z

Young Writers Society


Squills 5/9/2016 - 5/15/2016



User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Sun May 08, 2016 4:55 am
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
megsug

General Editors
Gravity
Lavvie

Friendly Neighborhood Robot
SquillsBot

Literary Reporter
Available - PM SquillsBot if interested

Community Reporter
AliceAfternoon
Aley

Resources Reporter
PretzelStick

Storybook Reporter
Available - PM SquillsBot if interested

Quibbles Columnist
Lavvie

Link Cowgirl
megsug

Social Correspondent
Available - PM SquillsBot if interested

Associates of Pruno and Gruno
Pruno - Available - PM SquillsBot if interested
Gravity

Code Master
Available - PM SquillsBot if interested

General Reporters
Morrigan



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
Sun May 08, 2016 4:57 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: GREATKING
Image
written by Aley < PM: >

Our newest Featured Member, @GreatKing, has been with us for less than a month, and yet has already done enough reviews to earn 5 stars, been featured in the Literary Spotlight, and been one of the top 15 reviews of the month.

With 13 reviews in 2 days, it is no wonder that this is our newest Featured Member.

An avid reviewer, GreatKing can be seen quickly surfing through reviews on novels like it's sipping water, so I'm proud to bring this interview to you today.

Squills: How did you feel when you found out you were the Featured Member?


GreatKing: Well, I did not feel like it change something for me. People notice you when you are someone upon the others but it was not something special for me. I was really greatful that I had been chosen even if I know there are many other people who deserve it better than me. To be honest, I still do not know everything and I was not sure what FM even means but I am glad to be one.

I hope you excuse me with my long answers.


S: Well I know from checking out your reviews that you do a good job with them. Where did you pick up your reviewing habits?


G: Habits? Well, at the very beginning, I did not know how to write a proper useful review and I had many problems because of that. I hope people understand that I may have different pace than theirs and I do not review the same way. I like to read the story first and take the part I think sounds odd or find something wrong in it. I read it several times and take these parts then put them in the review. Sometimes even I can not be sure does something really needs correction. So I think it is good to say is this optional or not. I start with me saying my opinion about it and then to the editing zone which contains all the taken parts from the story. I can not say I do the best reviews I can possible make but I came here before almost a month. I have a lot to learn. A habit of mine i read everything out loud and if I stop (where there is no comma or full stop), that means there is a problem. Maybe my habits and ways are not the best but who can do it perfectly.

S: It is very impressive that you've gotten so many reviews done in such a short time. You came on YWS April 10th, and you've already got 275 reviews written. That's impressive.


G: Well, let's say I am from the people who love to get to it fast and get used to it. The first day, when you are new, you are excited and you want to see what you can do. I did not realize how fast it happened. When there are so many works you had never seen and so many things you can do, of course you could want to try everything. I am just that type of a person. I need to learn it by myself fast. I just hate not knowing and being new.

S: You certainly conquered that quickly. What would you recommend to new users on YWS?


G: As what I said to my own self, to take the risk and do it the way they think it is right. If they want to review, they need to try to do it. Even if you do it wrong, we all start and then improve. As a writer needs improvement to write a better story, a reviewer needs practice to write a good review. Whatever they prefer to do even if they need to do both, they need to be proud of what they do. In this world, there always will be at least one person who will not be happy what you do. We are not born to make them happy but to make ourselves happy. I hope every single new member starts their journey in this site and enjoy it. You just need some pushing to start.

S: That's really good advice.

Do you have a favorite thing to write?


G: I can honestly say I do not like funny sweet stories. I like more mature ones which action and supernatural hints. ( likes mystery too much)


S: Alright, last question. Is there anything you want to share about yourself to YWS?


G: That I am a gentleman and kind to everyone in this site but do not talk about serious matters with me because I am never serious. Also, the pervert of this site. *bows and leaves

With a lot to learn, and great encouraging words, GreatKing has a bright future here on YWS. I think all of us can learn something from this newest member about encouragement, positive attitudes, and motivation. Good Luck with your endeavors, and thanks for reading.





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Sun May 08, 2016 4:58 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



HOT SEAT: ALICEAFTERNOON
Image
written by Aley < PM: >

One of Squills' very own is in the Literary Spotlight this week, so they were put in the hot seat for an interview. Totaling an appearance of around 23 times in the Top Ten of the Literary Spotlights, give or take counting errors, this user has only been on YWS since November 18th and has a total of 155 reviews already. If you haven't guessed it, or peaked at the title, it's our @AliceAfternoon who has accomplished so much in so little time.

