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. 15 in 15?
2. Adventures in Writing
3. Ask Gruno
4. New Arrivals
5. The Week's Roundup-2/8
6. Subscribers

FIFTEEN IN FIFTEEN?written by Skydreamer < PM: >


You've probably seen the hashtag #15in15 around the site about a million times, or at least a couple of times since January. If you have, and you're wondering, like I was, "what on earth is it about?" then don't worry. We're here to clear the air!

Also, if you already know about the hashtag, don't stop reading! There will be updates on how it's going for people and quotes, so support the fellow #15ers! Hehe.

First of all, it was created by @niteowl and posted through @BigBrother, towards the end of 2014. This is the link to the official article.

The goal is to







So that's it! The point of the hashtag is to write, and let me say from experience that it does help you write! It's also really fun because, whenever you share the hashtag along with what you were writing, you are encouraging others to write as well. Thus, you are doing a service to yourself and helping other people at the same time! Resolution goals: check! One of my favorite parts about #15in15 is that the challenge allows us to see everyday forms of writing, as they are, a chance to write.

Writing isn't only in poetry or novels, but it can also be in typical or otherwise essential forms, like writing a complaint to HP, as @Sunshine1113 did.






Or completing class assignments, like @ShadowVyper's creative writing on oriental food (yum!).






And @Auxiira's glorious mountains of homework.






There are many simple everyday ways to write. Maybe writing recipes, or writing down your dream, or decorating your house with words, it's significant because it's writing. No matter how long or short and no matter what it's for.

Moving on, here are a few more popular ways people #15in15-ed based on the hashtags. Storybook (SB) post writing or plotting, novel writing or plotting, lots and lots of poetry.

Final quote: The Extension Vote by @Lauren2010.






So that is why, despite the fact that we are in February, #15in15 will continue, for it is what the people want!

If you're interested in growing as a writer, this is highly helpful and recommended. Have fun with it, and be sure to click on a hashtag to view what others are going through!

ADVENTURES IN WRITINGwritten by BlueAfrica < PM: >

I’m breaking with the three-tip format for one week, so hold on tight and pay attention. The last couple of weeks, I’ve focused on character revision. I gave you some tips for focusing on characters who are particularly problematic. But what about when your characters turn out too generic? Sometimes it can be difficult to create characters who are interesting, who are unique, who defy stereotypes.

I could come up with three tips for fixing this problem, but I’m focusing on one this week. To illustrate the point, I’m going to use a true story.

A man came into the meat department and asked my manager to mark down a standing rib roast that was outdated. My manager said yes, of course. The roast still looked nice. Selling it for half its original price was better than throwing it away.

A few weeks later, the man returned for more groceries and showed us photos of what he had made with the roast. He described in detail, and with a great deal of enthusiasm, the herbs and spices he’d used to season it, the way he’d cooked it, and the vegetables he’d made to go with it. Now, I am no chef, but those photos looked like something off Food Network.

My manager asked this man if he was a chef. The man said, “I’m an auto mechanic.”

It turns out that he just likes creating new recipes. Sort of an artistic endeavor. You’d never guess it by looking at him; he looks like an auto mechanic.

He became infinitely more interesting, because his job and his hobby clashed with each other. That isn’t to say that an auto mechanic can’t be an amazing cook in his spare time, but most of us wouldn’t expect the guy changing the oil in our car to go home and create restaurant-quality meals.

Therein lies my point for the week. It can be tempting to make characters whose interests, occupations, and hobbies gel together in a way that “makes sense,” but if you want to write characters who don’t tread stereotypical waters, this is one simple way to do it. People are not black and white. They’re layered and full of surprises.

Don’t believe me? Here are some other real life examples:

• The friend who loves anime and comic books but also dances ballroom and competes in dance competitions.


See what I mean? In television shows, comic book-loving characters are usually designated to extreme levels of geekiness. Think “Big Bang Theory.” Which I love, but let’s face it: the four main men love comic books, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Star Trek, Renaissance Faires, and all things physics. There’s nothing wrong with this, but if all comic book-loving characters in the history of fiction are extremely geeky in all ways, then there’s not much room for difference, is there?

