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. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW
2. TEN RANDOM FACTS ABOUT YOU TREND
3. QUIBBLES: Scrutinizing the Subjunctive
4. SQUILLS STAFF SPOTLIGHT
5. NEW ARRIVALS
6. RESOURCES RELAY
7. WEEKLY ROUNDUP
8. SHAMELESS PLUGS
9. SUBSCRIBERS

FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW
written by Lavvie  < PM: >

From March 7th until March 21st, YWS was very lucky to celebrate @CHRISSY321 as its featured member! Her enthusiasm on the site shines through in her reviews and interactions with fellow users. With her spunk and energy, we’re sure to see more great things from such a wonderful member!



CHRISSY321: I was in disbelief! I have always wanted to be a featured member, and seeing my name on the homepage that day was like a dream come true. YWS has literally been my favorite website ever since I signed on, and being recognized as FM was huge to me!



C: I think it is because I decided that is I should become a more active member since I was pretty dormant for a while, and I started doing some good reviews everyday. I did Team Tortoise to help me get to my 4th star, and I just try to be a good addition to the site!



C: Hmmm, I actually kinda like trolling on the people page. I love getting to know my fellow friends, and I can check on them and offer personal advice and support! I also just love reading all of these amazing works!



C: I am a really interesting person! It is hard to pick one good fact about me, but here it is: I am a baby/animal magnet! For the longest time, I have always enjoyed taking care of animals and younger children and they have always loved me! This is the reason why when I grow up, I plan to be a teacher, and of course an author on the side



C: I think it kind of showed me the way I should always try to be on YWS. It encourages me to keep trying and reviewing on here. I now don’t want to disgrace my honor as being FM for this past while; I want to live up to its name!



C: I suggest you take a look at the Green Room. It is a great place to share your works, but it needs to work both ways! You need to try and help your other fellow writers on here and they would help you. Not only are you helping people who have been waiting awhile in the green room, but you also rack up some more points to use towards your own writing! Also just try to be an all-around kind person: welcome new members, chat with some writers, give advice! There are many clubs and groups on here to be a part of – the site is your oyster! ^^ Take advantage of being able to be on a wonderful site such as this one! <3



C: No, thank YOU!

Ten Random Facts About You Trend!written by Pretzelstick < PM: >

Unless you've been living under a rock, or simply not that active on YWS for the last week or so, you'd discover that the People's tab is exploding with #tenrandomfactsaboutme hashtag that has been circling around as more and more people get onto the bandwagon. I personally am literally addicted to reading this, in fact I've been glued to the People's tab on my phone since the beginning of the week.

@Deanie introduced YWS with this hashtag and this message:


   


And boy did we all join her. There is currently about 12 Society People pages just on this hashtag, and I'm convinced that both this hashtag and this article will be history for us oldies on here. xD

For this article I will be giving out awards to all different kinds of postings that I get, so this articles shall be quite interesting! You should definitely go on these people's walls and like their posts and congratulate them on winning those specific awards! (I just honestly thought that this was such a fun thing to do!)

First off, let's start off at the basis and the foundation behind this whole challenge,

1.The Most Random award goes to @EverWinter



   


2. Food-criticy award goes to @Morrigan:



   


3. Most Childish award goes to @Meandbooks



   


4. Most Interesting Hobby award goes to @Falconer:

 

   

 
 5. Something Inspirational award goes to @Sunshine1113
 

   

 
 6. Most Sneaky award goes to @Steggy:
 


   

 
7.  Best Superpower award goes to @Magestorrow

 

   


8. Most Nerdy award goes to @KatyaElefant



   


9. Best Pet Peeve award goes to @Savvy:


   


10. Most Adventurous award goes to @Skins:


   



So to conclude this whole big article, I think that we all agree that this hashtag really brightened up the People's tab and also brought out some people's unknown interests and quirks to their personalities. I hope that you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing these. (Or rather copy pasting these from the author.)

Until Next Time,
~Pretzel

QUIBBLES
Scrutinizing the Subjunctive
written by Lavvie < PM: >

The past subjunctive is something in grammar that constantly stumps people. When should you use I were in lieu of I was? Well, it’s not entirely obvious. Take the following example:

Rosie wishes she were a better singer.

Rosie wishes she was a better singer.

