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. THAT ENDED UP IN THE YEARBOOK...
2. FEATURED MEMBER
3. FESTOONED: NEW STARS
4. HOW TO WRITE A SHAKESPEAREAN SONNET
5. STORYBOOK UPDATE
6. SOCIETY PAGES
7. ASKGRUNO
8. THE CODE BREAKER CHALLENGE
9. NEW ARRIVALS
10. THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 6/22
11. SHAMELESS PLUGS
12. SUBSCRIBERS

THAT ENDED UP IN THE YEARBOOK...written by ShadowVyper  < PM: >

An awkward silence falls. You feel yourself go tense as you realize how infernally stupid your comment was. You try to figure out a way to counter your former statement. You try to find a way to change the subject. But your mind has gone blank, and instead you just sit there, staring, a blush crawling up your neck and into your now-burning hot cheeks.

Blushing activates your sympathetic nervous system. Adrenaline is pumped into your bloodstream. Adrenaline is a natural stimulant, and it has a wide array of effects on your body. Your breathing speeds up and your heart rate is increased. Your digestive processes slow down so that energy can be redirected to your muscles. Okay, sorry. I'm done with the science part of it. But we all know what it feels like to be embarrassed, even if most of you probably don't care about the chemical imbalance wreaking havoc in your nervous system. 

I happen to be one of those people who find a way to embarrass themselves quite often. Worst yet, my professors have discovered that I'm easily embarrassed but hard to offend, so they embarrass me even more often. So, when I heard whispers of an article about YWS'ers most embarrassing moments, I jumped on the opportunity and set out to hear about all the mishaps that you're beautiful, pink-cheeked faces have had to endure. 

My first question was met with quite a bit of dawdling, which I found nearly as amusing as I expected the answers to be. 

What is the most embarrassing moment you've ever had on YWS?



   









​

   



Which was quickly followed by denial...



   

 



   





   











   



 Eventually, though, they either produced an answer or a reasonable excuse. 
 
 
 
 
 
       
 
 
 
 
 
      
 
 
 
 
 
     
 
 
 
 
 My next question I thought would be far easier to answer, considering that few of us have been on YWS for any significant portion of our lives, and have more incidents to choose from in our non-online life. It was still hard to get an answer from some, people, though. 
 
What is the most embarrassing moment you've ever had in real life?

Birk kept dawdling... 


 
   



While Alva was still in denial...



 
     

 

After far more ​prodding, and enduring what I took as an intended insult... 


   



I managed to get people to answer the question. 



 
 



 
 



 


     
 


 

 
   
 

 

 

  
 
 



   


 
There you have it. From not-so-silent and deadly, to falling on teachers, to threatening the neighbor boy with a piece of firewood, YWS'ers from all over have faced many embarrassing moments. For your sakes, I hope none of you have any more embarrassing mishaps. But, if you do, be sure to keep us all updated with your status. Who knows? You might be visited by Lady S if you do~

FEATURED MEMBER

written by defyingravity01  < PM:  >

Hey guys!
This week I have the privilege of interviewing the featured member, @RavenMoonStone. She generously agreed to do an interview giving you all the inside scoop on what it takes to be featured.



RavenMoonStone: Okay!



R: Oh, it's wonderful! I woke up and saw that I got mentioned in the featured member thing. Best way to wake up ever! I also do something called: FM says, on chat. (Everyone must pay attention to the awesomeness that is Raven). Several people are congratulating on my wall! (No, seriously all the congratz are filling up my wall.) I think people are actually paying attention to me now!



R: I didn't really expect it. I bet almost every FM says that... I remember thinking one night. That in two to three years my name would be on the home page shining bright lights! Saying: RavenMoonStone our fabulous FM! She has the best grammar! Great for advice! Been on here forever! (I'm an ego maniac. Sowwy... )



R: Hm... I like welcoming new members! The reason I like welcoming is...I never really got welcomed when I first joined. Sure people welcomed me, but that was a whole ten days after I originally joined, AND I only got welcomed because I was active. So.. I welcome to get people active.
Uh... I guess I am fun to chat with on chat... I also try and see if old members are still active.  



R: Stay active! Review every couple of days! Welcome a few people! Post some stories! Like stuff! Do not spam review! That's honestly all I have...



R: No problem!

Well there you have it folks! Until next week...

XOXO,
Gravity

FESTOONED: NEW STARSwritten by Hannah  < PM: > 

You know, it takes a lot of effort to earn a new review star. I'm currently sitting here more than fifty reviews away from my next reward. If you're looking at a long road ahead, why not celebrate vicariously and support your fellow YWS members that are raking in the shiny prizes? Onward to this week's profile!



