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. FATHER'S DAY
2. ADVENTURES IN WRITING
3. THE CODE BREAKER CHALLENGE
4. SOCIETY PAGES
5. BRILLIANT FLUIDNESS(ITY?): DOES YOUR USERNAME HAVE IT?
6. HOW TO WRITE A SPEECH
7. ASK GRUNO
8. KANOME'S RANT OF MEDIA
9. NEW ARRIVALS
10. THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP - 6/15
11. SHAMELESS PLUGS
12. SUBSCRIBERS

FATHER'S DAY!written by Iggy < PM: >


It's that time of the year again! On the third Sunday of June, countries like Afghanistan, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, People's Republic of China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe will celebrate Father's Day, a celebration day honoring fatherhood and all those who serve as a father figure.




Cited sources: Festivals | Wikipedia | fox13now




Unfortunately, I don't know of any YWSers who are fathers. I think @Snoink's husband would be the closest thing to a YWS father for right now! But on the bright side, we do have a lot of members with fathers they love. I managed to snag a bunch of members from their daily YWS activities to ask them a few questions...





@Meshugenah:






@retrodisco666:






@Aley:






@Auxiira:









@Lumi:






@Auxiira:






@Carina:






@Aley:








@rosey%20unicorn






@Meshugenah














@rosey%20unicorn






@StellaThomas:






@Auxiira:






@Clarity:






@Alvarin:









@retrodisco666:






@supernintendo:






@strange:






@Cirute:






@Griffinkeeper:









@Alvarin:






@supernintendo:






@Clarity:






@Carina:









@strange:






@herbugaboo:






@Cirute:






@Griffinkeeper:







And there you have it! I hope everyone has a good day with their families, especially their fathers. From your loving Squills staff, we'd like to wish you a...

ADVENTURES IN WRITINGwritten by BlueAfrica < PM: >

Last week we talked about the benefits of writing outside your comfort zone: improving your writing, defeating writer’s block, and broadening your writing horizons. But how do you go about breaking out of your genre, style, or form? Here are three ways to do just that.

Read widely. You’re probably familiar with the oft-touted advice to read what you write. Reading in your genre can give you insights into effective world- and character-building, as well as what’s cliché or doesn’t work. That’s part of the reason your comfort zone is your comfort zone; by reading in your genre as well as writing it, you learned the tricks of your craft early on.

Since this is so, it follows that reading new genres can give you insights into the dos and don’ts of these types of writing. If you want to try out a new style, form, or genre, start by devouring literary works in that category. Ask connoisseurs of your chosen genre which are their favorite authors and books.

Journal or free-write. I put these two together because free-writing is the usual advice when you’re trying something new or working through writer’s block…but I hate doing it. So if free-writing does to you what it does to me (there’s a blank piece of paper staring at me expectantly and it’s too much pressure!), try journaling instead. Write about your day, your dog, your best friend. Any thoughts that come to mind throughout or about the day go into the journal. Then, you can either incorporate them into a work in progress or use them to jump-start the dreaded free-write. Was there a thought you had that captivated you, that you want to explore? Start with that thought, expand on it, and see where it takes you.

Try NaNoWriMo. You had to know this would be one of my points. After all, National Novel Writing Month is only four and a half months away!

Anyway, aside from the fact that I’m obsessed with NaNoWriMo and work it into my articles as often as possible, November is a good time to try something new. If your comfort zone is a certain amount of writing you know you can get done each day (100 words? 200? 500?), prepare to bust it open by writing 1,667 words each day to meet your 50,000 word goal.

And if your goal is to try a new genre or experiment with story elements, then you couldn’t pick a better time to do so. Because NaNoWriMo calls for a month of “literary abandon,” participants can fool around as much as they like. Stuck? Throw an alien invasion in your story! You character doesn’t have a good reason for doing something? Have him shake his fist and declare that he’s only doing it because the author wants him to! November is the time to go crazy, break the fourth wall, and add nonsensical elements to your story out of nowhere. Admittedly, the draft you end up with will probably be a steaming pile of dog doo—but giving yourself the freedom to write badly can give you the confidence that experimentation requires.

There you have it: three ways to start slipping out of your comfort zone. (Or, in the case of that last one, diving out of it in a glorious avalanche of upped word-counts and ridiculous plot elements.) Click the spoiler below for a guide to reading new genres.

Blue’s Picks: Books to Read for Different Genres*



*The above suggestions can all be found in my bookshelf and are things I have actually read. Just so you know I’m not throwing random books at you. (Duck!)