Both sentences probably seem grammatically correct. In the history of English, verbs have taken on moods, much like a person can express their mood by facial expressions. Verbs possess moods like questioning or demanding, so they can also take on a wishful mood. I were is a subjunctive mood of the verb to be and it is used when someone is trying to express wishfulness or something that is not true. Because of that, of the above sentences, the first example is the correct one. Rosie wishes is a dead giveaway because it makes obvious to the reader that Rose is expressing wishfulness.

Another clue of when to use subjunctive verbs is the word if. When used at the beginning of a sentence, if usually expresses something that is usually not true or not existent, like somebody’s hopes and dreams. (Of course, there are exceptions to the rule.)

Example #1
If I were able to turn back time, I would meet Audrey Hepburn.

If I was able to turn back time, I would meet Audrey Hepburn.

Example #2
If the book were shorter, she would finish it on time.

If the book was shorter, she would finish it on time.

In both of the examples above, the first sentences are the correct ones because they express something that is not true. The sentences describe things that I might wish were true or things that are different from the real situation. It’s also important to note that the second independent clause in each sentence contains the words would or could. These words are yet another clue that might help diagnose when to use the subjunctive mood.

Still, like I said, there are always exceptions to the rule and if, would, and could are not always signs of when to the use I were. Look at the example below:

The gas station exploded. If Humphrey was working, he could have died.

The sentence is stating a fact – that the gas station exploded. Because this is a fact and Humphrey is a regular employee at the gas station, he may very well have died in the explosion. It would have been likely to happen. The possibility of what happened is what indicates to us that the sentence requires the indicative mood as opposed to the subjunctive. In other words, Humphrey was is employed instead of Humphrey were. Here’s another example that might be a little more challenging:

If Laura was to show up for rehearsal, we would be able to practice our scene together, but she called in sick today.

It’s clear that Laura rarely misses a rehearsal time. On the contrary, it appears that Laura is usually at every rehearsal. Because this sentence indicates to us that what is being expressed is nothing wishful or contrary to the truth, the indicative mood (Laura was) is used instead of the subjunctive. This example only shows, however, that it is crucial to pay close attention to context. Above, we know that Laura called in sick so not showing up to rehearsal is an exceptional circumstance for her. However, if Laura were dead, then we would use the subjunctive as opposed to the indicative because her showing up to rehearsal would be wishful thinking on the speaker’s part.

In the end, the use of the subjunctive versus the indicative is a lot simpler than it initially seems. You just need to know if you’re making a wish or stating the facts.

SQUILLS STAFF SPOTLIGHTwritten by megsug  < PM: >

This month, I’d like to tell all of you about a staff member who joined a few months shy of a year ago. They have revived Resource Relay and a Mod Moment, covered countless events and trends around the site, and is never afraid to pitch a new idea. They have done over twenty articles and often posts more than one article a week. If you’re a regular reader, perhaps you already know who I’m talking about. @Pretzelstick is this month’s Staff Spotlight!

I asked them some questions about Squills though not nearly as sneakily as Gravity did for the last Squills Staff Spotlight . Here’s what Pretz had to say:



Pretzelstick: I joined Squills because I was getting really interested in journalism, and for a while I just sat on the sidelines trying to observe how the amazing Squills has done. I had kind of hit a writing block in my life last summer, and so I engaged here into writing and also in TWT. One day, while reading Squills I came to the end where it asked for additional contributors, and seeing there limited staff I decided to just jump in. And I fit in and this is my main thing that I love to do on YWS.



P: There's just an exciting factor of writing Resources Relays, like looking through cupboards with cookies, or finding something beautiful in a cobweb. And when I'm done spending down and discovering these hidden treasures, it's just quite a pleasure to share it to everyone who reads and likes my articles. 



P: I personally like writing columns, because I know as a reader I like to read weekly columns that have captured my attention. As a plus it helps me stay really consistent and "on track" as a reporter.



P: One of the recent ones that I worked so hard on, but it came out quite lovely was written in the beginning of February about #TeamTortoise members and their strategies with approaching this daily event. It was so informative and I learned so much as a reviewer, even though I can't participate in #TeamTortoise because of other commitments and time issues.



P: Absolutely go for it! Even though it's a big time commitment and coding can be a pain, the end product is so worth it. You feel accomplished once your article is published in the newsletter and you feel proud when you receive likes and comments about it. This was honestly one of the best things that happened to me on YWS, and it can be for you too!



