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: MAGESTORROW
2. REVIEW SPOTLIGHT: CONTROVERSIAL WORKS
3. TWO CENTS: PUNCTUATION
4. HOT SEAT: CLEVERCLOGS
5. NEWSFLASH
6. NEW ARRIVALS
7. THIS WEEK'S ROUND UP 6/12
8. SHAMELESS PLUGS
9. SUBSCRIBERS

FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW

written by AliceAfternoon  < PM:  >

Another Featured Member has been chosen. A member who is known for being one of the kindest YWSers, greeting new members and leaving sweet comments on people's walls. This YWSer is also known for giving extremely helpful reviews that go into great detail, helping the author who wrote the work. And this YWSer is @Magestorrow!



Magestorrow: Yup! It feels very strange. I keep forgetting that I'm featured member until someone brings it up or I see my name on the main page. But it also makes me feel like I've accomplished a lot so far during my time on this awesome site.



M: I did aspire to become featured member, but it was still surprising to see the notification for it.
And I didn't really focus on that too. It was more like, "Hey, it would be neat to be featured member!"




M: I think I might have become featured member because I've been writing helpful reviews (or at least, I hope they've been helpful) and been welcoming new members to the site.



M: For anyone wanting to be a featured member, I would suggest reviewing a lot and just being a nice person overall.
For reviewing, it really helps to make a thread over in Will Review For Food (mine's called Mage’s Magical Reviews ). And of course, the green room's always an option. It's also important to make your reviews positive, instead of just pointing out the flaws in someone's writing.
Be a nice person, welcome people to the site. I always ask them where they got their username from and how they found about YWS—it's a great way to make new friends as well! Also, if you are ever looking through the people's tab and see that someone needs help, try to help them out.
One last piece of advice: Saying please, thank you, and you're welcome is also important - at least in my book.

Head on over to @Magestorrow's wall to congratulate them!

REVIEW SPOTLIGHT: CONTROVERSIAL WORKSwritten by megsug  < PM: >

It’s not too hard to come across an opinionated literary work that may offend those who have an opposing opinion or please those who agree. What is hard is writing a helpful review without opinions getting in the way.

@InfiniteRectangles has developed a respectable technique: not mentioning her opinion at all.

In an attempt to keep Squills as unbiased on political and social issues as possible, the name and author of the work as well as the subject matter will not be mentioned in the following discussion of InfiniteRectangles’ review.

1. Start off positive!
The first thing InfiniteRectangles does is mention her intention to remove her bias and follows through with the beginning of The YWS Critique Sandwich : the bread of positivity.



   


2. Instead of rebutting an argument, offer suggestions on how the user could improve their technique for presenting arguments.
Most likely, the author will not be persuaded to change their opinion, no matter how strong any rebuttals are. Comments on how right the author is aren’t telling the author anything they don’t know. These rebuttals or comments of support will not better the author. What will help the author is a critique of their form of argument. InfiniteRectangles transitions into such a critique by explaining why personal opinion should not be in an essay.

 

   


3. Focus on the genre of the piece and critique style/format.
The piece InfiniteRectangles reviewed was labelled as an essay, but users express their opinion in poetry and short stories as well. A great way to give a good review to a controversial work is to focus on technicalities of the genre. InfiniteRectangles does this by discussing what pronouns are acceptable in an essay.



   


4. Don’t be afraid to voice disagreements.
InfiniteRectangles doesn’t play softball with the author. When she disagrees with how phrases were worded, the impact of the tone, or the accuracy of the facts, she mentions it.



   


5. End with positivity!
More bread finishes off the sandwich, whatever was in between. Whether you agree or not, find something else the author did well.



   


There are five tips on reviewing a controversial work! Keep in mind, if your “review” is more argument than review, it should probably be a comment, and the Serious Discussion and Debate forum may be more suited for in depth discussions or debates.

Opinions don’t have to be left at the door to offer a good review to a controversial work! Next edition will have the analysis of a helpful opinionated review.

TWO CENTS: PUNCTUATIONwritten by Aley  < PM: >

I wrote an article for the Knowledge Base a while ago for Capitalization in Poetry where I went over the differences in capitalization. The article ended on an odd note however, just sort of, a loose reminder that punctuation's a part of this whole shindig that's going down by giving examples with punctuation and capitalization labeled for the individual example. The thing was, I never really got into punctuation in poetry because the article was already running long, and I wanted to just focus on one aspect of poetry at a time.

