Young Writers Society

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Well, that’s all I have for now. So, what are you waiting for? Enjoy!

1. LAST ‘N’ LAST
2. HOW TO SURVIVE CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S
3. ADVENTURES IN WRITING
4. QUIBBLES: EGGING ON EMPHASIS
5. NEW ARRIVALS
6. THIS WEEK’S ROUNDUP - 12/20
7. SHAMELESS PLUGS
8. SUBSCRIBERS

LAST ‘N' LASTwritten by Pretzelstick < PM: >

Heya everyone who reads Squills! As you know, this is our last week of posting Squills in 2015, and … you guessed it--it’s all about Last Man Standing ! I’m sure all of you know what that is, and some of you probably have been diligently following their progress.

This is where @OliveDreams posts weekly comments and best quotes or lines. I am definitively very intrigued and in awe at their writing, so you should all definitely go and check it out! Their club wall is where most of the activity happens.

This week, I have interviewed the newly appointed host @OliveDreams to answer us a few questions about hosting LMS information about it in general. I also asked three current contestants who are going strong on week 22 about what they think and how they have progressed throughout this challenge.



OliveDreams: Tenyo was unsure when they would receive regular internet access again so thought it was best to hand over the reins. I’ve been following it from the start and doing the weekly round ups so I don’t mind!



O: I don’t have a least favourite part! You have to make sure you’re committed to keep the contest going as it can go on for a really long time. We’re on week 23 right now!
My favourite part is most definitely seeing how the contestants improve by leaps and bounds through the weeks. Their writing becomes a lot more refined & detailed as they get to know their characters better and better. It’s really interesting to watch.

@AdrianMoon: I guess that my favorite part is that I'm actually writing and getting ideas onto the page, no matter how bad those ideas might be. While I do know that first drafts aren't going to be the best, LMS has gotten me to actually realize it and push past the ever present feeling of dread that accompanies trying to write for an audience.Uh, I think my least favorite part is Sunday. Since I post updates on Saturday to remind people to write, it's always weird to watch as people drop out of the contest. Also, trying to write a halfway decent chapter with only 24 hours left isn't the most joyful thing in the world.

@Meandbooks:My favorite part would probably be how we all just support each other through the whole thing, reading each other's stories and offering encouragement. It's funny cause it's supposed to be a competition but I don't think anybody wants anybody else to drop out.

@AstralHunter: I have wanted to write a Pokémon fanfiction for a few years now, so when I saw the second round of Last Man Standing was open to contestants, I immediately signed up. My favourite part of the challenge is therefore the writing aspect itself - but don't think the planning isn't fun too, because it really is.My least favourite part is that you have to submit a chapter each week. I'm fine with the deadline, I simply end up writing each chapter on a Sunday, usually about two hours before midnight. Of course, this is my fault completely, but trying not to procrastinate until the literal eleventh hour is difficult…



O: I had originally entered the contest to also be a warrior! I made it to week 3! HORRENDOUS. I really struggle with continuing with a plot line for more than a few chapters as I get distracted by new ones. The determination & dedication these warriors have shown is mind blowing!

Adrian: No Romance is about an aro/ace spy just trying to get out of a magical bookstore, but she's being held back by the shop owner, George Martin. The problem is that she hasn't killed her target yet and she must complete her mission or else.

M: My LMS novel...it's basically ethics and terrorists with magic and cool tech, a twist on the classic rebellion against the evil government. Yeah. That's my elevator pitch for now. The title is Shaping Faith , which is a bit of a pun on the magic system and some of the moral themes.

Astral: The Adventures of Darren Cassidy has a deliberately clichéd title, since the story is about an adolescent who abandons his normal life to pursue one of adventure. Of course, said adolescent is an Electrike, and since there is much lore concerning the Pokéverse - lore I cannot simply ignore - I hope to please the readers by including that which they recognise, but also surprising them by giving it an unexpected twist.



