z

Young Writers Society


Squills 06/07/15 - 06/14//15



User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:25 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



Image

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!

CREATIVE STAFF


Spoiler! :
Editor-in-Chief
BlueAfrica

General Editors
Gravity
megsug

Friendly Neighborhood Robot
SquillsBot

Literary Reporter
AstralHunter

Community Reporter
Available - PM SquillsBot if interested

Resources Reporter
Pretzelsing

Storybook Reporter
Kanome

Poetry Enchantress
Aley

Quibbles Columnist
Lavvie

Link Cowgirl
megsug

The Adventurer
BlueAfrica

Social Correspondent
Available - PM SquillsBot if interested

Associates of Pruno and Gruno
Blackwood
Gravity

Media Critic
Kanome

Code Master
Available - PM SquillsBot if interested

General Reporters
AstralHunter
Omni
Skydreamer


Past Editors-in-Chief
GriffinKeeper
AlfredSymon
Iggy
Hannah
ShadowVyper


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!





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0




User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:27 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



THREE’S A CROWD: THE MAY 2015 REVIEW DAY
Image
written by BlueAfrica < PM: >

May saw an intense Review Day, the likes of which YWS has not seen for some time. Rather than the usual two teams, YWSers could join one of three teams: the Wizards, the Sassy Ladybugs, or team Why. The Sassy Ladybugs flew on ahead for much of Review Day, but team Why surpassed them in the midst of the reviewing frenzy.

The Ladybugs made a comeback, but not for long. The Wizards, far behind their opponents, rallied their forces, surpassed team Why and then overtook the Ladybugs to win the day with 179 reviews for 20,165 points. Congratulations, Wizards!

While we did not quite reach this month’s goal of 550 reviews, May saw the most reviews of any Review Day since November 2014. Participants completed a total of 544 reviews for more than 55,000 points. Additionally, all but one literary work in the Green Room were driven back to the dark literary forums from whence they came. Here’s what some participants had to say about the experience.

@wisegirl22, of the winning team Wizards, at one point found herself reviewing alone for her team. It was a challenge, but that didn’t get her down! She enjoyed



helping out all those authors with the works and seeing the teamwork. I've been hearing too much from the teachers of my school...



She suggests that readers check out @TheSilentBagpipe’s poem Ireland Calls Me Home .

This month’s top reviewer and typer was @speakerskat, of team Why. They say,



I loved reading so many different poems! Such raw talent and giving my advice so that I can see people improve even more was the best part. It's exciting to see how I can influence other writers in a positive way. [M]y arms got so sore... I wanted my next star, which I am 6 reviews away from as of right now. Pretty sweet. It was neck and neck between the teams and I guess keeping my spot in first was really amazing and I am very proud I didn’t give up and could do so much for Team Why.



speakerskat’s favorite literary works this Review Day were Just Some Things I Wanted to Say by @TigerLilly37, as well as a lot of TigerLilly37’s other pieces, and The Sounds of Harmonies by @IncohesiveScribbles

@Meandbooks feels that



this Review Day was a lot more engaging than others. Each time I logged on, the teams had all switched places. There was a lot of surging ahead and then falling back, and that made it a very interesting day. [However,] I was sad I didn't have anything written to post for this Review Day. It's always fun when people review your stuff. I also wish I had been able to help a bit more towards the end.



Between upcoming exams and family time, Meandbooks felt that she could not set any personal goals for this Review Day, as she didn’t know how much time she would have to participate. However, May gave her a personal challenge in reviewing poetry.



The ones I reviewed mostly just had issues with flow and word choice. When I gave suggestions to fix those, I was trying to figure out how do it so the author wouldn't feel like I was arbitrarily re-writing their piece.



Similarly,



I did review a fairly long novel chapter, and I'm proud of my review on that. I was worried it was too harsh, but the author's response was positive, so I think I struck a good balance there.



Meandbooks particularly liked Dappled I: Flame and Glow by @RoyalHighness. She says,



It's a very pretty poem about the joy the narrator takes in living, despite challenges, all framed by a series of delightful metaphors.



@ChiravianSkies enjoyed the friendly competition of the Review Day.



Three review teams really upped the stakes, and made us all try harder. (It doesn't help that I'm an extremely competitive person.)



However, her least favorite part was



all the short reviews by people hungry for points. If people would just spend more time on their reviews, everybody would get more points, and the author would get far more help. All parties involved would benefit if people stopped being lazy with their reviews.



Nonetheless, she acknowledges that writing long reviews can be challenging.



There were so many Novel chapters around, it was really hard to pick one that I could actually give some insight on. (Not to mention that there were followers of a good many of those novels, and I should probably leave them the work.) So, I had a hard time choosing what I should actually review.



ChiravianSkies suggests Coldware -- Chapter One , by @Sherri (16+) to our readers. She says,



It's a story that I've been following for a while. It's a really cool idea, and I love all the characters in it and all their personalities to go with it. It's got a lot of "older" themes to them, but I hope nobody's bothered by them.