As always, information on NaNoWriMo can be found on the National Novel Writing Month website.

Adventures in Writing will be on hiatus next week as our Adventurer goes on her honeymoon. Come back on June 30th for your regularly scheduled article.

THE CODE BREAKER CHALLENGEwritten by Hannah < PM: >

Welcome one and all to Avalon’s Code Breaker Challenge! -record scratch-

Well, okay. @Avalon's actually called in sick this week, and it seems like I was the only one who could break through the traps he'd set up around the article to get in. I wasn't able to crack the code on the safe that holds the results from last week, so you'll have to wait until it's Avalon's turn to update to see the leaderboards, but if you're only here for the mind puzzles, I've got you covered!

The rules, real quick:

- You can't work in teams. You've gotta show your own individual work when you submit your answers.
- If you don't solve the code within the week, it doesn't count toward the leaderboard.
- Nobody can stop you from using Google, but come on, the point of a puzzle is to puzzle it out, am I right?
- Top scorers will be featured every week (except this week...)
- And there are no actual prizes, just the glory of being on top of the leaderboard.

Let's dive right in!

THE EASY CODE
Point Reward: 25
IPX BSF ZPV UPEBZ?

THE MEDIUM CODE
Point Reward: 50


THE HARD CODE
Point Reward: 100
AWETMRLENOSIUSEPDRLECIOISU

SOCIETY PAGESwritten by Iggy < PM: >

STOP. RIGHT. THERE. Stop what you're doing right now. Why? Because, three awesome changes happened this week:
1. If you haven't noticed yet, we kinda sorta have a new People tab. Yup, that's right! Now you can edit your posts, edit your comments within an hour of posting, share, report, view who you're following and who's following you, view a list of suggested people to follow, see who's celebrating a YWSiversary, who earned a review star and so much more!
2. Four Konami cheat codes have been installed! It doesn't matter where you are, just hit the arrows on your keyboard in this sequence (↑↑↓↓←→←→) followed by any mixture of the letters A and B (AA BB BA AB) and see what happens!
3. Five awesome new Easter Egg commands! Take a look here and try them out! (I can only figure out #1 ;_;)

All of the excitement! @Nate sure does spoil us, so if you haven't thanked our wonderful site admin, please do that ASAP. He puts a lot of time, money and effort into this site and he's always spoiling us with new things, so go give him a gift or something!

So I know it's Father's Day and all (so go wish your old man a good one!) but can we take a moment to jump back a month and pretend it's Mother's Day? Because we have, as far as I know, four moms/mums on YWS! @Via, @borntobeawriter, @Snoink and now... @OliveDreams!
~ Snoink just had her baby a week ago! The darling is named Mary and was born at 8lbs and 2oz. If you'd like to see a picture of the new mother and child, just head over to Snoink's wall and look at her most recent status!
~ Olive announced that she's been cooking a Christmas pudding in her belly, or rather, a baby that's due this December! Olive is 24, in case you were wondering. Here I assumed she was 20. xD

While some people are having babies, some people are getting boyfriends! Our very own @sparktoflame has a beau and about time, too! On the same subject, couples like @Payne and @herbugaboo are going strong! So much love in the air...



High school is coming to an end for some people! @elinor%20brynn graduated on Friday! If you'd like to see some pics, have a look here!

While some are graduating, others are merely struggling to finish finals/exams so they can enjoy the summer, until they have to go back and do it all over again I feel so bad for you guys. While testing is beginning for some people (like @yubbies21, @Auxiira and @savvy), it's ending for the rest of us (like @ArcticMonkey, @Clarity, @TriSARAHtops, @Blues, etc.) Can't we all just have one big homework-free YWS party?!

The hottest spill of gossip yet: @Aley, founder and creator of the Adopt A Novel club, hasn't even adopted a novel yet. :O SHAME ON YOU ALEY.

@FatCowsSis is coming to the West Coast! For one week, she and her church youth group are coming to California for teh funs! Will you be going on Disneyland, Six Flags, Universal Studios, or something else, I wonder?

Speaking of California! @Audy might be coming down to Santa Monica for two weeks and see us cool Californians (back me up @Meshugenah) so here's to hoping she can come!

So both @Hannah and @Deanie completed their 1000th review, thus leaving me in the dust and making me cry. Slow down, would you? >_> Meanwhile, @IamTraunt got their third gold star! And @Aravis10 got their second. Kudos to all of you!

@Sachiko finished the first draft of her novel, Petrichor, with a whopping 228,705 words. Dang, girl, you get 'em!

