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. Spotlight Interview
2. NaRevWriMo:What's the Scoop?
3. Advenures in Writing
4. Finding Your Joy!
5. New Arrivals
6. The Weekly Roundup
7. Shameless Plugs
8. Subscribers

SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEWwritten by Elysium < PM: >

Hello everyone! Elysium your community reporter here. I interviewed @fortis about her recent literary work Never Forget in Literary Spotlight. This poem is about Patriot's Day and she commemorates it by writing this. Here is a part of the poem for you.





Personally, I love the use of the figurative language and how it just depicts a thought in your mind.



fortis: I mean, poems that have to do with a specific day tend to get more attention. It's the seasonal nature of things.



f: Definitely not.



f: I think Patriot Day is significant to all America. It marked a turning point in National policy and security. Also a lot of people's lives were affected. And it's one of those things that can bring tears to my eyes no matter how many times I've seen the footage

Thanks for reading this edition of Squills!

NAREVWRIMO: WHAT’S THE SCOOP?written by BlueAfrica < PM: >

We are halfway through the month of September, and NaRevWriMo participants are going strong. In the lead is @RagingLive, who, sitting in at 53 reviews, has already won! (No doubt this is why she’s this week’s Featured Member !) Following not too far behind - more than likely to reach their fifty by the end of the month - are @steampowered (39 reviews), @artybirdy (36 reviews), @Dracula (28 reviews), and @tigeraye (25 reviews).

Not surprisingly, three of these same reviews top the Team Tortoise charts. This is the leaderboard for those reviewers who write a review every day of the month. Users are kicked off the Team Tortoise leaderboard once they go more than 48 hours without posting a review. Leading Team Tortoise are RagingLive, steampowered, and tigeraye, but there are eleven other participants plugging away at daily reviews as well! Keep up the good work, @racket, @Lightsong, @TheSilverFox, @Falconer, @IronSpark, @fortis, @Meandbooks, @ChiravianSkies, @CandyWizard, @SpiritedWolfe, @Rydia, and @PenguinAttack!

Click here to see where you fall in the RevMo stats !

ADVENTURES IN WRITINGwritten by BlueAfrica < PM: >

Last week, as the final article in my series on types of character relationships, I talked about antagonists. That probably made you think of evil villains: dark lords, bullies, cruel relatives, that snobby kid who is sure she’s going to get the lead in the musical your character is trying out for.

However, other characters are not the only antagonists a character can face! Here are three basic types of antagonists you can use in your story. They aren’t the only types, but they’re the ones most commonly discussed in literature classes and a good starting point for toying around with multiple antagonists.

Man vs. man. This is arguably the most common kind of conflict in fiction, particularly fantasy - the aforementioned “evil villain” kind of antagonist. Man versus man means your character faces a tangible adversary, another character. This character could be outright evil or simply standing in the way of something your protagonist wants.

An example with both kinds of adversaries is Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden. Hatsumomo, the only geisha living in the okiya when Chiyo first arrives, is an open adversary who blackmails Chiyo, hits her, and spreads rumors and tells lies about her. However, Nobu Toshikazu could also be considered an antagonist. While he and the grown Chiyo--now called Sayuri--become friends, he unwittingly stands in the way of her goal: to win the heart of his business partner, Chairman Iwamura Ken. By desiring Sayuri himself, Nobu assures that the Chairman will never return her love, even if he knew she loved him and secretly loved her in return. So although Nobu is her friend, he is also an adversary that she must defeat to achieve her goal.

Man vs. nature. I would also call this “man vs. circumstances.” In school, teachers typically like to focus on actual nature: that is to say, survival stories wherein a person or group of people fights natural disasters or the elements - a hurricane, an erupting volcano, a harsh winter. Examples of stories with man vs. nature include Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead-George, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, and Life of Pi by Yann Martel.

However, I would say that “man vs. nature” includes circumstances not related to natural disasters or the elements. For example, your character might be facing bankruptcy; there is no tangible “villain” in the story, but the character is fighting her circumstances. Gone with the Wind has a lot of this type of antagonism as Scarlett fights tooth and nail to make enough money to ensure her security and the security of her family and her family’s plantation.

Of course, Scarlett also finds herself constantly breaking societal rules to make ends meet, which falls under the heading of man vs. society. This is a lesser-discussed antagonistic relationship wherein the protagonist upsets the societal norms of the world she lives in.

Man vs. self. This tends to be most common in literary fiction, which focuses more on character than plot, but it makes appearances in other genres as well. Man vs. self involves a character struggling with something within himself: a trait, a fear, a tragedy, or some sort of mental issue. Stories where characters overcome depression, deal with losses, or try to make a change in their own lives but aren’t sure they can do so use man vs. self.

Usually, one type of antagonism will dominate, but the addition of other types to lesser degrees can deepen a story. Let’s look back at Gone with the Wind as an example. Most of the novel shows Scarlett trying to survive throughout and in the aftermath of the Civil War, fighting the faceless circumstantial forces of poverty, war, higher taxes, scarcity of food and clothing, siege, and evacuation (man vs. nature). However, some of these forces are personified in specific characters, as when Jonas Wilkerson has the taxes raised on Tara so he can buy it out at an auction (man vs. man). To survive, Scarlett flouts most of the accepted societal practices. She abandons the niceties of Southern gentility and “unsexes” herself to rub shoulders with men in the world of business, earning the disapproval and dislike of her neighbors (man vs. society). Although she feels she is doing what she must, she experiences a twinge of conscience whenever she remembers her beloved mother and realizes she is nothing like her, even though she always hoped to be (man vs. self). The combination of different types of antagonism gives the story more life – and makes it more realistic. After all, we rarely face only one type of antagonism at a time in real life.