O: LMS is a fantastic way to develop your plot, characters and writing style. The deadlines make you write every single week & you have many other warriors pushing you along the way. We’re all very supportive of each other! There are weekly awards for ‘Best Lines’, ‘Beautiful Description’ etc which keeps you motivated to write more & you’ll be surprised how much you improve in just a few weeks!

Adrian: I would encourage someone to join just because it's fun. I was in the first round of LMS and it managed to complete an entire novel. My writing style and how I approach writing has changed a lot, mostly for the better. If you want to try and jot down the ideas for a novel, I'd really recommend joining in as a rogue.

M: I'd encourage someone to join because it's a great butt-in-chair motivator. It really just makes you write, though at a more manageable level then NaNo. In fact, the minimum word count is low enough that even really busy people can keep up, which is nice. (I managed it while moving across the world... xD) If you're intimidated by NaNo, LMS is the way to go!

Astral: For me, the greatest reward is clearly making progress on a novel. There is just something compelling about writing a weekly piece when you aren't the one creating the deadlines. Had it not been for this, I should not have written twenty-five thousand words already. Oh, and since there are other participants, you can guarantee reviews by forming a support group for each other. That way, you not only get experience in writing, but also invaluable feedback about what you are doing right and on what you can improve.



Adrian: Uh, I'm actually writing, so that's a plus. I also think I've grown in that my characters have gotten better and have gotten more realistic, with their dialogue and actions at least. Plus, my plots have gotten better because I'm forced to think of something -- anything -- to fit in the story line. My settings have improved and I've managed to ground myself in with the characters. To be perfectly honest, it's rather hard to tell without going back and looking at everything I've written in the past twenty or so weeks.

M: Well, since this is my first novel, I'm just learning so much about how writing a novel works. What's probably most valuable for me is what I'm learning about myself and my writing habits, as well as learning how to pace things properly and not jump around.

Astral: As I said in my previous answer, the reviews you get if you work with people are the most significant by far. For example, I learned that I use too many adjectives and write sentences that are much too long, so now I can improve on these flaws. Isn't improving our writing the reason we're all on YWS in the first place?

Again guys, thank you very much for helping me out and answering these questions about LMS. I would really encourage everyone to go and read their novels, and as always encourage them to keep with it. As the title says, this is the last of the last, so I hope to come back to you after the New Years with a fresh awesome article!

HOW TO SURVIVE CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'Swritten by Skydreamer < PM: >

Hey again Squillsians!

I am back once again, for an end of the year post. I wanted to say a few words of advice (in list form as usual) about some fun things to do during Christmas and the new years, but also tips on how to enjoy your time, and move on to a new year peacefully and happily! I mean, it's not guaranteed, but there's bound to be helpful tips in this pile.

1. HOT CHOCOLATE AND MARSHMALLOWS GO TOGETHER!

Now, as some of you may know, I had my "go healthy" movement for a while, a couple months back. However, this drink and fluffy white sugar pillow, are my weakness'. Not only that, but I love how both vegetarians and those who eat meat can enjoy this yummy little treat! I'm sure there are some healthy tweaks to them, but trust me, in order to survive this holiday period, those two go together!

2. CANDY CANE!

I promise this list won't all be about food, I promise. But you know food is one of the best parts of the holidays and this is definitely one of those treats that just screams "Christmas!". It's fun to make with paper to decorate as well, and great for dipping in hot chocolate also, if you are a hot chocolate fanatic like me.

3. DECORATING, AND DIY-DECORATING!

It's one thing to put up the Christmas tree and put up the lights. And another thing to make personalized decorations to put all over your house. DIY (do it yourself) decorating is so incredibly beautiful and special. Personally, I think it's also a stress reliever. If you have too much on your plate, take out your hot coco blast some holly jolly music, and paint, cut, arrange, color, and then place!

4. CHRISTMAS MUSIC!

Oh the joy of Christmas music! If you haven't heard of Pentatonix I'd advise you to stop reading this, go check them out on Google/YouTube and then come back and continue. They are absolutely incredible and they have some of the best Christmas music on both their christmas albums, yes BOTH! (Little Dummer Boy will always be my favorite) Apart from them though, Spotify has bucket loads of different kinds of Christmas music to deck your halls (yes, I did just do that)!