Name: @GreenLight24
Location: West Egg
Recently Acquired Star: Fourth Yellow Star

You may have seen him around, the peppy and encouraging YWSer who is plainly a fan of The Great Gatsby (see his username and location for hints). But what do you really know about him? Have you heard of his love for Frozen? Okay, well, have you visited his Sound Cloud to find out that he doesn't "actually rob banks, man, what did you think"? Well, then have you gushed with him over the virtues of Azula, yet? 

Alright, alright. Enough throat clearing. Let's hear about this guy in his own words.

When asked what three things about himself he'd like to make sure YWSers know, he responded:



   

HOW TO WRITE A SHAKESPEAREAN SONNETwritten by defyingravity01  < PM: >

Hola! Bonjour! Aloha! Hi! Gutentag! 
I'm just feeling international this week. And for that reason I decided to write a sonnet in the style of my pal Willy Shakespeare. You know... Just that old dead guy who happens to be the most famous playwright of all time? Yeah, him. He was English! I'm American. 'Nuff said.

Okay. So. Shakespearean sonnets are romantic. That's the other reason I picked this topic out haha. They also follow a special rhyme scheme that gives sonnets such a romantic and (depending on the rhymes) a bubbly feel. Sometimes, they get sad. So! Onward my friends!

Shakespearean Sonnets are written in 4 quatrains and a couplet. A quatrain is a stanza with 4 lines in it. Shakespeare wrote sonnets in iambic pentameter. This means that each line has 10 syllables and the syllabic stress alternates. So the rhythm goes ba-DUM ba-DUM ba-DUM. The all caps letters being the syllables that are stressed. For example. The LI-on SLEEPS to-NIGHT. Sonnets also follow a Rhyme Scheme

Here it is. I'm going quatrain by  quatrain.
Q1: abab
Q2: cdcd
Q3: efef
Couplet: gg

Sonnets follow other patterns as well. The first line establishes the problem or the question of the poem while the couplet answers or resolves the issue/question. If you'd like a good example of a sonnet, I would write one by I just love Sonnet 18. There's also a wonderful sonnet by one of our own YWSers. It's What is there to say?

Well, enjoy your sonnet writing! Until next week...

XOXO,
Gravity

STORYBOOK UPDATE written by AfterTheStorm  < PM: >

Yes, it’s that time of the week again! Welcome back to another Squills Storybook Update. You know the drill: relax, sit back, and read up on what’s been going on in the Storybook tab of YWS! 

 

THE MARKED
Racking in the views and participation this week was @Judas’s new Storybook, The Marked which gained the top position in the SB “Hot Topics” board in a manner of a day (where the Marked has remained since Friday).  In fact, Judas’s SB caught on so quickly that it is already closed to the public due to the filled amount of character slots.






Judas wrote:






It is evident that the creator of “The Marked” has spent a great amount of effort and time on this SB, even going through the trouble of creating detailed marks specific to each character. I stole the chance to speak with him briefly about the popularity of his Storybook, and his creativity and dedication towards it. 



Judas: My aggressive spamming. It’s not a mystery haha. I showed [The Marked] to a lot of people.



J: It worked for me, but I knew the people I sent it to would be more or less interested. Spamming random users is never good, children of YWS.



J: Truth to be told, the planning was by no means exhaustive. I thought about the general setting and feel I wanted to give the Storybook, and rolled with that. You'd be surprised at how much stuff is actually made up on the spot, haha. As for the Marks, I adopted the time-honored GM strategy of letting the players do my work for me. I create the Marks based on their character, which minimizes a lot of the effort. As for the artistic side, I have a lot of fun doing that. The whole storybook has so far proved to be quite enjoyable.

NEVERLAND
After speaking with Judas, I clicked over to @Lylas’s SB, Neverland , that was published this past Thursday. It too, like “The Marked”, has already climbed to the top of this week’s leaderboards in discussion buzz. Lylas said: 








Within a span of three days, “Neverland” has quickly caught the attention of Storybookers. It presently contains eight characters and four pages in the Discussion Topic , where the participants are currently busy plotting. 

It’s no wonder that an interesting, open-concept storyline like “Neverland” has already grown popular, especially since its basis is the popular childhood tale.



This week’s question was, “What aspects of a Storybook cause it to hit the "Hot Topics" thread so quickly?”

@Craz said, “It's all in the details. If a Storybook is well thought out and planned by the creator then it's set up for success. That and if it's a cool idea then it'll hit the ‘Hot Topics’ pretty quick.”

@Lumi replied, “The beginning of a storybook is like everyone's favorite part of building a novel, only it's happening a dozen times at once. I'm talking about character and world creation, character dynamics, plotting, deciding who will be your friends, enemies, even love interest. It's because of that that the discussion threads are so enormously popular. It's just a cesspool of brainstorming where everyone gets to throw in their unfiltered thought thunder.”