@Rydia, of team Why, was the second top typer for this month. She enjoyed a friendly competition with @RyuCevenost, of the Sassy Ladybugs, who was the fourth top reviewer and fifth top typer. Rydia bantered with him about



how he needed to take a break or go walk his dog so my team could do some catching up. It's always more fun when there's some friendly competition between teams. [But] I'm actually a pretty competitive person and even though I didn't set out to win and felt like I'd done enough, it was still really hard watching the other team pull ahead of us. In the past I might have stayed up all night reviewing to stop that happening, but I have work in the morning these days!



@Sunset101 found it challenging to



review something that was so well written it didn't need much advice. I would have to find something else to critique on it for my review. Writing someone a review and giving them advice made me feel really proud and got me to feel that I had really accomplished something.



It wasn’t only seasoned YWSers who kicked butt this May! IncohesiveScribbles, of the Sassy Ladybugs, has only been a member for a month and a half, but he dove right into the May Review Day and completed twenty-three reviews. He says,



This was my first review day, so I don't have much to compare it to. However, if I had to choose my favorite part, it would be reaching my second star and reading so much amazing literature. I think one of great things on review day is how many amazing works get exposed through just clicking on something you might not have otherwise.



He’s not kidding! Here’s an entire list of works that stood out to IncohesiveScribbles this Review Day:

Doing It @floatingvoice (18+)
Cherry Blossom. (1st part of prologue) @eray20 (16+)
The Elephant Service @Bellator
My Best Friend Is Gay @lakegirls

@Wolfie36 was a proud first-time Review Day Captain this May. She says,



It was just exhilarating to be one of the leaders of such an important thing like Review Day, and it was definitely an extra incentive to review more works. We lost, so I guess that was disappointing. But more than anything, I was really proud of my fellow Whyians for fighting so hard there at the end. We just couldn’t override the power of magic.



Her favorite literary works were @Widdershins' Wool of the Prince-- Prologue and Chapter 1 , now complete with sixty chapters, and @Wolfare1’s Syrin: Essential Fire - Chapter 1.

Congratulations once again to all participants! Be sure to keep an eye out for the June Review Day. Let’s make it even better than May’s!





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:28 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



QUIBBLES
Sashaying with Split Infinitives
Image
written by Lavvie < PM: >

I am a stickler for tradition. The British monarchy still exists, plum pudding is a Christmas staple, YWS should always be blue, and the Oxford Comma is necessary for society to function. Perhaps this is why I find grammar – a set of universal structural rules accepted by pretty much everyone – such an appealing subject to read and write about. There is nothing that is very debatable. Even when it comes to the ever controversial Oxford Comma, one really can’t go wrong if they say, “Well, look, take this example: Barack Obama, a dog-trainer, and a murderer sat at the table. Without the Oxford Comma, things change: Barack Obama, a dog-trainer and a murderer sat at the table.” Then, you win the conversation because your point has been made, it is valid, and there’s really no good reason to get rid of the comma.

Grammar exists to be conserved. Or so I think. Most of the time.

Yet, I now declare that it is time to boldly go where no man has gone before – at least according to the timeless Star Trek – and question one particular rule: split infinitives.

First, what is an infinitive? An infinitive is the form of the verb with the word to preceding. For example: to run, to eat, to insult, to shake. A split infinitive is when a word (usually an adverb) is placed between the word to and the root verb. For example, the line from Star Trek that I quoted above contains the split infinitive to boldly go. The word boldly is the adverb used to split the infinitive marker to and the root verb go.

Where the rule condemning split infinitives originated from remains unclear, but as English comes from Germanic origins, it’s important to note that infinitives in languages like German, are one word. Thus, purists tend to argue that although an English infinitive – for example, to go – looks like two words, it is in fact acting as one. But English is not German and therefore our rules differ.

What it really comes down to is our responsibility as writers to ensure that our readers can do their thing as easily as possible. It is our responsibility to make sure that things are clear and readable. So, there are times when splitting infinitives just might not be the best idea.

Fiona tried to quickly and effortlessly tidy her room by shoving everything under the bed.

Here, it’s understandable what Fiona is doing and how she is doing it, but it’s not written in the clearest way possible. Not only is this an example of Fiona’s extreme laziness and lack of forethought (cleaning will be much worse later on), but it also shows when a split infinitive might be wrong. Let’s fix this:

Fiona tried to tidy her room quickly and effortlessly by shoving everything under the bed.

However, what happens when Bruno leaves the house?

Bruno always planned to leave promptly the house at three before his mother returned to an empty refrigerator.

Yuck. I don’t even get this.

Bruno always planned promptly to leave the house at three before his mother returned to an empty refrigerator.

Gross. Awkward.