5. CAROLING!

I went caroling out with my mom on Christmas night last year, and it was nerve-wracking, possibly annoyed our neighbors and yet so much fun! Nobody complained, and some people even stopped to watch us. It was an exhilarating feeling though. I don't know about anyone else, but one of the things I loved most about Christmas growing up, was the school Christmas programs! The singing, the plays, the whole thing always really exciting to me and made me so happy. The feeling of getting ready to perform, and then performing is an experience I hope everyone can enjoy. So, give it a go, if you feel up for it!

6. GATHERING WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

As if you have to be told! Not sure if this really needs to be on the list, but it's on here as more of a reminder of what a wonderful part of Christmas and the holidays this is. Being with friends and family is a rare occasion for me, so when I'm around genuine good energy of people who have love and care, and good vibes, I cherish every moment of it! I just hope the same for everyone else. Cherish it! And also, be welcoming of newbies or new friends, it's always great to make people feel included during the holidays.

7. WEARING COMFORTABLE CLOTHES!

Now for me, that's a jumper or a hoodie, or this really comfortable soft robe I have! It doesn't matter what it looks like (especially if you're at home). Isn't this after all the "ugly sweater" season? Just be comfortable! Enjoy wearing what fits you snugly and comfy, and makes you sleepy, because that means it's worth your while. The only thing that I bear the cold of winter for, is being extra comfortable in bed with the right socks on. I hope for those of you who prefer heat to cold, you do the same!

8. DANCING (IN COMFORTABLE CLOTHES)!

It's that Christmas music that gets you moving, so you can just go ahead and dance the whole night away! Dancing is a great, great way to relieve stress, and just relax. Whether you wanna get down, or you wanna be fly, do the nae nae, or do the cha cha, it doesn't matter, just move your body! That's right, werk, werk! Haha! Ahem, excuse me, got a little too excited there. However, dancing is probably one of the best ways to survive this crazy and wonderful time.

9. WATCHING (RE-WATCHING) CHRISTMAS MOVIES!

I know that everyone, or just a lot of people, don't want to over-generalize! Yep, learned that in school! (Hehe, I hope someone's getting my jokes.) I know that quite a few people like to re-watch classics such as Elf, Home Alone 2, and the many Santa Clause movies where a normal Joe turns into Santa. Whatever the movie be, tis the season! I love to watch Polar Express and Elf. I'll be adding a few new movies in the mix this year. There are just some movies that bring cheer to our hearts every single time we watch it, and so why not watch it one more time?

10. DON'T SHY AWAY FROM TRADITION!

Keeping old traditions is a beautiful part of the holidays and it gives us peace of mind. For my family, we like to read from the Bible the story of Jesus' birth, and we wait till midnight to open our presents. (The second one has been a tradition that I have had to keep going on!) Our midnight one came from the fact that we had parties and often just ended up staying up that late. Also, because none of us were told Santa was real. Poor Santa got no credit for all our presents! Our parents took all the credit! Haha, in all seriousness though, whether religious or not, remembering the special meaning of Christmas you and your family have. I hope people won't shy away from that or commercialize it too much.

11. DON'T SET RESOLUTIONS, SET GOALS!

Out of all the things I have learned this past year, setting goals for yourself to accomplish is one of the best things. It's not only a fun challenge to give yourself that isn't just done in a day or two, but it's something you know you're dedicating to. Resolutions has become this joke people have, where they give themselves elaborate things they're basically forcing themselves to do for the new year. Or they say they will give up something or the other. Try instead to set reasonable goals for each month, or even each week. Things like "Make my bed at least three days a week." Or "Cook dinner every day for a month." Or "Write one something every week for this month!" (Yes these are real goals, don't judge me!) However simple or extravagant you want your goals, make sure you can actually accomplish them, even if they are challenging. And have fun creating them!

