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!

1. ADVENTURES IN WRITING
2. A MOD MOMENT: ECIRAHS
3. THE SITH CONVERTED: DARTH TIMMYJAKE
4. KANOME’S RANT OF MEDIA
5. NEW ARRIVALS
6. THIS WEEK’S ROUNDUP – 1/18
7. SHAMELESS PLUGS
8. SUBSCRIBERS

ADVENTURES IN WRITING PRESENTS: THE DESCRIPTION CONTESTwritten by BlueAfrica < PM: >

In the last three issues of Squills, I went over description, what to avoid and what to focus on, for both characters and setting. In keeping with the spirit of these articles, I’ve decided to host my first ever Adventures in Writing Contest. What’s the focus of this contest?

Why, description, of course!

Now is the time to experiment, to practice writing better description. For some of us, that means writing description when we normally avoid it. For others, it means cutting down on a veritable info-dump of description that tells readers every last detail of a character’s dress or bedroom. Or maybe your description is short but dull as heck. Whatever your problem is, this is the time to try fixing it!

For this contest, submit your best descriptive prose. It can be a few paragraphs of description or a scene with description woven into it. Any genre of fiction is acceptable, be it fantasy, horror, romance, or your favorite genre.

To be the best, your submission should avoid cookie-cutter descriptions and lists. Instead, show me your character or setting (or both) through the use of metaphor, the eyes of other characters, interactions between the character and setting, and/or the effects of the character’s physical appearance. Make sure to focus on important or unusual aspects of your character or setting, rather than trying to make me visualize every tiny detail. Good description will give me a good idea of a character or setting’s appearance without putting me to sleep.



The maximum word count is 1000 words. There is no minimum length requirement.

No poetry. I realize poetry uses descriptive language as well, but this is a contest for prose only.

Each contestant may submit only one entry. However, your entry does not have to be a complete story or even a complete scene! The important thing to get across is the description, so all I require is that your entry be a polished piece of writing that could be used in a story.

All submissions must be made via PM . You can publish your entry to get feedback before submitting, but make sure you PM me the link to the final draft OR the final draft itself. This makes it easier for me to keep track of who has entered. I will not consider entries that are not sent to my inbox.



Every contestant will get feedback on their submission.

First place will get 1000 points and a review on any one literary work of their choice. This includes poetry, novel chapters, and nonfiction.

Second place will get 500 points and a review on any one literary work of their choice.

Third place will get 250 points and a review on any one literary work of their choice.



That gives you a month and a half to work at writing your best-ever description! I will read and judge all entries myself, except in the event that there are so many submissions that this isn’t possible. In that case, you’ll know, because an article somewhere down the line will call for extra judges.

At any rate, the winners will be announced on March 28th, 2015. Feedback on each contestant’s submission will be sent out immediately following this, as will the points awarded to the three winners. Each winner’s chosen literary work will be reviewed within one week of the winner telling me what they would like to have reviewed.

Interested? Visit the official contest thread for contest details. Subscribe to be notified when the winners are announced!

A MOD MOMENT: ECIRAHSwritten by Omni < PM: >

I'm here to interview a moderator with a name change that seemed to jump out of nowhere, catching all of us by surprise! Her new name, @Ecirahs, confuses even more people, so I just had to try to convince people that she's a person like the rest of us and to find out her previous identity. She's been a mod for quite some time and has left a mark on YWS for years to come!



Ecirahs: ’Tis. And hello.



E: I've been a mod for a year now. I know I went moldy in December, but I'm not sure of the date. My dear darling @Auxiira changed with me, I know that for sure! I also want to say fortis (@Widdershins) and @megsug.



E: Unfortunately, I'm the worst mod to ask about modly things. Being a mod is sort of like being a big sister for everyone that isn't green yet. You have to be aware of the image you put out on the forums - set good examples, be a person that other people can come to for help. I definitely swear less now. Or at least I try to. The only hard part for me is consistency. I take way too many impromptu breaks from the site, and that's not good for keeping up with the times. But mostly it's just fun. YWS has always been fun.



E: I'm on Storybook crew! Mainly I just try to keep my face in the forum. If I'm not actively participating then I just patrol and make sure that no one's being too wild in their SBs. But, of course, my main job is SB cheerleader. Check out the forum! It's great!



E: Hopefully GM status, all five blue stars, a few completed novels, and wearing a crown. Joking about the crown, but I think I can achieve all that other stuff in five years.