Bruno always planned to leave the house promptly at three before his mother returned to an empty refrigerator.

This works, but the adverb is a bit too far from the infinitive which hinders clarity and readability.

Bruno always planned to promptly leave the house at three before his mother returned to an empty refrigerator.

Yes! This is the best option because we are informed early on of how Bruno intends to the leave house – promptly with the intent to send his mother into bankruptcy.

Overall, it is important to be aware that splitting infinitives might confuse the reader a bit and therefore one must be cautious. However, religiously following such a grammatical rule can limit creativity and other important aspects of the written word, including flow, tone, and atmosphere. Have no fear to disrupt age-old traditions while maintaining respect for them when the time calls for it. Ultimately, what comes first is reader’s ease and writer’s responsibility to write clearly and purposefully.





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:29 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



TWO CENTS: IMAGERY CHALLENGES
Image
written by Aley < PM: >

In novels and short stories, imagery is not considered a thing so much as setting is, but in poetry, imagery is our setting. In a lot of ways the things that improve imagery for poets, improve setting for novels and short stories, short stories especially. When I'm reading a story, I want to be able to imagine the visuals that are presented. I want to see, smell, hear, feel, taste, and even fly in the story if that's what's going on. I don't want flat imagery, however, I don't want imagery that's overwhelming either. So how do we balance?

Some poems don't. Some poems are just about the image, the place, the time, the single second. Take Haiku as a prime example of this. When you're writing a haiku, you're writing for just one second in time. That's what you're attempting to get across in a short section, just a few words per line, two ideas juxtaposing to create a unison of the single flow of that second. That is the art of haiku which most people don't get to because they're focused on how many syllables are in the line and does it have a season and deal with nature. While these are important for the structure of poetry, creating the imagery with just a few words is really what Haiku is about. It's a challenge.

Accepting that challenge will not only make you a better writer, but it will make you a better observer as well. Relationships are huge in imagery because if we can describe someone in fewer words, it's going to be by connecting that person with a common previous knowledge. One way we can do that is to describe people like other people. "Tony looks like Michael Jackson, but without the pigment loss," or we can describe them without being nice: "She looked like a typical old hag, hunch back, no teeth, and too little hair." You get to old hag, and you know basically everything you need to know, but that added definition of old hag, makes you see it as the fairy tale old hag instead of an old hag from some modern definition.

If we can do that with people, how can we do that with places, a forest, a sky, a cloud? These are the challenges that a haiku presents to us. If we want them to smell, see, hear, feel, taste, and touch everything we experience in that second, we have to be able to categorize and understand how other people categorize these things we experience. The best way to do that? Try it out! Talk to people about how they describe something, ask them to describe people, ask them what to call a gate of someone walking, or the hair style, and then use your words to the best of your ability.

overgrown deer trail
cricket drying summer dew
campfire bear explodes

Consider the above poem, and advance it. Put it to the next level, then write a three line poem for yourself. My challenge to you is to avoid using determiners (a, an, the), prepositions (of, around, above), and limit your verbs to one per line if that. Mostly, create noun phrases (Adjectives nouns adjectives) but you can have the occasional verb phrase if you need one. The goal is to describe one thing that you're really experiencing in one line, and two things you're not. The reason?

Imagery is connected directly with a imagination. If we are attempting to create something someone else has never experience or felt or seen before, we have to be able to imagine it ourselves. As always, the best lie is the one with a kernel of truth, so putting something you know very well in with two things you don't know that well, will help create a solid foundation.

Here are some helpful hints for how to do this challenge. First, don't try to be nice. Don't go out of your way to call names and be mean, but don't avoid saying crass, rude, or even bad things. This is writing, and writing is life. If a story didn't have anything bad or negative or rude in it, then it wouldn't be much of a conflict. Instead, own up to what you feel because other people will remember those negative things too, just use it artfully to create an image that's vivid and bold.

If you're taking this challenge for a short story, work on creating a short story within three paragraphs that has a vivid setting. Don't play with characters so much as getting a story across with mostly setting. I challenge you to make your only character the setting.

A helpful hint for you is that you can do this by giving the setting life, personifying it, and developing a story with what is left behind, out, around, or broken. Instead of coming in on the action, come in right after it, when no one is there and record the ghost time. These are exercises that I hope you will repeat to better develop your craft of limiting your words to create a vivid setting.

I'd love to see the results!





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:30 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



ADVENTURES IN WRITING
Image
written by BlueAfrica < PM: >

I think about dialogue a lot. This is probably because I think a lot about what people say in real life: a fourth grader using an oddly mature phrase like “nice place you’ve got here,” for example; a customer who responds to the usual “how are you today” with “peachy” or “dandy” rather than “fine”; a friend who regularly drops words like “audacity” into everyday conversation. Anyway, recently I’ve been thinking about ways to give characters distinct voices, so that they stand apart from each other and come alive the way real people do. With that in mind, here are three things to play around with when writing dialogue.