12. On the 12th tip of Christmas (and New Years) my true love gave to me, GIFTS OF LOVE!

My last tip on surviving Christmas and New Years Eve, is to first of all, GIVE in general, and secondly to give LOVE in general. There are a lot of people who would really appreciate to be given some love, and people who maybe don't seem like they deserve it, who actually need it the most. I feel like I've said this same message many times before, but it's just so important. It's good to give love, and to just be a giver this Christmas and New Years. Give people your full attention, give people compliments, give people genuine smiles, give people your ears (not literally, but listen), give people laughter (by making them laugh), and just give people any love in your own little way. <3

I hope this helps everyone to survive Christmas and New Years!

Have a great rest of the year! Peace!

ADVENTURES IN WRITINGwritten by BlueAfrica < PM: >

Hey, Squillsamigos! Last week, we talked about how we, as writers, are not the narrators of the stories we write.

So who is?

First, we have to ask: what is a narrator? The narrator is the perspective from which the story is told. Depending on who is narrating, the story could turn out very differently! Consider eyewitnesses in a criminal case. A sketch artist trying to capture the image of a suspect might hear four or five different descriptions of the same perpetrator because each eyewitness noticed something different about him, has different biases that might have affected what they saw, or saw different parts of the crime.

Literary narration is similar in that the biases, experiences, and part of the narrator colors the story. Let’s start looking at some different options you can use when choosing a narrative voice for your work.

First person or third person. Narration can be in first person or third person. First person narration makes use of personal pronouns like “I” and “we,” while third person narration makes use of pronouns like “he,” “she,” and “they.”

An advantage to first person narration is that you can tell the story with more feeling, because readers are allowed directly inside the narrator’s head. However, third person allows for more scope, as a third person narrator can switch to characters, places, or events that a first person narrator might not be aware of.

Examples of first person narration include The Fault in Our Stars (John Green) and Me, Earl, & the Dying Girl (Jesse Andrews). Examples of third person narration include the Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling) and An Abundance of Katherines (John Green).

Note: There is also second person narration, which makes use of “you” pronouns to transform the reader into a character. However, it’s difficult to stick to this viewpoint when writing, and examples are thin on the ground.

Keep in mind that this is not the same as the narrator talking to the reader in an “I” and “you” conversation; that’s first person narration. Choose Your Own Adventure books make use of second person narration, as do those bad fanfiction results to the “who would you end up with in Harry Potter” type quizzes they used to have on Quizilla. Other examples include The Night (Ray Bradbury) and Molly Zero (Keith Roberts).

To help you distinguish between first person narration—in which the narrator uses “you” to address the listener—and second person narration—in which “you” become the character, here’s a quote from The Night.






Character or observer. In addition to being first or third person, the narrator can be either a character (someone who is involved in the story) or an observer (someone outside of the story). There are several variations on both character narrators and observer narrators, but more on that next week.

Examples of character narration include The Hunger Games trilogy (Suzanne Collins) and Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden). Examples of observer narration include the Fairyland series (Catherynne M. Valente) and The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis).

Overt or covert. I like covert narration mostly because it sounds like covert operations. This is the undercover narrator, the narrator who makes no comment but simply lets the story unfold. Covert narrators do not make their presence known through the use of personal pronouns like “I.”

Overt narrators, on the other hand, are extremely present in the prose even though they are not involved in the story. The best recent example is the Fairyland series, where the narrator not only lets you know she’s there but also breaks the fourth wall by talking about her narration in moments like this.






Another potential example is A Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket), where the narrator references himself and his beloved Beatrice constantly. [SPOILERS TO FOLLOW]

However, because you find out at the end of the series that Lemony Snicket was a member of VFD and knew the Baudelaires’ parents, you could argue that he is actually a character narrator, not an obvert observer narrator. Several books in the Artemis Fowl (Eoin Colfer) series present a similar conundrum.

When we return in January, we’ll finish up our series on narrative voice by digging deeper. Should you narrator know everything about everything or only what’s happening to one character? Should the protagonist or a secondary character tell the story? Do you want a narrator readers can trust to tell the story straight, or one who’s unreliable? Join us in 2016 to learn more about it!