Here’s your homework for this week. First, figure out what the major conflict is in your story. Perhaps it’s a basic man vs. man situation – the protagonist against an evil overlord, a bully, or a competitor in a sporting event. Then consider what other kinds of antagonism come into play as the protagonist tries to overcome this main conflict. Does he question his decisions, his worth, his leadership abilities, his basic personality? Can he defeat the villain only by doing something that goes against the norms of society? (This could trouble both him and the neighbors and thus become both man vs. self and man vs. society). How does the setting affect this conflict? Maybe a storm, a fire, or an ongoing war hinder the protagonist’s ability to overcome the main conflict. Play around with different ways of combining multiple types of antagonism, and see how it can improve your story!

FINDING YOUR JOY!written by Skydreamer < PM: >

'There are ups and downs in life', is an obvious statement and an often used quote. But it's true! There are a lot of problems in life, and what we see as problems, and what we let affect us. Without good friends and family, sometimes life would be a lot worse. What if, all those problems we deal with didn't really matter? What if they were nothing to us? What if, maybe, we didn't hold our happiness to the circumstances in our life, but we were just happy, because we were alive? What if we were happy because other people (those who aren't are friends, those who we don't even know) were happy? What would life be like if we completely let go of what we can't control, and let what was meant to happen, or willed to happen, or whatever happens, to happen.

Joy is like happiness times 10, in the times when you wouldn't normally be happy. Or when you just have no reason to be happy at all. Joy is unprovoked usually, yes, we can call it, but there are times when joy comes naturally. It comes when we're with people we love, when we're listening to amazing music, and when we notice the beauty of a sunny day and blue skies. When we see these things, automatically our body is filled with joy. It's unwarranted, it's just a burst through our soul of: happiness, contentment, peace, comfort, and other such feels. When you look at a sunrise, and your soul is on fire, that's joy. And joy should be ever present in our lives, it shouldn't only come in moments like that, but in a lot of other moments.

These days, like the weirdo I am, I tend to just burst into a dance. (xD) Yep, I just start dancing not caring what people think, because I'm alive and happy, and free! We often let social norms keep us from doing things that make us happy, don't! Let's realize this life is significant, every moment is a moment we're losing, so let's make the most of it. (We should be careful to know what real happiness is though! Doing risky things, isn't happiness it's just a rush.) That said, let's break out of the fear of what people will think of us, as long as we know we're doing what's right, we should be free to do it. And I must admit, I still do care what people think, I still do follow social norm. However, I allow myself this one freedom, to dance in public, on my way to the trains going home. And people don't really care. Some look at me for a few seconds, and then mind their own business. Sometimes I laugh thinking they think I'm crazy or whatever, or their stero-typing me. But it makes me laugh! And that laughter produces joy, the dancing itself produces joy, and the laughter even more so.

Also, the music aids in all of this. For me, the best way to build my mood up, is to have good music. That's why often, I have positive and fun music to jam to all the day long. Yep, if I'm not talking to someone, I usually have my earphones on and I'm listening to some beautiful and fun, or insightful, or melodious music. It builds my mood, and keeps me positive and eventually, joyful. I have to add that being concious of your life, the importance of it, and the freedom you actually have is very helpful to being joyful. You have to know how fortunate you are.

There are people who are desperately fighting to find a semblence of the type of (economic, and secure) life that you have. They're trying to get a glimpse of the 'going to supermarket to buy food' or the 'going to bed in a soft bed' or the 'having a house to go to' or the 'having good food', 'having entertainment', 'having trivial problems like forgetting your phone'. There are people who are risking their lives for this. So it's good to realize it's significance. We are all blessed. And I think it's about time, we were happy about it. We can't change the problems in our life, we can only remain hopeful (believing for better) remain joyful, and remain loving, caring about those around us. That is actually the only way the world can really change, because if we're all busy worrying about our personal issues, how would we look out and impact the world around us?

I challenge you all this week, to aim to see the world joyfully, and in order to do that, be free. Enjoy the little things. Be happy about what makes you happy. Don't stress (it won't fix anything). And think about the bigger picture. (Or your bigger picture? Your 'dream' for the world.)

Have a great week! Peace!

NEW ARRIVALS
written by BlueAfrica < PM: >

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

@TheFantasy14 has earned their first review star! Head over to their wall to congratulate them .

Stop by @Deskro’s post in the Welcome Mat to welcome him to the site .

@One has posted the first two chapters of a mystery/suspense novel called The Ripper? Who Is That? Hit up their portfolio to read it .

THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 9/13written by megsug < PM: >

Here ye, here yee, gather one and gather all. The people have spoken and so it will be. This week's round up...


@Buggiedude2340 is writing a children's book for a program at her library. She's posted a thread in preparation for the pages she draws. The summary sounds pretty awesome:







I'm already subscribed, so I know when I can start seeing pretty pictures. You should subscribe too!


Do large age gaps between friends or romantic relations have to be creepy and weird? The answer so far seems to be it depends. The older the two individuals are, the less creepy it gets. However, thirty year olds dating seventeen year olds is pretty sketch. Not only could you weigh in on this discussion, you could learn little nuggets of information like this one from @Zolen:






What do you think? Can people of two very different ages be in a relationship whether it is romantic or not without it being weird?


@Storygirl95 wants to know how people go about the process of coming up with names because she's really struggling with two characters right now. Many users suggested a placeholder name and random name generators. One has even suggested not naming them at all. I like @FerranWright's suggestion:







How do you find names when a character just won't cooperate?


@Pompadour is creating a thread for all of the leftover imagery they has after editing a poem. I like what they put there. Like this example:







They invited whoever to drop some of their own bits and pieces of imagery down, but they'd also accept any advice anyone had on how to pull imagery off.

SHAMELESS PLUGS

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