“I think it's generally easy for them to hit hot topic,” @Avalon responded. “Generally due to the fact that a good storybook gets a lot of posts in it's DT quickly. So it would be there for a little while…” 

@megsug answered, “The people that are in it, definitely. Some people are quicker and more faithful than others, and if you get SBers who are quick and faithful they hit Hot Topics.”

“I'd say user interest,” @Reisepiecey said. “If more people notice their friends liking the topic and posting in the DT, then they're more likely to go to the topic just to check out what everyone is getting excited about. Of course things like how interesting or innovative the SB is comes into play, but, mainly, if you get the flow started people will follow.”   

And that’s a wrap! Check out next week’s Storybook Update for a humorous “Storybooking Lingo 101”, and as always: Write on!

SOCIETY PAGESwritten by ShadowVyper  < PM: >​

​Please, please, hold the applause. What, flowers, just for me? You're too kind. Watch out, darlings, Lady S is here with a fantabulous edition of Society Pages, just for you. It took me on on a perilous journey, past many notifications about who 'liked' what topic or work, but I braved it out. 

At least my digging up dirt wasn't nearly as bad as @ReisePiecey's experience of feeding a child a fruit cup then telling them Santa isn't real... or that Christmas isn't tomorrow... or something. Only fair, I suppose, since the kid made her put on pants. 

Facing trials of her own, @fortis is huddling under the blankets while listening to the zombie movie her family is watching. Stay strong, Fort! Don't let the zombies get your brains. Speaking of brains, or at least, absentmindedness, @AfterTheStorm nearly forgot that today is their "Cake Day". Be sure to give their wall some love. ;D 

@thewritersdream is facing woes of their own, as they got involved in a TV show that got cancelled. Oh, the horrors! @Auxiira is also facing horrors, as is self proclaimed in her status update about the young Frenchlings talking to her like they needed to be polite, or something (though 19 really isn't that old... *nods* As my birthday approaches I am even more convinced.)

@FatCowsSis is finally back after a much too long hiatus, though is now threatening to go die in a hole. No you don't, Cow. You're back to stay. Some things, however, have stayed for far too long-- especially on my Facebook feed. Like... the World Cup. @Craz posted a picture that pretty well sums up how those of us not following feel about the suddenly-emerging soccer fans. 

@Nate reminded all his followers that the next review day starts in a little under a week, and dropped a not-so-subtle hint that he hopes we'll all be super active and earn many new review stars! @Blues also has a lot to say about stars... at least, 'The Fault in Our Stars' as he seems to have an overwhelming need to fangirl about it. @megsug is on the verge of fangirling about SB, as she obsessively continues to refresh YWS in hopes that something new will have happened in the five seconds that have lapsed since her last refresh. 

Meanwhile, @AriaAdams has opened her doors as an YWS officiate. All it takes is 11,222 points, vows as acrostics as each others' usernames, and, debate-ably, a few souls-- and you could be on your way to the married life. @beckiw has also opened her door, literally, to @Demeter, allowing her to sit on an equally controversial couch that @Lauren2010 might or might not have slept on, which is causing much jealousy from @Meshugenah who seems to be deprived from sleeping on a comfy couch. So much drama!

Got drama of your own to share? Embarrassing moments? Be sure to keep updating your status, and you might get a visit from Lady S in the next Society Pages. Stay interesting, my friends. 

Lady S~

ASKGRUNOwritten 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've relapsed into self harming behaviors. I don't know what to do and I'm just so afraid to tell my friends. I've been trying to tell them recently and ask for help. Any suggestions on how to slowly let them know, without it being too big of a shock for them? 
-Alliseeislines

Lines,
Before I answer your question, I just want to let you know that it's okay. I'm sorry things are tough enough for you to want to hurt yourself, I know what that's like. The first thing you should do is write a list of things that have triggered the relapse. Decide which ones can be eliminated, if any, and then take care of them. Sometime seeing your thoughts on paper makes a difference. Then I would suggest rethinking telling your friends first. A parent might help more if that is an option, and they may condemn your friends if you find out you told them first. If your relationship is not strong with your parents, then maybe go to two of your close friends in person. Let them know you have these things going on and that you've relapsed. Ask them for help in this time in your life. Lastly, keep in mind that here on YWS, we support you, but the people you see face to face can sometimes make more of a difference.

Good Luck,
-Gruno

Will books take over the world?
-Hybrid Child

HB,
Sadly, no. Books will not take over the world. I really must give you a serious answer to this one. The prices of physical books in stores that sell new books has gone up. This is due to the lack of demand of books as the prices of ebooks have gone down. As a result of this inflation, more and more people are buying ebooks. Also, ebooks and online textbooks as well as devices such as computers and tablets have taken over the roles of books, textbooks, pencils and paper. I predict that within the next 50-100 years, books won't be made or sold commonly anymore. It really is a shame. I would suggest buying physical books now before prices go up too much, and then saving the ones you buy. Especially hardcovers because those will last a lifetime if you take care of them.