I did that, I gave it to our wonderful Resources team, and they gave it back all trimmed and tucked with all it's belly fat cut free. Now, as I look through the articles we have on punctuation in poetry, I just don't find what I want to say. In this Two Cents I'd like to go over what the articles are saying and weigh in on just what punctuation in poetry should be. With the face-lift Resources gave the Indexes, I can confidently share the Poetry Index: Grammar and know exactly where you're going! Everyone give @Rosendorn and @Kyllorac a big round of applause for how beautiful it is!

So the first article you see is ABC's of Punctuation in Poetry which really is the main ideas behind punctuation. Written back in 2008 (were you reading yet?) it covers punctuation in poetry in a very hands-on, prescriptive style. That means it says when to do something and when not to do something. Overall, the article is right a good 80% of the time. It encourages a large amount of punctuation, and leans towards punctuation that I like to call "sentence punctuation" because it punctuates as if it is a sentence. Where I completely disagree with it is that it talks about capitalization and it says:



   


If you've ready my article on capitalization, or had me review your poem and you had line capitalization, you'll probably be aware that I completely disagree with this statement. Not all poems need to start with capitalization at the beginning of each line. This is one of the articles which spurred me into making a more comprehensive guide to capitalization in poetry. That being said the article goes on to say exactly that, however, not in much detail. Basically it says that punctuation is one of the few tools a poet has to work with. A strong take away from this article is the ending that it provides. I agree that you cannot ignore punctuation or capitalization in poetry, you have to use what you've got and you've got so little with poetry, you are on slim pickings if you deny half of the tools at your disposal.

In summary, it's a good article. It provides some very "do this" advice for how to tackle punctuation in poetry, and even offers the alternative for when you get used to this first step. It's one of those articles I like to give people who feel like they need someone to say "do this if A, and this if B" if A and B are replaced by things like "I have a sentence ending at the end of a line" and "I do not have a sentence ending at the end of a line." The article is really good for that. It also offers up the tool of making the poem a single paragraph which I love to suggest to people too. ABCs of punctuation? Definitely.

Our next lovely article on punctuation is even older than the last. Poetry and Punctuation was written in 2007 it has a very different tone from the last one. In the beginning of the article it speaks about how punctuation is necessary for a reader to understand a poem.



   


But is that really true? If you don't have any punctuation in your poetry at all, does it actually become harder to read? I think not. If we look at the structure of sentences, the way that we speak is the way that we punctuate. When we have longer pauses, that's when we use a period. If we're reading something, we know how much goes into a sentence before we know how to punctuate it because the punctuation depends upon the language. If we didn't have punctuation in the language, we'd just have the words, it would be like listening to someone speak. Can you listen to someone speak and understand them? Sure! We do it all the time. Our inflection and tone really provides our punctuation while we speak. Even when we hear a speech that has long pauses, we know that it's a comma not a period because they haven't gotten to the root of their sentence yet.

Again, this article goes on, first saying one thing, then rejecting it by the end. In this case the article basically says that while punctuation in poetry can help make it clear, there are cases where a decided lack of punctuation actually helps/benefits a poem. So which is it? Where are we standing here?

ABC's says punctuation is all over the place. Mostly it leans towards punctuate like it's a sentence.
Punctuation and Poetry says the same thing, but with a more decided "yes, it has to be punctuated!" in the tone, with a caveat (loop hole) cleverly left at the end.

That brings us to our last punctuation guide, written by someone we might have actually heard about in a year that was almost when some of us were joining by a user some of us know. @Adnamarine still lurks around YWS on occasion, and she wrote Punctuation&Poetry: Can't I leave it out? A New Poet's Guide which covers the basics of why to avoid a lack of punctuation, but what's so bad? Why is every article so afraid of actually talking about a lack of punctuation?

Okay, I have a confession. I actually have an article in the mix for a sister article to Capitalization in Punctuation, which doesn't quite have a title yet, that covers the basics of punctuation. I'm filling the hole that we see from the three articles above. While all of them talk about no punctuation, and punctuation that follows the way a sentence operates, none of them talk about the other potentials for punctuation! There are so many out there it's ridiculous.

While I was doing some research for this article on punctuation, I realized just how much I've learned since I wrote the article for capitalization, and reading back through it, I sort of felt like a fool. I completely missed a type of capitalization in poetry.

That being said, it's easy to see how the writers of these articles have missed the panoramic of punctuation and poetry. There's punctuation that follows the breath as you read, and punctuation that follows your desired reading rather than grammar, and then there's punctuation for emphasis which doesn't actually use real punctuation so much as stuff, like… THIS! Oh! And don't forget, you sometimes- okay, so this is really random, but like, I can't believe I just forgot to mention, poetry used to be read out loud. It started out mimicking speech pattern. Just like I just did in the last sentence, speech can be interrupted at any time with grammar to help support that interruption. You can even talk like ya' really want'ta if ya c'n put in enough apostrophes. 'Cuz sometimes poetry is written like we speak, punctuation can be there just to support that. With a good understanding of how punctuation operates, which just takes reading and writing, anyone can use punctuation like they use it in dialogue in a story, and write poetry like that.

