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. FIRST READS OF ‘16
2. QUIBBLES: CHEWING ON COMPOUND WORDS
3. ADVENTURES IN WRITING
4. NEW ARRIVALS
5. THIS WEEK’S ROUNDUP - 01/11
6. SHAMELESS PLUGS
7. SUBSCRIBERS

FIRST READS OF '16written by Pretzelstick < PM: >

Heya Squillsamigos, and welcome to the first edition of 2016! New Year and Squills is staying on strong as ever before. Since this is a new edition of our newsletter, I thought that I would start off with a related article to the one that was written last time, kind of like a follow-up. If you remember, I wrote an inclusive interviews on the 2015 Reading Challenge winners, and this new year I am doing an article on the 2016 Reading Challenge participants that are planning to finish it this year. A thanks to @lostthought,@Steggy @Dreamy @Deanie @Meandbooks and @Lavvie for taking time out of their day to answer three quick and informative questions. Let's jump right into it now, shall we?



lostthought: I'm looking forward to reading a book that's at least 100 years older than me. I always find them fun to read for some odd reason. Granted, now it's the time to find a book that isn't ye olde English!

Steggy: I've always been interested in learning new things about cultures around the world. I hope I find a book that fits into the that category.

Dreamy: A book translated to English. Because I started reading Crime and Punishment two years back and got distracted twice due to college.

Deanie:A book about a culture that's unfamiliar to you, because I just love culture and learning more about other ones!

Meandbooks: I'm most looking forward to reading #23, a book that was published in 2016, because there are a couple books coming out by some of my favorite authors that I'm really looking forward to reading.

Lavvie: I am probably most excited for #32, which is The first book you see in a bookstore. I think that's kind of exciting because unlike most of the other categories, this book is so randomly chosen so there's a big element of surprise behind it. I love the spontaneity of it all.



l:Well, this one's actually really easy. I've been meaning to read a book I spotted two years in the library called "The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote De La Mancha", and the reason it caught my eye is because the book is just in all green with absolutely no cover picture at all! I'm going to use it for the sixth category as it was originally in Spanish, I believe. I did some quick background research, and apparently it's about a hidalgo who reads so much chivalric romances, he goes loony and goes off and tries to revive chivalry himself! All-in-all, it seems pretty interesting.

S: The book I am going to use for number 21 is The Red House by Mark Haddon I got The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time for Christmas and loved it. Recently, we went to local bookstore and went "book looking" as my mother calls it, and showed me the The Red House. She has suggested it since I seemed to love the other book by Haddon, and it seems to be worth a try.

D: 1984 by George Orwell . I bought this book, particularly for the previous challenge, for the category "Numbers on title" but never got around reading it. I don't suppose the above mentioned category is on this challenge, so I'm fitting it in "A dystopian novel" Lucky for me, it fits!

D: I'm going to finally read Winter by Marissa Meyer for the one which is about a book based on a fairy tale. I honestly can't wait because it is a finale to a series I love like crazy!

M: I'm planning on using Emma by Jane Austen for #17, a book that is at least 100 years older than you.

L: For Christmas, my stepfather appropriately sent me a book called Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up is 468 Easy(ish) Steps by Kelly Williams Brown. Not only is it ridiculously hilarious, but super practical and actually terribly useful. There are sections in it dedicated to things like "How to make a dope cheese plate" and "How to Be Poor" and "Deal with line-cutters and their ilk as sweet but dim people". I'll use this to fulfill #13 which is a self-improvement book. Otherwise, I don't think I will ever find a self-improvement book that I genuinely enjoy.



l: How about a book that was recommended to you, but you haven't read yet? I'm sure a ton of people have those hiding on their TBR lists.


S: A category I suggest is something written in two different tenses. Like, in the beginning it could be first person then switches somewhere in the climax or something. Another suggestion is banned books. This means books that are banned from local schools. At my school's book club, we have something like this but once a month. We read books that would be banned from other schools, and discuss them at the end of the year.

D: A screenplay probably. Though I don't suppose people will be interested in reading one(unless they're screenplay writers) because they are not plays and are pretty vague. I've read the screenplays of "Blue Valentine" and "Brokeback mountain," and I'm planning to read the script of "Half Nelson." Let's see how that goes.

D: A category I would love to see is a book about time travel! (Doctor Who fan here ^.^)

M:I think it's good to go back to one's roots. Perhaps another category could be something along the lines of, "A book by a local author".

