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. Storybook Update
2. Two Cents: Senses
3. Ask Gruno
5. New Arrivals
6. This Week's Roundup - 11/30
7. Subscribers

STORYBOOK UPDATE written by AfterTheStorm < PM: >



Ah, hello there. Welcome to “A Handbook for All Your First Time Storybook Start-up Needs if You’re Feeling Any Bit of Uncertainty,” or (for short) A.H.A.Y.F.T.S.B.S.U.N.Y.F.A.B.U. Chapter one contains a few brief tips from professional Storybookers around the globe, giving you inside information to the workings of their wonderful SB talents.



It is highly important to keep in mind that a Storybook is a group effort, and that requires good communication between the other writers working on your SB.

“There's one main tip, for me, which is to talk and interact with everyone you're doing the SB with,” the Great and Powerful Aux (@Auxiira) stressed. “We're all pretty chill, and really like to have chats about character interaction and plot development and the whatnot.”

@omniclysm, who’s running Pure Zenith said, “My tip is communicate and be respectful of both the storybook and the other people in the storybook. Storybooks die, and a lot don't even get off the ground, and that's alright. It's painful sometimes, but it's something that's going to happen. However, you'll make a great family in the Storybook forum and don't be afraid to make risks! It'll be worth it!”

Setting up a Discussion Thread in Storybook world is key for a successful SB; it gives your participants a chance to get hyped up and plot. Don’t be afraid to send out a Private Message to everyone involved in your Storybook. This helps them feel included about important issues and also up-to-date.



@Alvarin the Currently Very Busy said, “I think the most important thing to keep in mind for a first time SBer is to make the character/-s as easy to interact with as possible. That way you're guaranteed a fun experience as other SBers will want your characters to interact. Make sure that the character isn't too set in stone and rigid, because then the other SBers will have problems dealing with it. Oh, and by ‘easy to interact with’ I don't necessarily mean a chirpy character that talks to everyone, but rather that you should avoid characters that only want to stay cooped up in their rooms all the time or just resents everyone (and isn't able to hide it).

“Oh, and two more things. Make sure your character isn't perfect, 'cause the imperfections are fun to play around with, and try not to make your character too extravagantly special. Special is good, but a purple-haired, red-eyed, sword-wielding supermodel with the world's most beautiful singing voice is way too much for most SBs... Even though I'm sure it'd make for a great anime.”

The characters are the backbone of a Storybook!



“Be thorough with your preparation; make sure you have a plan and you're ready to answer any questions someone might have about setting, history, or whatever,” @reisepiecey the Not-So-Peanut-Butter-Cup said. She’s in charge of the current SB, The Team.

@Rydia stated, "Start with a solid theme which people can relate to or recognise. This can be anything from pirates trying to recover their stolen treasure to a family dealing with the loss of a loved one. It will help attract people to join your storybook and will give everyone a direction to set out in. If we know the world and have an initial goal, we know what we're doing in our first post and won't be afraid to jump in and create some action."

As a closing thought, @Craz, presently running Griffin High School for the Gifted, said, “I'd suggest for them to join a few SBs to learn the ropes before they decide to make one on their own. That way they won't feel overwhelmed when they find something and don't know how to go about it. Secondly I would recommend for someone new to the Storybook forums to find a veteran bumping around in the SBs and ask them to "shadow" their first storybook, kind of like how the Buddy System works.”

Good luck with your Storybooking endeavors, all you ambitious newbies, and keep an eye out for Chapter Two of A.H.A.Y.F.T.S.B.S.U.N.Y.F.A.B.U. As always: Write on!

TWO CENTS: SENSESwritten by Aley < PM: >

When you close your eyes in a fresh room that's quiet enough to ignore everything else, and decide that touch is overrated, with nothing on your tongue to taste, what are you left with? What senses can we stimulate? Our eyes are shut, but is it really dark, or is there still light seeping through? The room smells fresh, but what does fresh smell like? There's nothing on our tongue, but perhaps what we smell has some taste to it, and what is being tugged by gravity? What touches are we ignoring?

This week's column is about the senses we have, and how to go farther with them in our writing. To start with a challenge, I'd like you to delve into your memory and try to activate your sense of smell. The way we're going to do this is by something simple. Have you ever been outside of your home for a long time, or away from a friend for a while, and when you walk into their room, or your friend's house, it smells like them. I've had this experience a lot since my family doesn't use fragranced cleaners, so when I go to a friend's house, it smells a lot like what they use.