It doesn't take years of experience to figure out how punctuation affects the reader in a poem. It takes exploration, so the more you explore, and the more you hear back from other people, the better off you'll be. If you want to master writing without punctuation, go for it! Know what you're getting into, but go for it! On YWS a lot of people are going to assume that you chose not to put the punctuation in the poem because you forgot, and they're going to review saying you need punctuation. If you say in an author note that you don't want to hear that you left the punctuation out, then you might miss some valuable advice about why they feel like it doesn't work.

So what's the middle ground? For me, it's listening to the advice. Don't say you did it on purpose, just, let them have their review and if both reviews harp on just that one point, ask for more reviews. Next poem, try something else until you find a combination of style and voice that lends itself to not having punctuation in a poem.

The thing is, not having punctuation in a poem is just one option. There are so many other options to go along with punctuation that limiting it to having or not having punctuation is oddly the least confusing thing about punctuation in poetry. The combination of capitalization and punctuation makes it even more confusing. The more I read up on it, the more mixed and muddled these waters became until finally I produced what will be coming out in a while. The article is long, because the subject is complicated, but I encourage everyone to write their own.

I think everyone should write an article on their perspective of punctuation and poetry, whether it's capitalization or punctuation marks, or grammar, just because the more we get, the more wide our range of suggestions becomes. Between the 3 articles earlier, only a handful of ideas for punctuation were covered. With an understanding of what's out there, coming up with a new idea for a punctuation article isn't that hard. What do you know about punctuation in poetry? Write an article about it and submit it! Chances are, no one has covered it in quite the same way you will cover it in your article. Back up your claims, make a strong argument, and our wonderful resources will flourish in the field of poetry.

HOT SEAT: CLEVERCLOGSwritten by Aley  < PM: >

This Hot Seat I am proud to bring you @cleverclogs. She is a dedicated, and amazing poet who specializes in poetry that is clear and crisp and to the point. Her current spotlight shows this all to well as it talks about her personal experience with her brothers in a struggle we all can relate to, staying up too late [like I am now writing this article!]. That's right, this article is about an interview with the writer of Jet Lag . This poem is a running marathon of the full swing of summer, written from the heart of someone who understands.

One of the things that really makes Cleverclogs' writing great is her ability to really capture an idea of a moment, and put it into a piece of poetry. This is something that usually takes years to perfect, and as a member since just 2014, it's impressive to see! Don't just take it from me though, she has had 7 other pieces in the literary spotlight throughout her time on YWS.

Without further ado, here is my interview with Cleverclogs:



Cleverclogs: Not at all!



C: Well, my brothers both go to different schools than I do, so they've been out of school for about two or three weeks already. They've already gotten onto ridiculous sleeping schedules, so the poem was expressing the weirdness of them being up till all hours while I'm not even out of school yet. Although yesterday was the last day for me!



C: No, I'm going to attempt to stay on a relatively normal schedule. I won't be getting up at 6 AM anymore, but I'm going to try to sleep when it's dark, for the most part.



C: I'm not really sure. I guess I try to practice what I preach in reviews? I also tend to use details that are specific to my life, so maybe that's it? That's a tough question XD



C: A lot of times I think of one line and go from there. It may or may not be the first line. I remember with "To Be a Violist," I wrote it because I wanted to use "Alto Clef Activist" as a title, but in the end, it ended up not even suiting the tone of the poem. XP



C: Write from your own perspective. Make it personal to you. I find that adding specific details like that can add a lot of flair.



C: I guess I just write from my perspective. If I explain my feelings, then the reader hopefully connect with them instead of saying, "what a whiner".



C: 3rd or 4th grade? Although it took me till like 7th or 8th grade to stop being obsessed with rhyming.



C: Well, obviously I hope to improve a little bit with each new poem I write, but I'm not really looking into writing as a career, so I doubt it'll ever go beyond a pastime, to be honest.



C: No, I think that's it. Thanks for taking the time to interview me! =D



As a personal fan of this writer, I can say for sure that Cleverclogs will be getting back into the literary spotlight repeatedly. Her writing is clear, collected, and has a voice that is unique to her own experiences in life. Balancing the line of self-obsessed and personal is a very difficult trick, and with Cleverclogs it leans towards her ability to choose a moment that she can share like a story to her audience, and making that story interesting in personal enough for people to really feel who she is in just that moment.