Diction and colloquialisms. As you may remember from this article a while back, diction is word choice. Diction affects your dialogue because the words your characters characterize them and distinguish the dialogue of one character from that of another.

For example, let’s look at a piece of dialogue that we’ve examined before…

“Hi. How are you?”
“Good. What about you?”
“Fine.”
“That’s good.”

Right now, this dialogue--aside from being incredibly dull--tells us nothing about either of these characters except that a) they both engage in the usual polite nothings common to retail workers and their customers and b) they’re both doing fine today. It’s the kind of generic dialogue that could be spoken by anyone. Without tags, we can’t tell these characters apart.

But what happens if we change a few of the words?

“Hey, what’s up?”
“I’m all right. How are you?”
“Just peachy.”
“That’s good.”

(I love it when customers use the word “peachy.”)

Of course, as this is still a polite nothing and I did nothing to change the meaning of the words, it’s lackluster. However, you could play around with this piece of dialogue to make it far more interesting. For example, as Character A starts off with “what’s up,” Character B has two basic options right out of the gate: he can respond with the standard answers of “nothing much” or “I’m all right,” or he can respond with a smart-alecky answer like “the sky,” “airplanes,” or “stocks in Microsoft.” Depending on what answer he chooses and how Character A responds, the conversation could go in an entirely different direction.

So if readers tell you that your dialogue is wooden, or if they have trouble telling your characters apart, play around with diction--not only basic vocabulary (such as “fine” versus “peachy”), but colloquialisms as well.

Colloquialisms are informal expressions, generally associated with a regional dialect. For example, I grew up in Michigan. Here are some things you might hear me say.

Let’s blow this popsicle stand. (Meaning, “let’s leave.”)
Geez-o-petes. (Politer version of “oh my God.”)
Do a Michigan left. (Meaning, take a right and then do a u-turn to go left.)
You guys. (Michigan equivalent of “y’all,” gender neutral.)
Pop. (Referring to carbonated beverages like Coca-Cola.)


Colloquialisms add color to your character’s dialogue, hint at her origins, and give some insight into her personality. Someone with strong ties to home and family is more likely to use colloquialisms than someone who has tried to separate herself from her place of origin, as is someone with a laidback personality or who works in a creative or informal environment.

Hyperbole or understatement. The use of overstatement or understatement in dialogue can distinguish and characterize by showing how characters react differently to the same events. Consider, for example, the way Elizabeth Bennet’s parents react to her refusal of Mr. Collins’ marriage proposal. Mr. Bennet, entreated by his wife to persuade Lizzy to accept the proposal, instead tells his daughter, in his usual manner,



An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents.--Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.



(Pride & Prejudice, p.97)


Mrs. Bennet is far more dramatic, as her overactive “nerves” cause a meltdown at every perceived misfortune.



Aye, there she comes, looking as unconcerned as may be, and caring no more for us than if we were at York, provided she can have her own way.--But I tell you what, Miss Lizzy, if you take it into your head to go on refusing every offer of marriage in this way, you will never get a husband at all--and I am sure I do not know who is to maintain you when your father is dead. I shall not be able to keep you--and so I warn you. I have done with you from this very day. I told you in the library, you know, that I should never speak to you again, and you will find me as good as my word. I have no pleasure in talking to undutiful children. Not that I have much pleasure indeed in talking to anybody. People who suffer as I do from nervous complaints can have no great inclination for talking. Nobody can tell what I suffer!--But it is always so. Those who do not complain are never pitied.



(Pride & Prejudice, p.99)


This is fairly typical of the Bennet parents’ dialogue. When Mr. Bennet speaks, he limits himself to short, reserved, generally sarcastic remarks that make light of most situations. Mrs. Bennet, beset by her “nervous complaint,” overreacts to more or less everything. Within a few lines of dialogue at the start of Pride & Prejudice, you already have a good idea of Mrs. Bennet’s excitement over everything and Mr. Bennet’s excitement over nothing. Of course, most of your characters won’t be so extreme, but using hyperbole and understatement in different characters’ speech, at least now and then, can tell readers a lot about the way these characters handle things--not to mention adding comic relief.

Length and frequency of speech. Sentence structure and the amount of dialogue a character has also characterizes him, particularly when we see his dialogue in comparison to that of the other characters. In “Mad Max,” for example, the titular character speaks very little. Often, his “dialogue” consists of grunts or monosyllables. This is because he is accustomed to being alone and is, as the title suggests, mentally unbalanced due to a traumatic past and the memories that have haunted him ever since.

For an example contrasting two characters, take a look at this exchange from The Book Man.

______“Can I help you?”
“Brought these for you, lad. They tried to fly off and tour the E.U., but I caught ‘em.”
______“Thank you.”
“Figured they might be important, but you ran off so fast there wasn’t time to give them to you. And I’ve been busy as a bee all afternoon. The children love their balloons. As it turns out, I’ve got a couple extra left, if you want to take your pick.”
______“My pick? My pick of what?”