@lylas has a new puppy! Although she neglected to tell us the breed and name, so if you wanna know, go bug her!

The tears of YWS fangirls have been shed far and wide... yes. The Fault In Our Stars has come to theaters. Girls like @Sunshine1113, @sparktoflame, @ialreadydied and @SecreteJournalist have seen it and left bawling their eyes out. @Carina and I plan on seeing it (not together, unfortunately) and we are for sure bringing a box of tissues!

FIFA, The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, has arrived! So far, it seems we have a lot of England supporters, like @Blues, @ArcticMonkey and @Deanie, while others are just enjoying the show. Right, @Noelle/@Deanie/@biscuitbatchavoy/@budding writer?

Breaking news: @manisha is Iron Man. It's true. (they needed someone to replace RDJ whenever he "mysteriously" disappeared (he says hi)

Work and YWS should never mix. It is a bad thing when you wind up typing in your work login info when trying to log into YWS. Just ask @Rydia.

And we'll wrap this up with one last Hooray! for the awesome @elinor%20brynn and her amazing cast: @Demeter, @sparktoflame, @Audy, @AfterTheStorm, @Aquestioning, @Charlie II, @Osterkaktus and @buggiedude2340! If you missed the awesome radio play, entitled Jamie's Coin, you can listen to the recording here so grab some popcorn, plug in those earbuds and enjoy!

Well that's all from me. Remember, if you want your hot, juicy, shocking gossip to be featured in Squills... I am but a PM away. xoxo Gossip Girl

xxx

Lady S

BRILLIANT FLUIDNESS(ITY?): DOES YOUR USERNAME HAVE IT?written by ShadowVyper < PM: >

There are many ways YWS'ers find to express themselves. We are, after all, a site of writers. We have ideas and unique personalities, and we want people to know it!​ We enjoy putting forth our individuality through numerous mediums-- most frequently through blog posts, status updates, and modifying our profiles or 'About' pages. Of course, no one could forget the thousands of characters we, and the many writers who came before us on this site since @Nate founded it so many years ago (alright, ten years, but that's over half the time most of us have been alive, riiiight?) have created-- each and every one an extension of their writers and their personalities.

However, sometimes people don't have time to stalk read our blogs, or storybooks, or literary works. Sometimes they simply choose not to. Either way, they're passing judgement on you by the first speck of your personality they come in contact with-- your username. Usernames are the very first part of our personality we're asked for when we register for YWS, and I find it quite fascinating to see how elaborate, or simple, people are when creating their YWS usernames.

Personally, I chose a name that has several reflections on my life and my interests. As a night-owl and an admirer of those bottom-of-the-ocean dwellers as well nocturnal creatures, the "Shadow" was just a natural choice. The "Vyper" came from a fascination of snakes (vipers, heh) as well as deep sea marine biology (viperfish)-- and the spelling was altered because I like y's better than i's.

Squills set out to see what thoughts went into the various usernames found around YWS.

Why did you pick the username that you did? Are there any special meanings or interests hidden in it right before our eyes?

@blueafrica:







@megsug:






@Alchemist:







@avalon:







@Poseidon:







@Aley:







After hearing all of those different explanations of usernames, I was curious to know if anyone (other than Avalon) had ever changed their usernames before. I know that I briefly considered changing mine to Mr. Underhill, but decided against it for fairly obvious reasons. The only time my current Shady-ness was seriously threatened, though, was when @AriaAdams went on a username-changing-spree and threatened to change my name without telling me what she changed it to (because she's mean like that. <3)

Have you ever changed your username? Would you ever change your username? If so, what would you change it to (or did you change it from) and why make the change?

@blueafrica:







@megsug:






@Alchemist:







@Aley:






There you have it! Some of us are attached to our Shadiness current usernames while others are willing to experiment until they find just the name that they like best.

HOW TO WRITE A SPEECHwritten by defyingravity01 < PM: >

Hello my lovelies!
Many of you have had to sit through boring speeches that are long and drawn out. The speech could be an argument, a farewell to a loved one who passed, or for anything else. Regardless, I recently had to attend a funeral as well as an induction ceremony for a prestigious organization. In each of these events, I witnessed some pretty boring speeches. So to spare future audience !embers the pain of boredom, I'm going to teach you to write a speech!

Step 1: Speeches are very similar to essays in that you need a hook. You need something to get your audience listening. If the first sentence out of your mouth isn't captivating, your audience will quickly lose interest. Your hook could be different depend on on the speech. If it's for school, it could be a statistic. If it's for a funeral, it could be something interesting about the deceased or a description of them. If it's about a topic or anything else, it could be a quote. It just depends. Make sure that your hook establishes what your speech is about. You need to write your first paragraph around this hook. Elaborate a little, but be careful not to repeat yourself or people will lose interest.