P: Feeling like I put my name on something meaningful-something that the only news place on YWS. It's a constant/consistent that I hope to continue for years to come.


P: I feel so honored to be chosen as featured as staff member!
Thank you to BlueAfrica for being and amazing editor-in-chief. And also to megsug and Gravity (and newly appointed Lavvie Hepburn <333) who are awesome editors who are always eager to help me if I have any questions, or concerns. Without them, Squills wouldn't be in existence, so let's appreciate them and give Squills the attention that it deserves.

And we appreciate Pretz! Go congratulate and thank them for their contribution to YWS on their wall.

NEW ARRIVALS
written by BlueAfrica  < PM: >

Resources Relay 3/27written by Pretzelstick  < PM: >

Woohoo! Finally the long awaited Resources Relay is returned at full speed about a two week hiatus. We start off the end of March with editing your babies, and learning about the "god from the machine." Hope that you enjoy and lurk all around and inside these links.



@OmegaEmerson recently asked a quite interesting question, about the types of thoughts and how to format those in their writing. They included three all uniquely different perspectives, and here what the wonderful @Holysocks had to contribute:



   


@Rosendorn echoes Holy's replies and has two cents of her own to that, so if you are curious about the different styles of internal dialogue, then this is definitively the discussion to be at!




@Lareine recently published their first KB article,(big congrats and thanks to them) all about the literary device of Deus Ex Machina which is quite a striking concept that needs more information on. I was convinced after reading that article, that I had the tools and information to fix this overuse in my own writing. Here is a paragraph that caught my eye:




   


I completely agree with @Wolfie36, that this article was truly great, one of the greater ones that I have read this year. Completely recommend if you are either struggling with this overuse of the device, or even have never heard of it. As I say, "It's always good to know!"




Hoorah! @niteowl is in town of the WRFF threads, I mean they're in business! Started in the Jan/Feb Review Day, they have only gotten 7 requests. Squillsians, we can do this, let's go and flood those open gates with terrific works! This "catch" really stuck out to me, because I love the concept and thinking behind it:


   


Since niteowl is on the leaderboards for #TeamTortoise this month, I'm sure that they wouldn't mind, and would actually encourage you to point your finger at their work



@Aley recently posted a fantastic and fabulous resources about editing your baby, where she covers step by in 7 full written articles how to accomplish this task. I read and reread all seven of them, and still am amazed how helpful this will be for my NaPo experience this year around.


   


That's a lovely summary of all that is about to be thrown at you if you decide to go and check these out, read up on them, and take the time to do so before NaPo arrives, just around the corner. Very beneficial.

All right, sadly this has to come to a close as I only do 4 per week Stay tuned for next week's awesome links that are coming up. Have an amazing week!

Until Next Time,

~Pretzel

THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 3/27written by megsug < PM: >

Pitching, switching, fighting, and reminiscing. All things done in this week’s Roundup!

 
…Only slightly and temporarily though. Because Easter is falling on the last weekend of March, @Nate is changing Review Day dates, so people won’t be busy with family things when Review Day is in progress. The new dates are:





This month you have to wait just a little longer before you can get to work cleaning the Green Room again if you aren’t already slowly chipping away at it.
   

@Steggy just wants to know how everyone came up with their names. People have some pretty awesome stories, and their names illustrate way more creativity than I have, but I really love @RadientShadow’s story:

 





Reading through this thread is a great way to learn about users and just get a laugh in.


Have you ever gone to the The Writer Tournaments and wished that you could have another club to join that had writing contests too? Well, your wish has come true. The admins of The Writer Tournaments have created The Gladiator Workshop to have experimental tournaments that might mess around with the format of The Writer Tournaments too much. You can join the Choose Your Own Tournament today. They’re waiting on getting enough users to start. @Lareine explains the concept:







Subscribe to the club if you want to be in the know of all the tournaments happening around the site!


@AdrianMoon started a cool activity that could be useful for anyone who plans on pitching their novel ever. The idea of the game is to grade the pitch that was last posted and post a pitch of your own novel. @Rosendorn’s pitch has been ungraded for a while now and is:







Grade it and see how your own pitch does!

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.

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Join the Flash Fiction Tournament for a world of fun with lots of friends.
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Suggest possible prompts, and enjoy word wars to complete entries.


That's all folks~ Now send us yours.

SUBSCRIBERS

written by SquillsBot  < PM:  >

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