E: Outside of YWS, I'm actually a hooligan. I party a lot and I work. If I'm not doing those two things, then I'm reading or feeding squirrels or being a hippie in the park. Sometimes all at once. I can say that being a mod has made me cockier, because I put this stuff on my resume and my boss loves me for it.



E: Hannah Montana.

A.K.A. ReisePiecey.



E: No problem, babe! Any time.

This has been a mod moment with the Storybook mod, Ecirahs! As you can see, she's a normal person with normal ambitions, problems, and goals, just like the rest of us. Stay tuned for more Mod Moments, and if you want to make a suggestion for the next Mod Moment, come leave a post on the wall of the Squills Fan Club . If you haven't subscribed to this club, what are you waiting for?

THE SITH CONVERTED: DARTH TIMMYJAKE

written by AstralHunter < PM: >

No matter where you dwell on YWS, you must have seen his name at least once before. He mostly writes reviews (after all, he has earned each of his golden and blue stars already), but his friendliness and excellent advice extends beyond that to the Welcome Mat and Chat. He has even dabbled in storybooking and poetry!

@TimmyJake is without a doubt YWS' Best Overall Member - a title officially bestowed upon him by BigBrother himself. Despite this, how many of us have actually met the person, and not the icon? I decided to interview Timmy to get to know him better, and though it took several attempts, I eventually managed to get an interview with him.



TimmyJake: Heyyyyy, James.



TJ: I am ready for ya. Shoot da questions.



TJ: When I first joined YWS, I had some terrible picture of myself blown up and blurry. I didn't like that, so I just looked through the avatars YWS had. I liked Stupendous Man (who doesn't, right?), and he became my avatar. Now, I just can't get rid of him. Calvin has been my avvie for probably a year now. You can always find some different facial expression to choose. xD



TJ: Sometimes it's annoying, but most of the time I really enjoy it. With Therese and I, it's almost a competition to see who can do the most in a day. And while my parents don't appreciate us spending the entire day on YWS (hullo, Saturday/Sunday), they're surprisingly supportive about YWS. Which is nice.



TJ: Oh my. You mean her obsession with guns? Nah, not really. To tell you the truth, I am not the best shot with anything but a shotgun shooting clay pigeons. I'm a wimp with shooting guns, and always manage to flinch. (BlueAfrica is my mother. She is sort of nice, and lets us misbehave all we want. Dun tell her I said that!)



TJ: Allow me to let you in on a little secret. I don't. I am on YWS in the week from 6-7 in the morning, and sometimes in the evening, as well. I work during the day almost every day all day (I get punished for being a workaholic by a friend of mine. You dun wanna know what she does), so I just have to squeeze in as much time for things as I can. Writing is late at night, instead of reading or watching movies (ugh). And things like running have been slacking for a long while. But they do say you always make time for what's important. And YWS falls close to the top of that list. It's important for more reasons than just posting works to be reviewed and reviewing.



TJ: I suppose all I do is just put time aside. If I am on YWS, I am reviewing - even if I have a gazillion people on chat. And reviewing a lot isn't about reviewing a lot every day, but a consistent number every week. I try to review twice a day, if I can. Once in the morning, once at night. And while it is hard, reviewing has helped my writing even more than receiving them in many ways. The biggest has been that I have found how to channel my thoughts into words better. And so I make time for it (because, you know, I want to be a writer when I "grow up").



TJ: So there is a story behind that, and while I don't know who started me writing that, I do remember why it began. A while back, I had the same avvie I have now (Stupendous Man), but with a black cape instead of the red. People started calling me a Sith Lord, and "Darth Timmy". So, I used it one time for a sign off, and I received a couple of funny comments on it. What can I say? The name stuck. One of the few things which gives my reviews the Timmy stamp. Heehee.



TJ: So, Kickstart. I had the idea of that challenge when reviewing was at its slowest last year (sometime early fall, I believe). At the time, there was another contest run by some friends of mine, so I decided to wait until theirs was finished. Of all the contests I had ever seen, all of them had something the contestant had to do besides the reviewing. Posting in threads, building forums - whatever the case. And that was the reason why I never joined any. After reviewing slowed down in November, I knew I wanted to make it a go. So I set it up, figured out how I would be doing it without giving any more work to the contestants than reviewing, and contacted a few well-known reviewers/moderators to ask for judging help, and brought it in for January. Sort of something to kick-start the new year's reviewing. It even helped my reviewing, since I was slowing down.