Notice that the first speaker keeps his speech short and careful. He has an average of four words per line, primarily polite phrases that get the job done without revealing much about him. This might suggest that he is reserved, or perhaps merely uninterested in the other character (the way you’d treat a door-to-door salesman or a telemarketer, unless you’re a prankster). The second speaker, however, is more talkative, open, and friendly.

Of course, diction can’t be entirely separated from this. If the first speaker’s opening line was “Get off my lawn!” instead of “Can I help you?” you’d form a much different opinion of him. Still, sentence length and structure can tell you a lot. Here’s a slightly later exchange between the same two characters.

______“Thank you. Er. I don’t suppose you’d care for a drink?”
“Told the wife I’d meet her for dinner. Another time.”
______“Right. Yes. All right. Er—”
“Why don’t you come along? Unless, of course, you’ve got big birthday plans.”
______“I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“I’m not one to let my fellow man spend his birthday alone. Come on.”

Although the first speaker’s lines get a little longer and the second’s a little shorter, it’s still clear who is who. The second speaker tends to drop pronouns, while the first speaker is more precise and generally avoids fragmented speech. Once again, diction comes into play as well. While the first exchange might lead readers to think that the first speaker is reserved or uninterested, the invitation for drinks in the second exchange suggests rather that he is shy or socially awkward.

The best thing to do to check for distinct character voices is just what I have done in the example above: Take the dialogue from a scene, paste it in a new document, and remove all tags and other indicators. Can you still tell who is speaking, or do the lines all sound the same? Better yet, have a friend read the dialogue for you. Even if she hasn’t read the story, she should be able to tell the characters apart by their speech. If she thinks all the dialogue sounds the same, it’s time to revisit the tips above and think about how your characters would talk if they were real people.





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:31 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



SUMMER FUN
Image
written by Pretzelsing < PM: >

Summer is in the air, and the flowers and gardens are blooming (or at least starting to.) Now that it’s the beginning of June, school's out for some of us, and others are still there. Regardless, I caught a few members this week to chat about their summer plans. Welcome @DeeDemesne, @CaylleenTheElf, @Theodorable, and @AdrianMoon to this special, exclusive Squills interview!

My first person, @DeeDemesne, is recommending a series of books to read and check out this summer (I know that I definitely will borrow this from my library).

Squills: What types of books do you enjoy reading the most in the summer months in your free time?


DeeDemesne: Generally, I'm excessively distracted during the summer, although with nothing productive. When I do read, however, I prefer High Fantasy or Sci-Fi. I'll likely be distracted this summer, as well, as I possess a novel in-progress.

S: If you could only reread or read one series of books for the whole summer, which would they be?


DD: Why would you do this to me? But definitely the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series by George R.R. Martin. I'm currently within the process of reading 'A Game of Thrones'. I enjoy the High Fantasy setting, as it seems relatively original, and simply the drama and intrigue that composes it.

@CaylleenTheElf tells us about a yearly trip that she takes, and what she does to occupy herself during those boring solitary hours of summer. She actually has a whole list of her personal hobbies.



Writing, reading, crafting (getting more and more into the crafting part), various things like that. Perhaps the trip to my grandparents I take every year [will be the highlight of my summer], though a few friends and I are planning to get a hotel on the beach, which should be quite fun!



I had this really nice and long conversation with @Theodorable about her summer and what she will be up to during it. There were some major changes for her this year.

Squills: What are your outside activities that you enjoy doing, now that the warm weather is here?


Theodorable: Well, I enjoy taking walks outside. Getting fresh air is great. I also have bbqs with friends. Now that I'm moving to the city I'll have lots of reasons to go outside.

S: What do you think will be the highlight of your whole summer?


T: Hmm, probably the party that my roommate and I throw after we move into our new apartment. We've been planning it for a couple of weeks now.

S: Are you planning to go on any vacations/camps/trips?


T: Not at the moment. I just accepted a job today, so I don't think I'll be going on a vacation anytime soon. But I do have a friend that is planning on taking a vacation to visit me in a month or so.

S: Oh, is this a summer job, or just a normal job? What will you be doing?


T: It's a full time office assistant position. I'll be helping the company to transition to a more technology friendly workplace. I will also be the head of the purchasing department, as well as a customer service rep. It's sort of a jack-of-all-trades position. I'm really excited about it.

Lastly I want to report to you some Q&A with @AdrianMoon,(about writing and reading, a common love that YWSers share).

Squills: Alright then (first question to kick it off), what are your thoughts/feelings about this upcoming summer?


AdrianMoon: This is going to be a long one for me, but it's going to be fun. The feelings I have towards it is stressed and giddy.

S: What is the thing that you always look forward to doing in the summer, after those cold winter months?