During the interview it became obvious that this was not just an individual who loved to write, but someone who loved to write well and improve. This week she shows her improvement with I planted a seed which reads smoothly and cleanly which may just be why it's gotten 16 likes.

The poem itself is gentle and quiet, showing the versatility of this poet, and with both chapters and poems appearing frequently among those 23 Top 10 picks, it's no contest that we'll be seeing more of her in the future.

Without further fanfare, the interview awaits you.

Squills: Hi Alice, would you mind if I interview you for a column called Hot Seat?


AliceAfternoon: No not at all.

S: Thank you, this interview is actually about your poem "I planted a seed," which is in the Literary Spotlight this week.


A: Oh okay! (:

S: Okay, so first off I have to ask. What was your inspiration?


A: Well, okay some back story. I was feeling really bad about my poetry. I was thinking about quitting poetry or at least taking a long break because I felt like I wasn't good and I felt like I wasn't getting any better only worse. I talked to @bluewaterlily and @Morrigan about this and they kept telling me things like 'write for yourself not for others' and though I listened to them, I never really took the information in and listened to them.

This feeling had been going on for a long time and I don't know something happened one day and I wrote "I planted a seed" which is the first poem to my new collection I've planted a seed .

Wait I remember now, I started watching this YouTuber called Savannah Brown and her poetry really inspired me. The way she writes about her life and in such a personal way is something I want to do. And so I did with "I planted a seed."


S: So you're already planning a collection?


A: Yeah I tend to pick a theme that I've been feeling and since I write poetry pretty fast. I know the poems are going to fit together. That's what I did with Sugar Sweet Tears and my other collections.

I know it's not the best way to do things but it works for me ^^


S: What makes you think it's not the best way to do things if it's what's working for you?


A: Haha, I don't know. I don't really think of myself as a good poet. I can't imagine people thinking my poetry is great and then modeling my creative process. Haha I guess I say that because I don't want to seem like I think I'm such a knowledgeable poet when really I'm very new to this whole poetry thing. This is my first year writing poetry.

S: I can't believe this is just your first year writing poetry! When did you pick it up?


A: A couple months after I joined YWS

S: Really? Neat. Did YWS get you into poetry?


A: I don't really know. I think I was starting to read and review more poetry and then I decided to try it.

S: For someone "new to poetry" you always seem to be in the Literary Spotlight. What do you think gives you such success?


A: I honestly have no idea. I think maybe because my novels are popular. I've talked to my friends and just people who have read my work and they say that my poetry has a simple writing style but it also has really good emotion in it.

S: That must be really encouraging! Are you feeling more confident in your poetry now?


A: I definitely am! But I still get a lot of feeling of "wow, why am I in the spotlight." I've had thoughts of "oh I'm only in the spotlight because my friends liked my work, not because my writing is good."

I try not to think that way because I get depressed easily and when I'm depressed my poetry actually gets worse.

My writing in general gets worse when I'm depressed. I think that's why I was feeling for so long that my poetry was bad. I probably let myself think I was not a good writer and then just kept telling myself that until I didn't believe the compliments people gave me.


S: How does that make you feel about getting into the Literary Spotlight?


A: The first time I got in the spotlight I was talking to @CandyWizard and I literally started squealing and freaking out. I think when this poem got in was the only other time I had that reaction. I didn't think it would get in since a lot of my past poems didn't and I didn't think it was good. I didn't think I was good.

S: So then, do you think that people today sometimes feel like if they don't succeed they are bad people?


A: Definitely. I think a lot of us tend to idolize the people who get our inspiration from and when we don't get the same reaction they get, we get discouraged.

I think we all need to find ourselves (I haven't even found myself yet. I'm still looking) and we need to just accept ourselves and grow into ourselves.


S: So what does the poem mean?


A: A lot of people think the poem is a love poem. Really it's not xD

I wrote it in a way that allows people to interpret it the way they want.

It's about making changes in my life for my mental health. The garden refers to my mind, the flowers are my thoughts. Its talking about my depression and anxiety it tend to make me numb to emotions and just so lifeless or tired.

I use the word dead a lot in my poetry because it's something I can really write a lot from.


S: When will the rest of the collection be among us?


A: There are already two other poems out, "Her." and "Wilted Flowers"

S: How many do you plan on doing in the collection?


A: Until my emotion or theme changes, to be honest.

I was still writing Tea & Flowers but suddenly I felt that I needed to end the collection and start a new one.


S: So what advice would you give to people who were trying to prove themselves worthy of the Literary Spotlight?


A: Write your best and don't try and get in there. If you try and force yourself, you just won't write anything worth it.

I didn't even know the spotlight was a thing when I first got in @CandyWizard had to tell me what it was and how I got in.