Step 2: Make 3 points. Each point should be a paragraph. These points could be backed up with quotes, with stories or just with facts. Again , it depends. Do the same thing for the next few paragraphs. Be careful to not reiterate yourself too much. When you're speaking in public, its very easy to lose the attention of your audience. Especially if you're repetitive.

Step 3: Conclude. Just as you would in an essay, you need to make it clear when your speech is ending. You could state your 3 points again, or you could give a few more shocking facts to leave your audience thinking. Depending on the kind of speech you're giving (maybe a topic for school or a persuasive argument) shock value is everything. I wouldn't suggest shock value for a funeral though.

Now that you've written your speech, you need to give it. Its better if you have it memorized so you don't read it off a paper like a robot. Make sure you have passion. Every speech needs passion. You may have written the greatest speech in the world but if you don't deliver it correctly, it won't be memorable. Some things you could do are try to make eye contact. The more you look at your audience, the more they look at you. Try to change the volume of your voice at points that need emphasis. Don't gesture with your hands as that can be distracting. Also, make sure you stand tall and speak clearly. You may feel stupid by speaking slowly, but talking too quickly will make it difficult for anyone to understand you.

I hope this "How To" is helpful in your further speech giving escapades. Just remember to give your hook, state your points and be memorable. Have a great week!

XOXO,
Gravity

ASK GRUNOwritten by gruno < PM: >

Welcome to Ask Gruno, the advice column in which stuff happens. Gruno will answer any questions you throw at him, be it advice, personal opinion, solutions or philosophy. This week 3 questions will be answered. My cousin Pruno has been busy at the wonderful school for Pruno people, so I will be taking over the column. Every now and again, Pruno may make an appearance, so never fear! May the question answering commence!

Gruno,
I keep trying to suck the soul out of a particular boy, but he always evades me or shoots a glowing deer at me out of a stick. It's becoming a real problem. Please help.
-Dementor Bob

My Dear Dementor Bob,
The solution to this particular predicament is actually quite simple. You need a strategy. First, trade in that raggedy black robe for prettier, sparkly one. Next, location is the key. Try pursuing this soul interest in the bathroom. Perhaps when he is flexing on the mirror. He will probably be so occupied with his reflection, he won't see you coming.
-Gruno

Gruno,
How difficult is it to become a writer for Squills?

-Curious Writer

CW,
Becoming a writer for Squills can be difficult or not. It depends on the person. If you're like my buddy Bob who asked the previous question and you are focused on sucking souls, Squills isn't for you. However, if you are dedicated enough to take on the challenge, I would suggest messaging @Iggy or @Hannah. You can propose a column idea to them or even just try writing an article and see what happens.

Gruno,
What do you think about the diet advice to not eat fruit because it has so much sugar?

-Banana Lover

My Fine Fruity Friend,
You are asking me to advise you on advice that you received. Wonderful! I think that advice really sucks, actually. Your body needs a certain amount of sugars to keep your blood sugar up and to give you energy. Fruit contains natural sugars, but not all fruit has a lot of it. Fruits like watermelon and grapes contain a lot of sugar. Fruits like berries don't. I would suggest staying away from fruit juice, that contains a lot of natural sugar. It is recommended to eat 3-5 servings of fruit every day.
-Gruno

This concludes a tiresome week of answering questions. However., if you would like advice on questions you may have, just click This Link

KANOME’S RANT OF MEDIA

Written by Kanome < PM: >

Hello there. Kanome here, reporting on some wonderful media reviews for the members of YWS, family, and the occasional hobos out there.

Okay, for a week now, I started playing this game that I wasn’t interested in at first because it wasn’t fun playing it alone, but after playing this game with someone, it became addicting and fun all around. You can craft, cook, mine, kill, and many more. I am talking about one of the most popular games out there: Minecraft.



Minecraft is one of those games you must play with someone, or you’ll just get bored of it completely. You can build your own home, create a village, or even just loot. It’s mainly your choice to be what you want in Minecraft. In Minecraft, I am the supplier. I harvest wheat, collect water, kill animals for meat, and pick fruits and vegetables to keep my character and the person I am playing with alive. It sucks when you die in the game. When you die in the game, you lose the things you gathered, unless it is locked and safe in a chest somewhere.