AM: I look forward to waking up early in the mornings, when it is still light out, and going outside. I couldn't do that in winter.

S: Ohh, that sounds fun. What about Silence is Silver, your novel. Is that a work in progress and are you planning to do anything with that during your summer free time?


AM: I plan to be writing a lot for SiS and a lot of other projects I have going on. I'm actually taking notes and collecting on what I want to happen with my characters' lives.

S: Oh, OK. I hope that you rediscover some of them and actually learn the name and rules. If you could only read one series of books for this whole summer, what would they be?


AM: Ooh, that's a tough one. I'd say The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan, just because I've had all the books on my shelf for a while and haven't been able to read them. (I've heard they're not as good as the original series, though.)

Well, thank you to all participants who were in this, and I really appreciate you answering the questions that I asked you. But ha, you were included in Squills this week! That’s all of our summer plans interview. I hope that you enjoyed it!





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:31 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



CLUB COVERAGE
Image
written by megsug < PM: >

YWS clubs are a great place for users to mingle with others that share common interests. Whether it’s writing, a video game, or something else, there’s probably a club for it. I’ll be giving you a peek into some of the clubs that have been more active in the last few weeks.

Scribbles Fan Club is a club for users following @Messenger and @Sunshine1113 blog, Scribbles . In the forums, users can submit questions and work they would like to appear in the blog. Not to mention you’ll get updates about new posts and changes dealing with the blog.

Sims: THE YWS EDITION is getting active again after a few months of dormancy. The concept is that “families” are formed from YWS users that sign up and throughout a month gifts, reviews, and friendship are exchanged. The sign up for June has already come to an end, but if there’s enough interest, a sign up for July will probably be in the works.

Probably the most active club right now, The Writer Tournaments is centered around friendly competition involving a bracket system. Users can sign up for tournaments that involve a variety of prompts and go head to head with another member. People then vote on the best piece of the two. Tournaments usually focus around a certain theme, each round having a different prompt related to the main theme. Right now members can vote on the Haunted Tournament Finals . Users can also sign up for the Realistic Fantasy Tournament . Get in on the competition today!

Go take a peek at the clubs, and see if one intrigues you. It could be that you’ll make a few good friends as you explore the communities there.





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:32 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



SOCIETY PAGES
Image
written by ShadowVyper < PM: >

Guess who's back?
Back again
Shady's back
Tell a friend

Now everyone report to the dance floor...

Er... to the newsletter, because at long last it's time for another Society Pages. Just when you'd thought you'd gotten rid of me, here I am, bringing you the latest stories with the most inaccurate interesting details. So, without further ado, I give you this week's Society Pages...

@ChipsMcCoy is twerking with glee because they finished their last exam for the semester! Whoo! @Tenyo is also through with finals, intending to chisel their fingers until they taste like freedom. Meanwhile, @Auxiira is rocking the finals brain as she lets her crazy show to everyone who writes with her, and the very first Lady S, @StellaThomas, has finished one of her final medical exams. @Deanie is posting inspirational quotes on her wall, for all of you poor students still suffering through finals. Take heart! The end is near!

One of last year's YWS Hunger Games tributes, @retrodisco666, has published a new poem after a long silence, and @MaheenYasmeen22 has started a new blog that he'd like people to follow. Meanwhile @GeeLyria is showcasing her mad photography skills.

@anniegirl123, @AnonymousPerson, and @EmmaKi just earned their first review stars, @sagnik and @JoytheBrave their second stars, and @WaltzingDreams, @TheSilentBagpipe, and @Firebird their third stars, and @CaptainSaltwater his fourth star. Meanwhile @Savvy is getting real on their wall, confessing their fear of spiders in yellow houses, and @LittleFox finds security in her adorable snake Meridia.

@Arkhaion's cat has weird sleeping habits. Or is making her have weird sleeping patterns. Or something. Maybe it's because of @Lylas' soul eating voice. Or @CorruptedRoseJen's obsession with tormenting people. Or @SnazzyPencil's adoration of Shel Silverstein's poetry... or @Honeybadger23's narration on Sylvester Stallone's eyebrows. (o).(O)

Meanwhile @Falconer is learning the woes of leaving your notifications unmanned for a while and @Blackwood is taking it as an opportunity to lament becoming an old YWSer who no one loves anymore, :'( Suck it up, Blackie. Such is life. Go write an article like our EIC commanded. as well as try to get notifications by spamming people. @BlueAfrica shows a particular apathy towards his spam, while @Lumi claims to be unfollowing him until the spamming ceases.

@Amareth is staying out of the spamming drama, offering a link to a fantastic website that helps with World Building instead, even as @Birkhoff is showcasing a list of advice on "How to Write Good" on his wall, and @Mew2x is looking for advice on how tense to make his first-person MC... or whether to make it presently tense or formerly tense... or possibly whether he should use present tense or past tense. Maybe you should talk to @ashtheawesome12401, who is offering writing advice.