Surprises are awesome!


S: Thank you for your time.


A: Haha thank you! I really enjoyed the interview.

AliceAfternoon's advice to just allow yourself time to find yourself, and not struggle to get into the Literary Spotlight really hits home with a lot of things on YWS. With pressure to perform and perform well, it's easy to fall into a cycle of bad emotions.

Her story is one of perseverance, and support. With the help and support of those she's found on YWS, she's back in the spotlight for poetry, and continuing to grow as a poet. The overall message is to just have fun with it, relax, and go with the flow of the writing and your personal feelings.

Maybe next time it will be you.





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Sun May 08, 2016 4:59 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



TWO CENTS: EMOTION
Image
written by Aley < PM: >

Getting emotion into writing isn't the easiest thing to do. In many cases, it's on an individual basis. There's no sure-fire way to actually ensure you've got a fire in your writing. There are some tricks that can help, but they don't always work. It depends on the emotion you're trying to entice, and your typical writing style. This is what makes writing emotionally hard. You have to really get a feel for what works.

Most of the time, this is done through reading. As you read a story, consider what parts make it emotionally impactful to you, and decide how the author went about creating that response from you. When you've discovered something that works frequently, that's usually a technique that will fit your style when you want to use that emotion.

The basics of emotions in poetry are going to require self-discovery, but here are a few things I do in my poems to make things more emotional and how they help me with my writing. It may give you a place to start exploring how to excite emotions in your audience yourself.

First, a little debunking. Writing emotional poetry doesn't always happen while you are in an emotional state. Often I write emotional poetry while I'm decidedly not in that emotion and it comes out fine. How I do this, however, shows where the myth that to write emotionally you must be emotional, may have stemmed from. When I write emotional poetry, I tend to conjure up a situation that gives me that emotion.

Sort of like getting into a character's head while writing a novel, I do the same thing with poetry. If I want to write something sad, I think about something sad and then relate those emotions to a sad moment or time for the poem to represent. For instance, if I wanted to write about the death of a lover, I could remember the death of my first long-standing dog and then pick some situation or moment where that loss would be felt the most and write about that with the experiences I have had during that loss.

That is how I make it possible to emotionally connect with an audience who has experiences I do not. Because perception is a funhouse mirror, if you think of the time when you were most hurt in your life, and describe how it felt, without detail about what was going on, you can come up with something that will evoke the memories of what someone else experienced in a situation where they were their most hurt. Using this method you have to really have something that can speak to you like in Harry Potter when he's learning to conjure the Patronus Charm. He has to think of the time when he was happiest, well, here I do the same thing.

To get a lot of the emotional value out of it, I have to take those emotions and develop the best way to describe them from what I feel after the fact. This can take some time because while it might not seem that hard, it can be difficult to get away from the clichés that surround emotions. Most of them exist for a reason, and those clichés help us identify what our emotions are in relationship to other people's emotions. Useful, but not original.

This is what gets emotional poetry on the page. Once a poem is down, the editing begins. I develop ideas around clichés that I've heard over time. For instance, if everyone understands burning desire, I may switch burning and/or desire in the poem to better create a new creative image. This usually takes some thinking, and it's best not to do it in a highly emotional state because that can make it more difficult to concentrate on the task at hand.

Word play can be further developed by looking at whether you want the words to sound stiff and rigid such as for anger, jealousy, hatred, or soft and loose for some of the quieter emotions like contentedness, sadness, or joy. For hard sounds, I use more B and K words, while soft sounds I use more S and F words. Depending on the types of words, and their syllable lengths, it may be better to string together 3 or 4 words, or just 2 or 3. It depends on the words.

Aside from memory, and word play, the biggest help I have is a cold read. Coming back to a poem after a long time away from it allows insight into what emotions actually work, and what fall flat. If you know the poem too well, you know what your original intent was and you cannot see it through a reader's eyes, so you cannot discover where your emotion is lacking.

Have you ever read a sentence and then gotten a review that says there's a word missing? Despite editing, it happens to all of us because those words are automatically plugged in by our brains. The only way to discover these words for ourselves is a cold read, so in the process of editing a poem without a support group like YWS provides, a cold read is necessary.

In the end, the biggest help is playing with word choice.

The largest step forward is developing a vocabulary for your own emotional states. If you can describe your sadness in a way that you haven't heard before, and that you can't google and come up with results, or similar results, then you can use that in a poem, novel, short story, or essay to better provide emotion in your writing.

Develop something for anger, love, sadness, anxieties, anything that you think you may need to use quickly and as you go between poems, stories, and the likes, change the language minutely between them to tweak it for the best case scenario to continue growing your emotional vocabulary until you can transition and discover new ways to write an emotion quickly and fluidly.