When it comes to attacking monsters, I usually use archery since it’s my main skill in the game. You can use variety of swords, bows, and arrows, which makes the game more fun to play.

I’ve seen people on YouTube ( Ah… YouTube… ) play Minecraft online, and they are hilarious when they play.

Here is someone that you can watch play if you don’t understand the concept of Minecraft:

Rooster Teeth → https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUBVPK8x-XMhdPIwwZItz7U6ogGOVeWdE

I give this game a good eight of out ten, since the game is that interesting to play. If you have any suggestions on what I should review next, PM me or message on my wall.

Kanome out.

NEW ARRIVALSwritten by Hannah < PM: >

Take a moment to welcome this week’s newest members to the site! We've been a little bit behind in welcoming the newest members from the past week, so we're playing a bit of catch-up and have a lot of people to say hello to!

@huda0509, if the quote on her wall is anything to go by, believes that "What you seek is seeking you", and if you're seeking a mysterious introduction to a tale including a perfect-looking boy and a good amount of blood, then this link is calling your name: how it happened. .

@xfabulisaa has jumped right into YWS society, fixing up her profile with a bright beautiful background, setting herself up with a new banner, and even writing seventeen reviews in the four short days that she's been here! She says she's terrible at short descriptions. Do you have any advice for her?

@louisa1 may not have gotten around to any reviews yet, but she's definitely been active in the debate forum, commenting on topics ranging from whether poetry should be taught in schools and whether God exists. She's also a big fan of the classic lady writers like Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen. You should head over to her wall to have a nice gush over Mr. Darcy!

@TheWriter13 apparently thinks a lot about fries while she writes reviews. She's already written fourteen for the lovely members of YWS, which means she's been able to share four of her own pieces of writing with us. What do you think a short story titled Raspberries might be about?

Now, if you like puns about hair, you're going to want to head on over to the wall of @MargoSeuss. Not only is she witty, but she's also already done ten reviews and posted a silly poem about boobs: Tittie Traitor .

@Hamsa may say she's pretty unextraordinary, but she's already done her first review, and that's nothing if not extraordinary! She also seems to be a fan of winter, listing several of her warm interests, which include old movies and hot chocolate. Will you take the time to welcome her?

THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 6/15written by Hannah < PM: >

What's that in the sky? It's a bird! It's a plane! It's this week's link roundup~



It's a very common question: "What's your favorite color?" So common that even little kids can answer it with ease. After all, we've only got about seven colors to pick from, right? Wrong! If you think it's that easy, you must check out this thread, where @BloodinkSeesFootage challenges you to find a more specific name for your favorite hue. Ever heard of Xanthous? If not, click through to see what color @TakeThatYouFiend loves best!



If you like to bum around on the people tab to see what your friends are up to, you'll probably want to click into Nate's post about the update and find out why the comfortable coding of old has been exchanged for some fancy new looks! There are lots of new features, including what many members have been waiting for:






Hooray! Nate also has a few surprises up his sleeves for us, so be sure to read the thread for more information on the Easter Eggs contained within.



@SymbolicEclipse has got his creative juices raring to go, but he can't seem to choose between three story ideas. Each is fantasy, which seems to be the author's brand, but there are some nuances between them that are actually pretty important. What would you like to read? Lovecraftian? Young adult? Steampunk? Click through to help a fellow writer out and encourage more fantasy on YWS!



Okay, okay, so that's not quite was @Moriah Leila said in her recent Knowledge Base post. She was actually talking a lot about how to use scents in our writing to help set the scene. We've already had a few posts about using smells in writing, so you may very well be an expert in that field. If so, she invites you to comment:






When's the last time you wrote about your character's terrible morning breath, eh?


Alright, that's it for me, folks. You'll have to find the rest of the links on your own. Don't forget to take a flashlight.

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!

Have you ever had a novel chapter stuck in the Green Room? We're here to help! At Adopt A Novel we are looking for reviewers and novels to review, cover to cover, in an effort to help writers get consistent reviews. We at Adopt A Novel are invested in not only the health of all novels currently being updated, but also novels which are completed, being revised, or novels looking for more feedback.

Do you only want to drop off a novel? That's fine. Visit the Novels To Adopt thread, answer the four easy questions, and be on your way.

Want to stick around and see what we have? Join us in the Welcome thread and tell us a little bit more about you.

To help with our goal of matching up happy novelists with happy reviewers, please visit our club and join the cause. Let's make Young Writer's Society a Novel's sanctuary.


That's all folks~ Now send us yours.

SUBSCRIBERS

written by SquillsBot < PM: >

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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!