In the real-life realm, @Noelle's friend just got engaged (yay!), @steampowered gets to go to a museum, @Meandbooks is going to a week-long family reunion, and @Zhia is spending a week at the beach. @KingLucifer decided to share some of his favorite music, causing @ShadowVyper to fall in love with Voltaire. The musician, not the philosopher. And @ForgottenMemories was taking pizza selfies with her pepperoni... er, papa.

That's all for this week, folks! Be sure to keep YWS informed of your lives via status updates, and you just might be featured in the next edition of Society Pages.

xoxo
~Lady S





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:33 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



NEW ARRIVALS
Image
written by BlueAfrica < PM: >

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

@Neverland has earned their first review star! Head over to their wall to congratulate them .

@glade has posted the first chapter of an action/adventure novel about a con artist. Click here to read it and leave a review .

So far, @anniegirl123 has completed fourteen reviews! Check out her portfolio to return the favor .



Other members who haven't had a chance to be as active, but are no less a member of our family are...



@sagehugh@wish123@accounts@gonewiththewrite@SarahRenee@loulou@maumau@jessicawoo@grace832@Dovaz@TheJoker@Neverland@007kartik@shibaji@randomkid101@Inkonpaperink@Ayushivaid@glade@MoniqueSkyeAngles@samillapie@viclemore@21gmu@GSum@candycoatedArtist@LordofLit101@Kimaya@elfen1012@naval48@merbe@silence0please@bmthdina@Sillivus@Roxanne1000@bf050997@soslin@dogblues@lovelyanna@WishUponAStar@chxz@AGolibar@MoniqueSkyeAngles18 • @john111 • @AbTheCrab@lordpistachio@WolfyAwesome@FaithMarie@anniegirl123@willymanswagshire@Fellandrial@MLanders@Naturesweetie@MoniqueSkyeAngles23 • @Prakash@BallisLife@carsonstauffer@rberchiatti@lburkeen12@awaldron155@evansoccer2@THAT1HOBO@silas14@bizzlebabe@Curlyizzy@Itwin2@RoninGrey@alinakhan@KittiJenny@twistedracer01@dittoslash@ajorgboyan484@Lauryn2128@wolfman@bibhuti26@blurryface@Truancy@deparisi@Tallon45@Gibbs95@SunshineGriffith@Snowfire@EvelynMason@rattlesnakechris@Noxhiemis@MaddieKoppers • @nischarlareddy26 • @eliu451@Hazza1995@PaytonS@EmJWilde@MusicalMickJagger@AUTHORPINK15@jumpingsheep@Allirine@dreamsdestined590 • @MusicalTheaterGirl17 • @BEWriter@EvilTeddy@sarahmward16@crazecl1p@xMorganKesterFan69x@haleyc@Unicornus@crhodgesx3@ETEstrellado15@anjebelle@Anjan@nehaagraval@isabel19@DamienCyfer@alimurtaza105@luv2022@KendraCardoza@haru@Angeline3@EscapingHumanity@TheWildWinds@SmugImpala@Leumas@OneSitsAlone@Vocaloid • @GraceKB • @LexiiSummer@amakwaly@20tousey@Thoolika@livehigh@TabHarriett@raevynstar • @EmmaKi • @Primrose93@mkultra98@LostAgony@Nancy@Arooj@SofiaxSmiles@SinfullyGorgeous@KNSawesome@DollPartBaby@CourtneyHughes@BlueRose14@Lazarus89@carpow@thabiso@AUTHORPINK11@HannibalsClarice@thelonelybug@TheStoryTeller@Tom535810@RosalieNoble@metamechanics@Becauseapples@TheCreationist





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:34 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



RESOURCES RELAY 6/07
Image
written by Pretzelsing < PM: >

Welcome to the second week of Resources Relay here at Squills. I have brought to your attention some various links that I have picked up. I also noticed that traffic is slow in the Will Review for Food section so I would just like to direct your attention there, as many reviewers and ready and eager to review some of your posted works.Here’s what we have for this week:

1.How would they act?

@Redbox275 is asking what the society in his story would do and how they would react to a killer and death. That’s because someone abducted them and one person will die each night . . .

@Griffinkeeper replies like this:



When a group of people are threatened, they form into groups for protection. They do it for tigers and sharks, and they'll do it for a murderer.”



If you want to help this story develop,please click on the link and help this fellow writer.

2.How should I write a Resources post?

If you are clueless where to start and how to do it, @AriaAdams posted a very helpful article of tips on doing this last year. She emphasizes in her first point to actually read the question. Here is something that you should do to help you stay focused on that:



“Not a bad method is to copy the question into your post, and delete parts of it as you answer them. It keeps it easily readable for the asker, and helps you focus c:



If you want to read all six points then check out her thread topic in the Knowledge Base section or click on the link above.