Don’t forget to sign up for BlueAfrica’s Narrative Voice Contest . Entries are due .

QUIBBLES
Egging on Emphasis
written by Lavvie < PM: >


As we all know, writing is a very beautiful thing. However, sometimes we can get carried away with flowery words, ultimately impeding any sort of meaning or possibility of understanding. In other words, things get a little verbose. This is usually due to the fact that sentence emphasis is not being paid enough attention.

Plain and simple, sentence emphasis is employed to highlight a particular fact or point in any sort of text, be it fictional or not. It also adds more variety and can help to maintain interest in the topic at hand. Paying close attention to the emphases in your sentences will draw the reader’s attention to a specific, intended area, leading to a much more efficient and successful way of delivering the intended message. Usually the subject and/or the verb of an independent clause are the parts that naturally receive the most notice, so keeping the focus on those two things is probably where you will want to make your point.

There are a few ways to create emphatic sentences. The most obvious is how words are positioned within the independent clause.

@Pretzelstick enthusiastically ate a pretzel.

The sentence is fine but you might have even more success holding a reader’s interest if you place an introductory word at the beginning, thus forcing them to pay attention and be alert for the rest of the clause.

Enthusiastically, Pretzelstick ate a pretzel.

Another method is using active voice. This is when the subject is placed in the position of performing an action rather than receiving it. To learn more about voice in writing, I suggest you go back to this Quibbles article I wrote awhile ago.

Passive Voice: The train is @steampowered.
Active Voice: steampowered the train.

Do you see the the lovely difference?

Repetition is also highly effective. I’m sure you have not forgotten the numerous times your parents asked you over and over and over and over and over again to clean the mouldy pizza from your bedroom floor and, in the same way, a reader will not forget an author’s attempts at emphasizing something through repetition. Usually the best words to repeat for emphasis are adverbs and adjectives. Sometimes synonyms can be used, but it is important not to overdo it for fear of being monotonous.

@Gravity is very, very grounded.
Gravity is firmly grounded.

There is also the method of writing short yet snappy sentences. In fact, very good orators use this as a technique to reach a larger audience and that is why many political slogans are very powerful. Of course, you must always be careful because short sentences can cause choppiness or dull repetition. However, among long phrases, a quick independent clause can have an intense impact.

It had always been @LadySpark’s dream to be an accomplished Shakespearean actor, full of wit, poise, and skill, yet she had never been given the opportunity to fully shine on the celebrated stage. Until now.

Finally, there is always the option to fall back on the interrogative or exclamatory phrase. Nevertheless, we must keep in mind that this is not always appropriate as it very much depends on the tone of the piece. If it is rather formal, I suggest you shy away from a method that is often regarded as somewhat casual.

Merry Christmas!

NEW ARRIVALS
written by BlueAfrica < PM: >



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

@lonewolf22 has posted in the Welcome Mat. Click here to welcome them to the site .

@woeth has written a poem called Our transient, transeunt love affair. Click here to read it and leave a review .

THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 12/20written by megsug < PM: >

Motivation, resolutions, merchandise, and reflections. They’re not really related… Except they can all be found here!


@MadWriter17 has thrown seven tips our way to stay motivated to write which is definitely something I’ve needed this month! With quotes from authors, poets, philosophers accompanying each tip, Mad’s advice is:







Mad explains each tip with her own experiences. Definitely an article to check out if you find yourself in a rough spot.


@Elysium wants to know what users’ New Year’s resolutions are. Only a few have responded but @Pretzelstick had an interesting answer:







An interesting take. What’s your New Year’s resolution or do you even bother forming one?


You heard right! YWS is giving away two free bookmarks to any user that signs up. Shipping is even free! Bookmarks look pretty sweet too:



Shipping can get a tad expensive, so if you feel you can make a donation, please do so! Get your YWS merch now!


The yearbook for this year has been posted. Three pages worth of users have already claimed their spots. Some of them have even written about their year, talking about earning stars, making friends, and writing novels. @Savvy:







Tell YWS about your year!

SHAMELESS PLUGS

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SUBSCRIBERS

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