenta:






Obviously, the topic is very subjective, but the main things to bear in mind are:

1. The review should be at least 4-5 lines long.

2. It should include comments about successful and improvement points within the piece.

3. Keep an honest opinion.

4. Don't just flatter or insult the writer, keep it balanced.

And reviewing is NOT JUST FOR REVIEW DAY! Keep those reviews coming, aim to do at least one a day if you can. Remember: we all need that creative feedback to improve, improve, improve.

Happy Reviewing YWSers!

FEATURED RESOURCE ARTICLE
written by Iggy < PM: >

This week's featured article from the Resources Section of the YWS Forums comes to us from the small corner of the Knowledge Base called YWS.

This week's Featured Resource article is On Writing YWS Fanfiction , written by the amazing @Conrad Rice, bless his soul.

If you've been on YWS for a couple months, you've probably seen stories, novels, poems, and even storybooks involving real YWS members in some sort of catastrophe. And you've probably told yourself: "I wanna write YWS fanfiction too!"

Slow down! Believe it or not, there is a criteria you should meet when writing YWS fanfiction. As Conrad pointed out, you should be a member for a couple years before you attempt this, because chances are, you don't know the site or its members well enough to write a story that makes absolute sense.

The biggest thing to remember is rule #2:






After all, we don't want a bunch of unhappy members who are mad at you, right? If you're interested in writing YWS Fanfiction, read this very carefully and take Conrad's advice into consideration! Also remember that rule #5 doesn't matter; just post anything you write via the Publishing Center, under the genre "fanfiction" and you'll be good to go!

Honorable mentions for this week include:

1. Cardiff's International Poetry Competition by @OliveDreams is a great thing to check out if you're a poet!

2. Ask The Non-Fic Guru by @BenFranks is a great topic to check out if you have any questions about anything that has to do with nonfiction or if you need help with anything!

FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW WITH LUCREZIA
by MESSENGER < PM: >

Reporting for Squills! Well once again we have a new Featured Member, and it is none other than a dear friend of mine @Lucrezia, who totally deserves his current title! On a side note I believe I have the greatest Squills job there is, but anyway let's see what Lucrezia had to say.



Lucrezia:
Thanks! And no, not at all. I was completely stunned, and still kind of am.



L: Oh, yeah, tons of notifications. The day it was announced, I woke up that morning, checked YWS, and had four notifications. Then I logged back on after the forum had been put up and I was officially FM, and I had nine. Since then, I've only gotten more and more. And I feel special, honored, and really-really excited. More than I thought I would, even.



L: I think the reason I was chosen is because I've been pretty dedicated to this site... not to sound conceited or anything, there's certainly people on here more dedicated than me, but I think I managed to do a lot in the short time I've been on here. Probably my reviews are the main reason I was picked—I think I'm up to 210 now. But I've also posted a lot in the forums and tried to welcome as many new members as I could, and be friendly to everyone, and most of the people that are featured do exactly that.

For people that want to be featured... honestly, I would just say to be nice to everyone, be friendly to YWS newbies, review a lot (and give lengthy reviews, as well, with good tips/advice), and basically do as much for YWS as you can. Review Days are an awesome way to get involved and give you an excuse to review a ton—that's a good way to get "noticed," for lack of a better term.



L: No problem.

I know Lucrezia does very good work and I am happy to see he got it. But hey, why just see how others react at being featured? Get out there and start working towards it as a goal. Remember to be friendly, be active, be helpful, and BE YOURSELF!
Signing out!

~Messenger

NEW ARRIVALS
by KnightTeen < PM: >

I am proud to announce that we have reached 29,181 users!
You know me, I'm a snoop! I have to know everything about every new member on the site. (Don't hate me, it's all part of the job!)

Take a moment to welcome this week's newest members to the site!

@bookboysarebest has been a member for less than a week and has already written a whopping 17 reviews! Reminds me of my first few days. He's also posted his first work, See Me Now?

@olivia98 has been busy these past few days, reviewing and filling her portfolio

@katefrench461 (who writes poems in French) has been a busy little French bee these past few days. Check out her portfolio !



• @kfeens • @izzyb • @Ell15 • @sidthedidda • @nightwhisper • @lokeshonfire • @emmaannaolivia • @bobbusama • @misaki888 • @SaraValdes • @Val • @SymbolicEclipse • @thomasmkraus• @FGlenn • @Katie1122 • @Raethin • @ClariceArrais • @detff3 • @poisonouselixir • @mightnightRose • @hurem • @EzekielTheBold • @OttoPaleEyes • @Candlelight • @weqjtio54 • @PhilsCookie • @lilGbabyG • @MelonKony • @hyman111 • @ColdHeartedGirl • @Guttight • @soancosoanco • @dandelionmaze • @PonPonShotacon • @CollinWitte • @WillWrites • @birdobsession • @abby7321 • @xxxxnikkix • @Jbrow • @atoscano05 • @gia2505 • @LemisaLeaZeor • @Jokaly • @Truth • @emac6 • @Purple • @Teen • @castleWritemore • @Rascal • @atominis • @LazyLlama • @Milton Keynes • @ShortStorySean • @Temerity • @Caitlyn

THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 2/23
written by: megsug < PM: >

Links of your wildest imaginings!


If you're looking for crazy poetry prompts this might be the thread for you! @Adnamarine brought back an older thread. She'll give you a run down:







@PenguinAttack is waiting for a worthy challenge. Will you be the one to give it to her?


@Lumi created a coding guide for the basics on YWS. One that's been helpful in review for me recently:







Anyone who wants to spiff up a post but isn't sure how should check this thread out!


@WindSailor asked a great question this week. He wanted to know:







This is important information to know for up and coming writers. @Clarity and @Rosey%20Unicorn gives some fantastic information about copyright and first publishing rights. Check it out!


Do you love storybooks? Activity in that part of YWS has been up recently, but some members want to make sure it stays that way. There's a club called "Storybook Revolution" that's for storybookers of all kinds. There's more in store, or so @Aquestioning says:






Join if you're all about the storybook forums!

SHAMELESS PLUGS

written by SquillsBot < PM: >

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SUBSCRIBERS

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