This challenge is to recall a time when you've left the house and come back to a smell that you didn't realize was there before you left. It could be for any reason, either you were just gone that long, or something changed by the time you got back. Free write either half to a full page about that smell. When you're done, scratch out all of the things that are either, not words that describe scents, things that are explaining the situation, or things which get off-track.

Our sense of smell is probably the least utilized in today's entertainment business. Television stimulates our sight playing on our sense of color, perception, and loads of facial and positional details. It also stimulates our audible senses as well, as we listen to the intonations of the actor's voices, and the background noises of the tracks. It even plays music which stimulates our emotional response to audible art to combine with the visual art of moving pictures.

All that leaves out is smell, taste, and touch, but touch can be a very visual thing since textures can be used to convey if something is smooth, rough, hot, cold, and so on. We can even live vicariously through the actors as they experience touching something. While this may be true for taste and smell as well, it is much harder to determine what something tastes like by how it looks, and since smell is not related to our visual or audible senses, it is even harder to determine that. The most we have is the reactions to smells on set.

As writers we do not nearly have the same range of senses to stimulate. We have black and white on a page. This can be its own benefit because in contrast to movies, we only have words, and words can describe anything. In essence, if you can tell someone about something, then you can write it, and I bet you that in your free write you did manage to get down some sort of smell that you tried to convey. While we might have to use references, like "it smelled like pancakes" or "it smelled like a gym locker room" we all know these smells. There's nothing more or less challenging about saying "the stack of pancakes" and it "smelled like pancakes" so utilizing this feature of the written word is the difference between being a movie director and a director through the life of another, through all of the senses.

Try the challenge again, and this time, you know that noise you've been hearing the whole time you've been reading? Or the mouse you've had your hand on as you scroll? Describe that. Close your eyes and study it, then write!

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 4 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!

Dear Amazing Mystery,
I've always wondered if the world was going to come up with better transportation than a plane, what do you think will be the next big invention?
-Princess

Dear Princess,
That’s actually a very interesting theory. I think the next big invention transportation wise is definitely going to be teleportation. Either that or time travel (which, interestingly enough IS mathematically possible, just not physically possible, apparently.) I think as far as inventions in general, phones are going to change a lot. I could definitely see holographic phones becoming a thing. I also heard about a really expensive video game system that sucks you in and makes you feel like you’re actually in the game.
-Gruno

Dear Gruno,
I've been struggling with keeping up with my lamps. Somehow they manage to end up outside my window sill in the morning when I go to sleep every night. I've tried every method to keep them in, even chains and iron bolts. Do you have any advice?
-Lady Hinada

Dear LH,
Unfortunately I have that same problem! One thing I have been wanting to do, but have not been able to afford, is using silver bolts rather than iron. I mean, it works on werewolves…
-Gruno

I have not been receiving a lot of questions lately which is depressing. I live to solve your conundrums so, I hope you all have a fabulously green week! If you'd like to ask me a question, just click this link

NEW ARRIVALS
written by BlueAfrica < PM: >

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

@Josie98 joined YWS just before Thanksgiving. She hasn’t posted any of her own literary works yet, but she’s already left two reviews and is eager to learn more about the site. Head over to her wall and welcome her .

@ChummyJinx has completed three reviews and posted a chapter of a fantasy novel called The Tomken House, currently in the Green Room. Go review it right out of there .

@hartmanr is a friendly young lady from the U.S. of A. Hop over to her wall and say hi .

THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 11/30 written by megsug < PM: >

I’m thankful for my family and food and shelter and… four links!


@TimmyJake wants to know the skinny on reviewing poetry, and some people have obliged him. Poet and veteran reviewer of poetry, @SparkToFlame, has two nice tips for the beginner:







Anyone else completely stumped by the thought of reviewing poetry should read through this thread and then click through the suggested links within the thread.


@AriaAdams has started up a sweet thread where users mention and thank other YWSers who have done great reviewing feats. @ShadowVyper has a great thank you:







Give a shout out to the people who type their fingers to the bone for you!


@Moneypwnzb has an idea where scenes are covered multiple times in the perspectives of different characters. He wanted to know any tips about not getting too repetitive and if the technique was even doable. @Rosey20%Unicorn has some nice thoughts about it all:







If you want to know a little more about how to successfully pull of multiple perspectives or have your own two cents to throw in, click the link!


Last year @AfterTheStorm created a thread in Randomosity . Basically, the gist of it someone poses a question like @Zhia has here:






The next person to respond answers it and poses another similar question! Go goof off with it today!

SUBSCRIBERS

written by SquillsBot < PM: >

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