Mixing things up can make your characters more memorable to readers and more fun for you to write. Consider a comic book-loving character who’s really athletic, or a shy and bookish girl who loves heavy metal.

So if readers are telling you that a character is generic or too stereotypical, try changing things up. Give your character a trait or interest that “doesn’t go with” the rest of her personality, and see what happens!

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. 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 Holinesses,
What do you think makes up the best writing and for what reasons do you think these things make up the best writing? Do you know of any one writer who has all of the things?
-The Question


Dear Q,
The best writing is measured in this: the writer who can write with the most soul. While grammar, structure, story, plotline, literary elements and character development are all essential things, the biggest asset a writer can have is passion. Take Cassandra Clare for example, the author of the mortal instruments series. She has so many awkward sentences, punctuation errors, POV switches that get confusing, too many characters and paragraphs that aren't really indented properly yet she's selling so many books. She's a crappy writer, but as you read the story you can see how much she loves the world she created. You can tell she had fun writing those books and she's passionate about her writing.

-Gruno

PS. Cassandra Clare fans, please don't maim me in my sleep.

Dear Gruno m'boy,
Pruno here, giving you an update on how things are going on my end. I've been living the good life actually. I stopped doing anything at all and am spending my days sipping Martini's on a pool beside my Aston Martin. Unfortunately I've been incarcerated for hypo-drug possession. I was framed. I swear.
These guys just won't believe I'm innocent. Telling me my get-up is pretty dodgy as it is. What should I do to convince them of my innocence?

-Pruno

Dear Pruno,
I was wondering where you went. Not that I called the cops on you or anything. Seriously, check my phone records. Just not the house phone.

As for your incarceration, I think the best way to convince them of your innocence is to scheme up a way in which someone would buy and possess drugs, then apologize profusely. Then, to show them you are an honest person about doing your time in jail (you know, the whole "I'm willing to take my punishment" thing) you should donate all of your estate to your beloved cousin. Moi.

Love ya!

-Gruno

Dear most amazing people to have ever walked the face of the earth,
Do you get upset when you don't receive any questions?

-Pruno and Gruno fan

Dear P&G fan,
Yes. In fact, it upsets me so much that I've been seeing a therapist for it. I live to answer your questions and it has caused me deep psychological trauma to go week after week without questions to answer.



-Gruno

GRUNO'S UN-LAME VALENTINE'S DAY EXTRAVAGANZA

Okay. To conclude this week's edition of Ask Gruno, I'm making a special announcement. Next week, in honor of the worst day of the entire year that has plagued and haunted me since the day I was born I'm doing a Valentine's Day Extravaganza. Come to me with your questions about love and relationships. This can be any kind of love, parents, sibling, boyfriends, girlfriends etc. (or hate, if you wish). I will answer any and all questions on this topic for next week's edition. So ask away!

NEW ARRIVALS
written by BlueAfrica < PM: >

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

@JKHatt has already earned his first review star. Go to his wall to congratulate him .

@LeonineLisbeth has written a poem called Wolves of the midnight. Take a look and leave a review .

THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 2/8written by megsug < PM: >

Bookbinding, beneficial reading, banners, oh my!


@Widdershins has created a great tutorial (with pictures!) to teach people how to bind their own books. She gives alternatives to the specific tools needed and makes it vague enough for you to follow with almost any material you wish to use. I’m considering using it as she suggests in the end:







Read the tutorial now and bind your own book!


The Storybook Crew has come up with a great way for avid or not so avid SBers to stay up to date with the monthly goings on. Whether it’s the hottest storybooks of the month or which SBer you should watch out for, this newsletter has everything you need. It even announces challenges like this one:







Check it out and subscribe if you want to stay informed on what’s going on in the SB forum.

@CaptainSaltWater has created a contest for all of the banner makers that may or may not be out there. The idea is simple. Make a banner or choose one you’ve made previously and submit it. The prizes are pretty nice:






Deadline is February 20th! Get to those digital masterpieces of yours!


@TheArchon wanted to know if reading manga was beneficial or not. The replies have been split between answers like @AttackOfTheFlash ‘s:






and the idea that reading doesn’t always have to be beneficial. You really just have to like what you’re reading.

SUBSCRIBERS

written by SquillsBot < PM: >

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