Until next time!

NEWSFLASH
written by Lavvie < PM: >

It’s been a big week. Check out what you missed out on below!



Early Sunday morning, at around two, a shooter entered Pulse, a well-known gay nightclub in Orlando, Florido and proceeded to kill 50 hostages, injuring countless more. President Obama made responded within twenty-four hours, stating that the American people were united in “grief [and] outrage” after “an act of terror and an act of hate”. Some officials believe Omar Mateen, the shooter, might have been motivated by a radical ideology, but many American politicians claim it was no coincidence the massacre occurred in a gay club. As US Congressman Alan Grayson stated, “It may we’ve seen the commission of an awful hate crime.” International leaders have condemned the shooting, from the French President to the Pope.



The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) had extended a disqualification warning to the football (that’s soccer for North Americans) teams of England and Russia after their fans resorted to intense violence in Marseille, France. Russian fans stormed English fans and the Russian football team now faces disciplinary actions from the UEFA, including charges for setting off fireworks, crowd disturbances, and racist behaviour. Police used water canons, dogs, and tear gas in an attempt to subdue the violent fans. Since, the UEFA has promised to strengthen security in Marseille and at all other games to be played. Alcohol has been banned in and around the fanzines set up in major French cities. France will play Albania next week in Marseille.



Special laser explorations helped make the recent discovery that a few medieval Cambodian cities lay under the earth and the jungle, not far from the major tourist attraction of Angkor Wat. These new cities could completely change Southeast Asian history. Dr Damien Evan was the lucky Austrian archaeologist to use the laser scanning technology and will be publishing on Monday his findings on the underground Cambodian cities that are 900 to 1400 years old. Some of these cities are larger than Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.



Following a concert in Orlando, Florida, a gunman fatally shot singer Christina Grimmie before killing himself. The singer’s brother tackled the gunman immediately after and this is when the man pulled the trigger on himself. Christina Grimmie is a well-known name to those who frequented YouTube song covers between the years of 2008-2011, after which Grimmie moved on to bigger, more public things like The Voice, a television singing competition. Her coach was Adam Levine, lead for the band Maroon 5, and posted to Instagram expressing his sadness over her tragic passing. The hashtag #PrayForChristina has been trending on Twitter.



It seems lassoing is a good skill to have as Robert Borba from the State of Oregon recently used them to catch a thief trying to run away with a bicycle. Borba told officials he heard a woman scream after a man ran away with bike from a Walmart store. His instinct was to get his horse out of its trailer and gallop after the bike bandit. He lassoes the man around the legs. The thief was initially slowed down after struggling with the bicycle gears and then decided to flee on foot when he noticed Borba approaching on horseback. Speaking with journalists from the Medford Mail Tribune, Borba said, “If a rope catches cattle pretty good, it catches a bandit pretty good.”

NEW ARRIVALS
written by Lavvie < PM: >

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

THIS WEEK'S ROUND UP 6/12written by megsug < PM: >

The messages in This Week’s Round Up does not represent the ideology, beliefs, or opinions of Squills.

 
@Dracula shared some house elf propaganda, for any Potterheads out there. It’s based off an American Red Cross poster. Check it out:



Free the elves!
   

@Wunderbar has characters that claim names and mess with carefully planned plot. @Satira doesn’t think that is necessarily a bad thing:







Several other users can relate! Share your own experience of characters supposedly acting of their own will.


@Nate has organized the statistics of YWSers’ locations and users are taking responsibility for growing numbers in certain areas. @Dreamy and @Dutiful are claiming that they are the reason Chennai, India is in the top 10. Dreamy said:







What the two may not know yet, is they forgot @Lava when congratulating themselves. What dot on the map are you responsible for?


Rather, how to tell the difference between active and passive voice and when to use each. Squills’ @Lavvie has branched into the Resources forum with an article on voice. One take away is:







Don’t know the difference between active and passive? Want to know when to use a passive voice correctly? Check out the article!

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!

HWMTWJALBN

@Waddlers is writing a book with the longest title I have seen on YWS; How We Made The World Just A Little Bit Nicer (HWMTWJALBN). profile/Waddlers/portfolio  So far she has published up to chapter/episode 9 of this interesting book investigating good and evil. It contains a kidnapping which on the surface looks fairly ordinary. As it continues, the story develops following GriN the kidnapped girl. It eventuates her world is far from our normal and her kidnaper might not be so bad... Look out for dragons and other fantasy creatures in this evolving story which would love some reviews.    

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!