In summary, thinking about how you feel and using new, exciting descriptions can help finish a poem in an emotional way, but editing is where you can get the biggest reward playing with what words you want to use, what sounds you like, and figuring out your own style and vocabulary for different emotions.

Have something you want an opinion on? Send me a note!
I'm always open to suggestions for topics.





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0




User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Sun May 08, 2016 5:01 am
View Likes
SquillsBot says...



THIS WEEK’S ROUND UP 5/8
Image
written by megsug < PM: >

Statues and poems and writing oh my!


Not a contest, I’m afraid. @Nightcrawler asked some great questions about writing from the perspective of ethnicities other than your own and elicited some great conversation. Her questions were:

Is it disrespectful for a white writer to attempt to write from a person's perspective who is of different race or ethnicity as the author? Where do the lines lie? How far can they go?




Several members of different ethnicities have replied with different opinions, and the discussion is civil as well as thought provoking. For those who have wondered about ethnicity in their writing, this would be a great thread to read.


@MrBrainwasher also had some questions though his are about the writing process. Having never finished a project himself, he is curious to know how other people go about writing. Specifically, he wants to know:



Like,how one get to the story
How he starts
Do they know the end?




Help out a fellow writer and answer the question!


@EternalRain makes clay statues in the chibi style. They’re very impressive. She invites criticism or comments. My favorite is this awesome centaur:

Image

Definitely check out her thread for more!


Three years ago @Lumi made a tutorial on how to write cinquains. Poetry that is in the following format:



Line 1 has two syllables.
Line 2 has four syllables.
Line 3 has six syllables.
Line 4 has eight syllables.
Line 5 has two syllables.




He points out that it doesn’t have to be a standalone poem, but can also be worked into larger poems to make one message really pop.





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Sun May 08, 2016 5:04 am
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

That's all folks~ Now send us yours.





User avatar



Gender: None specified
Points: 300
Reviews: 0
Sun May 08, 2016 5:05 am
SquillsBot says...



SUBSCRIBERS
Image

written by SquillsBot < PM: >

Find enspoiler-ed a list of our subscribers!

Spoiler! :
@SquillsBot@Carina@ShadowVyper@ArcticMonkey@Hannah@KingLucifer@Caesar@veeren@megsug@StoneHeart@Skydreamer@heather@Aley@Rydia@Alpha@skorlir@KnightTeen • @ChildOfNowhere • @neko@Aquila90@DudeMcGuy@kayfortnight@Cole@Blackwood@manisha • @fortis • @HighTop • @cgirl1118@KittyCatMeow • @Strange • @ChocoCookie@carbonCore@Auxiira@Iggy@Blues@Paracosm@Sparkle@FireFox@Dakushau • @AlexSushiDog • @wizkid515@yubbies21@PiesAreSquared@FatCowsSis • @Noiralicious • @BenFranks@TimmyJake@whitewolfpuppy@WallFlower@Magenta@BrittanyNicole@GoldFlame@Messenger@ThereseCricket@TriSARAHtops • @buggiedude2340• @AdrianMoon • @WillowPaw1@Laure@TakeThatYouFiend • @RoseAndThorn • @Cheetah@NicoleBri@Pompadour@Zontafer@QueenOfWords@Crimsona • @DeeDemesne • @vluvswriting@GreenTulip@Audy@EllaBliss@eldEr@Deanie@lostthought@CesareBorgia • @Jhinx • @Morrigan@AfterTheStorm • @AstralHunter • @Autumns • @Wolfie36 • @Pamplemousse • @ReisePiecey • @gia2505 • @BiscuitsBatchAvoy • @SkyeWalker@Noelle • @Lylas • @Tortwag • @kingofeli@SpiritedWolfe@malachitear@GeeLyria • @KatyaElefant • @Clickduncake • @Elysium • @Seraphinaxx@Pretzelstick@WritingWolf@EternalRain@Tuesday@Dragongirl@JKHatt@Hattable@Lucia@donizback • @Falconer • @Sunset101 • @artybirdy@IncohesiveScribbles@cleverclogs@MLanders@ClackFlip@PickledChrissy@racket@Lorelie@Gravity • @BlueAfrica • @hermione315@Steggy@willachilles@tintomara138@AmatuerWritings • @Ithaca • @TheForgottenKing@Shoneja123 • @Magestorrow • @Meandbooks • @klennon14@fandomsNmusic@Meerkat


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!








There is nothing more radical or counter-cultural, at the moment, than laying down one’s cynicism in favour of tender vulnerability.
— John Green