Thank you so much if you got through the whole article to read this ending part. I really appreciate all the viewers and likes that are given to the hard work put into making Squills what it is today. That's all that I have for this article, and you next week. Hope you have an awesome January week ahead of you, and I hope to see you all next week with another great article with an unknown topic.

QUIBBLES
Chewing on Compound Words
written by Lavvie < PM: >

Sometimes writers forget that compound words can be their very best friend, especially when it comes to those people who like to delve into the worlds of science fiction and fantasy. Simply put, compound words are the words that are composed of two smaller words to make one big word. Compound words still retain the individual meanings of their smaller parts yet are more expressive and less versatile. The reason why these words are a writer’s best friend is that they are constantly evolving and there is no rule about who can create these words. Anyone can put two words together and call it a compound word. It’s amazing!

Of course, there are still some basic guidelines of compound words. They are often separated into three groups: closed, hyphenated, and open.

Closed compound words are essentially compound words that are camouflaged to look like your average word. Some examples include notebook and tablecloth. At some point in time, these words were not used together, yet in current times they are fully accepted into the English language. It is important to note that closed compound words are much harder to get away with if you’re wanting to create your own. Furthermore, these types of words are usually only composed of two smaller words, otherwise it gets to be a bit too much.

Hyphenated compound words evidently contain at least one hyphen. These are the types of words that are the constantly evolving compound words. Some examples include mother-in-law and nineteen-year-old (among other ages). This is where people make mistakes in prose and poetry because they are not up to date with current status of the lexicon. It is probably best to always double check in a dictionary whether or not the word you are writing is a hyphenated compound word or has developed into a fully-fledged closed compound word. In the worst case scenario, if you haven’t a clue, stick with the hyphen. Better safe than sorry, right? These types of compound words are the ones where creative writers have the most freedom to do with what they want. You’re not limited to compounding just two little words, but you can go all out and compound three, sometimes even four or five.

Lastly, we have the open compound words which are probably the most vague and suspicious in terms of their identity. These cases more or less describe the moment when the modifying adjective is used alongside its noun to create an entirely new noun. (It is important to note that this is different from a noun being modified by an adjective.) Sitting room and coffee table are good examples of open compound words. These words are harder to point out just because there is a space between the two words; there is no hyphen or conjoining punctuation, or lack thereof. Open compound words are considered so because of how frequently the noun and modifying adjective are used together. Moreover, unlike the other two types of compound words, open ones are the only in which the second word may be capitalized. We see this in North America or Syrian Christian.

Unlike a lot of other parts of speech that run by the usually strict rules of grammar, compound words are, in their very essence, born from creativity. As long as the basic guidelines are followed so as to assure legitimacy as a compound, there are now thousands of undiscovered words at your very fingertips – literally.

ADVENTURES IN WRITINGwritten by BlueAfrica < PM: >

Hey, Squillsamigos! You may not remember, because it was last year, but last time we talked about types of narration--first, second, or third person; observer or character; covert or overt. This week, we’re digging a little deeper. Time to add layers to those initial decisions about narrative voice.

Omniscient or limited. An omniscient viewpoint is helpful if you want readers to know each character’s thoughts and actions or events happening in different places and happening to different characters. Omniscient narrators know everything that is happening in the story and can switch between settings and characters with ease.

Limited narrators, on the other hand, are only knowledgeable about one character. First-person narrators, for example, are usually knowledgeable about their own thoughts and feelings, but not those of other characters (unless the other characters tell the narrator their thoughts). Third-person narrators can also be privy to just one character’s feelings.

Although first-person narrators tend to be limited, they can also be omniscient. For example, the first-person narrator in The Book Thief (Markus Zusak) is Death. Death can share the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters, as well as events happening to larger areas of the world than the characters’ immediate surroundings. Similarly, Lemony Snicket, the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket) can switch between the three Baudelaire children, as well as the villains they face. Omniscient first-person narrators are outside observers commenting on the events of the story or minor characters who may take part in the story in small ways. In the case of Lemony Snicket, for example [SPOILERS], the narrator is a “secret character” who, it is revealed, was part of the same organization as the Baudelaires’ deceased parents.

Protagonist or secondary character. To continue that last vein of thought, narrators who are characters rather than observers don’t have to be the protagonist. That’s often the narrator we choose, the protagonist, because the important events of the story happen to them. However, you can also choose to have a secondary character tell the story.