3.Help on creating characters

@TheArchon is writing Pokemon fanfic; their characters seems very cliche and uninteresting in the beginning (they says this themselves).They are struggling to write their characters, and they are very open to any advice.

@Aley says some very valuable advice, that applies to every character:


Characters need a balance of good and bad, no matter who they are. People feel a lot of things, so saying that a character is just going to be "cool and collected" is sort of like denying half of your character exists.



So if you know some things about character development and would like to share them with someone, I suggest that you help @TheArchon in their thread.

4. FM is ready to review

The currently featured member @Lavvie has just recently reopened her thread for requests for reviews. She really enjoys grammar(after all-she is our Quibbles Columnist) and so she asks of everyone:



Please proof-read. I love grammar and spelling too much to witness it at the guillotine and it will make me cry.



So remember to do that before you post a link and request in her thread. Step right up!

Anyways, that it all for this week’s Resources Relay, and I hope that you act like a helpful member of our community and help fellow writers that are in that need, and glean some wisdom yourself in the process. Have a great week and see you next time!





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:35 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 6/7
Image
written by megsug < PM: >

It has come down to four links. A thread of pictures, a discussion about technology, a silly questionnaire, and a place to share music. The decision is yours. Which will you explore?


@TriSARAHtops was reading this article , and it raised some questions about how important technology is in writing. She wants to know:



Is having technology in fiction something you notice? Do you despise it? To how much of an extent should it be present?




What do you think?


A thread for song dedications has been revived recently. You basically just name a song and say who you’re dedicating it to. Sometimes people dedicate songs to actual users. At other times like in @Zolen’s case, the people he’s dedicating his song to aren’t even real.







Dedicate a song to someone special now!


@Big Brother is just asking a few questions about some of the last things you did. Reading through the answers has been amusing. @Dutiful has some interesting answers:



The last thing you ate?: Lemon Rice

The last thing you drank?: Water

The last thing you read offline? (could range from the ingredients of a shampoo bottle to War and Peace): A pamphlet about a miraculous cure to baldness

The last song you heard? (could include what song you're listening to right now): One of them bollywood songs yo

The last show you watched?: Doctor Who

The last video game you played?: Does 2048 count?

The last app you opened on your phone?: 2048




So, what was the last thing you read? Was it more interesting than a miraculous cure to baldness.


@dragonlily has decided to share some beautiful pictures she has taken. By a river, around her house, or just random subjects, she demonstrates some real talent. I think my favorite picture is:



Spoiler! :
Image



Go check out her art!





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:35 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



SHAMELESS PLUGS
Image

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!


And now for this week's Shameless Plugs!



Squills: Now Hiring



Image


Details about the hiring process and available positions can be found by clicking on the image above.




That's all folks~ Now send us yours.





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:37 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



SUBSCRIBERS
Image

written by SquillsBot < PM: >

Find enspoiler-ed a list of our subscribers!

Spoiler! :
@SquillsBot@Carina@ShadowVyper@ArcticMonkey@Hannah@KingLucifer • @Holofernes • @VeerenVKS • @megsug@StoneHeart@Skydreamer • @Amareth • @Aley@Rydia@Alpha@skorlir@KnightTeen • @AriaAdams • @neko@Aquila90@DudeMcGuy@kayfortnight@Cole@Blackwood@manisha • @Widdershins • @HighTop • @cgirl1118@KittyCatMeow • @Strange • @ChocoCookie@carbonCore@Auxiira@Iggy@Blues@Paracosm@Sparkle@FireFox@Dakushau • @AlexSushiDog • @wizkid515@yubbies21@PiesAreSquared@FatCowsSis@CelticaNoir@BenFranks@TimmyJake@whitewolfpuppy@WallFlower@Magenta@BrittanyNicole@GoldFlame@Messenger@ThereseCricket@TriSARAHtops • @buggiedude2340• @AdrianMoon • @WillowPaw1@Laure@TakeThatYouFiend@dragonlily@Cheetah@NicoleBri@Pompadour@Zontafer@QueenOfWords@Crimsona • @DeeDemesne • @vluvswriting@GreenTulip@Audy@EllaBliss@Isha@Deanie@lostthought@CesareBorgia@Omni@Morrigan@AfterTheStorm • @AstralHunter • @Autumns • @Wolfie36 • @Pamplemousse • @ReisePiecey • @gia2505 • @BiscuitsBatchAvoy • @Zhia • @Noelle • @Lylas • @Tortwag • @kingofeli • @Wolfare1 • @malachitear@GeeLyria • @KatyaElefant • @Clickduncake • @CaptainSaltWater • @Seraphinaxx • @pretzelsing • @WritingWolf@EternalRain@Tuesday@Dragongirl@JKHatt@Lucia@donizback • @Falconer • @Sunset101 • @ArtStyx • @IncohesiveScribbles


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!








Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing.
— Bernard Malamud