TJ: I am very impressed with the contestants, and especially with those I had never seen before as reviewers. They're writing quite a few reviews per week, and yet they're still quality reviews - which is just as important as quantity. I am very happy with the progress. While I don't know if Kickstart is the reason for more reviewing in January than last month, I think it has helped reviewers get back into the game bit.



TJ: Initially, I felt as though I was walking on clouds. I don't remember how many people I talked to the day I found out, but I was gushing to everyone that I had been voted Best Overall Member this year. And I feel so honored, like I have achieved something great. And I think that should be considered as an accomplishment? I don't know. It just makes me very happy, and I feel honored (have I said that already?)



TJ: It feels like: O.0



TJ: LEAVE ME ALONE. Just kidding. I love my friends, and they're all so special to me. That's the biggest reason I still hang around this site. Because no matter how many pieces I post or reviews I write, you people here are what makes it my second home. (I have fans?)



TJ: Thank you for this interview, James. I really enjoyed talking with you today. I've always been a huge fan of yours, you know. (Who isn't?)



A more pleasant person you'll be hard pressed to meet. If you haven't tracked Timmy down on chat yet, you're missing out on a great conversation. (And if you're one of those stalker types, you can subscribe to the We Stalk TimmyJake! club .)

For those of you who are interested in improving your reviewing, keep an eye on the Kickstart Reviewing Challenge club ; while it may be too late to enter the competition, there is always the chance it may be hosted next year as well. Nevertheless, you don't have to wait for next year to start reviewing - you don't get stars by sitting around and waiting for the grass to grow!

KANOME’S RANT OF MEDIA

Written by Kanome < PM: >

Hello, Kanome here with a new media review for the members of YWS. I started playing Dragon Age 2 recently, and I thought the game was very interesting. The story plot on the game was hard to follow at first, but once I kept on playing, I began to understand the story little by little. This game involves character customization, skills and abilities, plus your own way to battle.

This story is about you, the main character of the story, working your way up to become the Champion for your people in order to defeat the evil called Darkspawn.



I liked this game because of its story timeframe and the way the game was set up. You can basically be anything, from a Defender (Warrior Class) to an Archer (Rogue Class) to even a Healer (Mage Class). When you level up, you can choose the skills and abilities you want, making you’re the ultimate champion.

Right here is your skill tree for a warrior.



For the Warrior class, for example, you can be Berserker, Reaver, or Templar. It all depends on your battle play on the game.

Basically, this game is based on skill, which is the kind of game I usually play and enjoy. So if you are the type of person who enjoys these kinds of games like I do, then I would highly recommend you play this game. It’s really fun.

If there’s a specific movie, TV show, book, or video game you want me to try out and review, simply PM me.

Also, in a week or two, the next update of The Fault in our Stars will be posted, so be on the lookout for that.

I bid you adieu.

NEW ARRIVALS
written by BlueAfrica < PM: >

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

@Jacob42 is looking for a co-writer for a realistic novel set in a women’s prison in the U.S. Check out their post in the forums and let them know if you’re interested .

@ehobby has already earned her first review star. Head over to her wall to congratulate her .

@AustereMelodies has put her name in the Name in a Hat thread for finding writing partners, so add your name to the hat if you’re interested in partnering with her .

THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 1/18 written by megsug < PM: >

Hark! Four links come this way! What I wouldn’t give to see what secrets they held!


@Rosendorn has written a fantastic, detailed article about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and how to create a realistic character with it. Dissecting and explaining many of the symptoms, the best starting point in developing a character with PTSD is this:







Rosendorn encourages any writers who wish to attempt this to do their own research to get the facts right out of respect for those who do suffer from PTSD. Read it for some sources to start with and some nice base information.


Yes, you heard correctly. YWS is holding submissions for its fourth literary magazine in the next few months. @Nate explains what’s accepted:







Those who get published will also receive a free copy of the journal. Nate also needs editors. More information on submissions and how to apply as an editor is on the thread.


@WillowCutz has created a club dedicated to a silly little game that focuses on blaming other people. Basically, users respond to wall posts with the reasoning behind an action and accuse the next person to post of doing something. So far we’ve had some soul stealing occurring. The last post ended with:







…It’s not my fault! Why did you do it?


Revived after a long rest, a thread has been revived that allows users to rate each other’s first paragraphs, giving reasons why. Since first paragraphs are such important parts of a writer’s project but such pains to write, this is a great resource. The paragraph awaiting judgment is:






Share your paragraph knowledge and get some tips in return.

SHAMELESS PLUGS

written by SquillsBot < PM: >

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SUBSCRIBERS

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