Two of the most famous examples that make use of first-person narrators who are secondary characters are The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) and Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle). In the first, Jay Gatsby is the main character, but Nick Carraway, his new neighbor, narrates. In the second, Sherlock Holmes is the main character, but his assistant Watson is the narrator. Another example is The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver). Reverend Nathan Price is the main character—or at least a strong argument for main character—but the novel is narrated in the first person by his four daughters and his wife. However, their stories revolve around his, how having him as husband and father affected their lives.

Reliable or unreliable. Narrators can also be reliable or unreliable. In other words, the narrator can tell us the story exactly as it happened or make us doubt that he is relating the story honestly. Unreliable narrators tend to be people with psychological issues, suspected liars, or people who are biased.

Of course, all first-person narrators could be said to be unreliable because there isn’t a person who exists who doesn’t have biases. Any story, told by a different person, could be a different story. Take the Nero Wolfe books (Rex Stout), inspired by Sherlock Holmes. Rex Stout wrote these books because he felt that Sherlock Holmes was insufferable and Watson a pandering yes-man. In his version, Archie Goodwin (the “Watson” of the Nero Wolfe universe) narrates and—as a person extremely different from the original narrator—spends his time doing most of the leg-work, cracking wise, and calling Wolfe out on his behavior and lack of manners.

Similarly, the one-act play The Last of Sherlock Holmes (Tim Kelly) seems to have been written by someone who thought Holmes insufferable and Watson idiotic. In it, Watson poisons Sherlock, reveals that he was Moriarty all along, and finally vents his long-held secret feelings of irritation with the great detective. Arthur Conan Doyle’s Watson, however, thought Sherlock was brilliant.

Even so, narrators who are considered unreliable tend to be those with obvious issues rather than ordinary people who are affected by ordinary biases like anyone. Examples include Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)—a potentially unstable liar also suffering from a severe case of angst—the narrator from The Telltale Heart (Edgar Allan Poe)—a guilt-crazed murderer—and Nelly from Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)—a longtime family servant who is too close to the characters involved to be unbiased.

Keep in mind that your narration can also take different forms. Watch for next week’s article, in which we’ll discuss some of these forms to finish up our series on narrative voice!

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

NEW ARRIVALS
written by BlueAfrica < PM: >



Back in December, @Meerkat was trapped in a blizzard and started looking for stories from YWSers to pass the time. The blizzard may be over, but she’s still looking for things to read! Click here to request a review .

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

@Ivywater has posted the prologue of a novel called War of Legends. Click here to read it and leave a review .

THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 1/11written by megsug < PM: >

Request a review or improve your reviewing game! Both of these activities can happen through this week’s roundup!


@BellaRoma is asking for people to request reviews. She only has five reviews to do until she reaches one hundred, and you could be one of those five! She’s a pretty easy reviewer, saying:







She doesn’t know much about poetry though, so she’s probably not the best to review your latest poem. Give a user something to do!


@Odd was wondering whether YWS thought a human being is born evil or if society teaches them how to be evil. Replies range from born with evil to somewhere between to evil is taught. Some users even suggest that the “evil” of small children such as stealing and hitting is instinctual rather than evil intent, and without the intent, the act isn’t evil. @TheRobster1991 falls on the born with evil side of the spectrum:







Add your input to the discussion now!


@NightWalker is drawing characters for people. Either full body or just the head. Just include whether you’d prefer head or full body, a detailed description of the character, a desired pose or facial expression, and any other additions you’d like. She’s asking for a donation of a few hundred points in exchange of a character sketch, and I think it’s definitely worth it! I like this example she provided:



Find out what your character would look like!


Nine years ago, @something euclidean wrote an article that still stands true today, advising YWSers when to utilize a line by line review, and when not to. The best tip for when not to is probably:







However, there are other pointers as far as recognizing when a work suits a line by line review. Definitely worth a read!

SHAMELESS PLUGS

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!

Scribbles Fan Club

Scribbles is back yet again! This time we're bigger and better than ever with tons of cool new features and things to do! Be sure to keep up-to-date with Scribbles and get exclusive fan club things by subscribing to our fan club on here! Join us most week days for:



Click the picture to go to the fan club!



That's all folks~ Now send us yours.

SUBSCRIBERS

written by SquillsBot < PM: >

Find enspoiler-ed a list of our subscribers!



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!