-Gruno

What's up with gravity? 
-Socks

My dear friend Socks,
Technically, nothing is up with gravity. Its down. And one day it will reverse so that you fall on your head through the universe on top of wherever it is we go after death. That is, if you're asking about legitimate gravity. However, if you're asking about my beauteous, talented manager @defyingravity01, (who goes by Gravity) then she is currently gorgeous, single, and ready to mingle!!! Haha, and she's going to hate me when she sees this week's edition of Squills.

-Gruno

Okay my fellow Runians! I love writing this column just as much as you all enjoy reading it. However, if you guys don't submit questions for me to answer, I will have to find another job and then Pruno will have to change his major of answering questions to asking them! Gasp! If you would like to ask more than one question, that's absolutely fine. It would also be much appreciated if you hit the like button and told your fellow YWSers about Ask Gruno, AND Squills. So, if you have a conundrum, hit this link

See you next week!

THE CODE BREAKER CHALLENGEwritten by Avalon  < PM: >

Welcome one and all to Avalon’s Code Breaker Challenge, here I provide weekly challenges that steadily grow harder though out the year. This is a weekly mind game meant to challenge those at varying ages and intellects, and make them use their head (or you know, Google.)

What’s to be expected in the challenge? Well it’ll eventually expand into mathematics such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and even division. It will also include foreign languages and proper English. Each of my puzzles have varying point rewards (points from me) that will be shown next to each code. The problems will be difficult, I can assure you, but those who keep at it and persevere will find themselves well-rewarded for their efforts.

Rules for the Code Breaker Challenge

- Teams will not be allowed. You will be required to explain or show your work when you submit your answers.
- If you do not solve a Code before next week’s edition, then your answers will not be accepted.
- There’s nothing to stop you from using Google if you wish, but the purpose of this column is to get you to use your mind to solve each puzzle. We’re watching you.
- Top scorers will be featured every week.

Top Scorers
@Auxiira: - 150 points
Unknown  - 150 points
@Lava: - 100 points


THE EASY CODE
Point Reward: 25
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently. - Henry Ford
Hint: translate backwards

THE MEDIUM CODE
Point Reward: 50
Cathy has six pairs of black gloves and six pairs of brown gloves in her drawer.  In complete darkness, how many gloves must she take from the drawer in order to be sure to get a pair that match (meaning a left-hand glove and a right-hand glove of the same color)?

THE HARD CODE 
Point Reward: 100

NEW ARRIVALSwritten by Hannah < PM: >

Shall we see what lovely writers and potential new friends have joined us this week? Remember, if any of these mini-profiles or usernames interest you, stop by their walls to welcome them to our YWS family!

@mawpah has just joined us but is already feeling the benefit of the new announcements on the People tab that let you know when someone’s earned a new review star. That is to say, in the short time that they’ve been a member of the site, they’ve already contributed 6 reviews. Stop by to say thank you and peruse their portfolio of short stories!

@dragonthief1 may not have posted any literary works or any reviews, but they’ve already jumped right in to the storybooking world! We’ve also gleaned that this brand new member really likes horses, so if you’re looking for some equestrian spice in your storybook, why not ask dragonthief1 to join?

@Eferhilda is an alpha wolf who owns a creative writing website, has made nine reviews in her time with us, and has submitted a couple of love poems for us to enjoy, the first of which is called Time . Feel like gettin’ a little sappy?

Love Doctor Who? Then you’ll love @singlerose – or at least that’s the feeling I’m getting from the gathering of fandom-minded people on this brand-new member’s wall!

@1morestupidlovesong, or +1 if you’d like, absolutely loves this website! Did you see her poem roll through the featured works section on the front page? A first poem, no less, it’s titled I Love This Website!!! . At least you know you have one thing in common with them before you comment on their wall!

THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 6/22written by megsug < PM: >
 
1, 2, 3, 4 these four links are… are… Well, these four  links are pretty dang cool, so check them out!


@niteowl stumbled upon this article about how YA wasn't for adults. Adults should be reading 'literary fiction.' She wants to know:



   



Basically everyone's agreeing that the article is full of it.


Love music? You may be surprised, but other people do too! @Gringoamericano has created a club for everyone to mingle. He only has one thing to say about it:

 

   



Join now and start talking!


@DreamWork has created a new thread in Writing Activities! Pick any picture on Google and write a poem. @MysteryMe has already participated:

 

   



Pick your picture worth maybe not a thousand words today.


@Nate has done us a solid and added more BBcode wonders.



   


Start posting your songs and videos now!

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!