Young Writers Society

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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!






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

1. FM IINTERVIEW
2. SOCIETY PAGES
3. NOWHERE'S STAGE
4. THE LITERARY SPOTLIGHT
5. RESOURCES REPORT
6. ALL THINGS BOOKS AND READING
7. NEW ARRIVALS
8. SHAMELESS PLUGS
9. SUBSCRIBERS

FM INTERVIEW: MEGRIMwritten by Holysocks < PM: >

Today we have a lovely interview with the latest Featured Member, Megrim! Megrim is quite the star on YWS these days, as she’s recently gone-green and this is her second time being FM! I was honoured enough to speak with her the other day, and here’s the result:



Megrim: Nooo. I thought it was once only.



M: For sure! I was like... Whaaaaat??




M: Bribery of course.



M: No, it just kind of happened.



M: Being active helps. I check on the site every day and do several reviews a week. I like to read the forums and I comment on most of the questions in Resources, and then I learned that Storybooks are kind of a thing so I figured well I GUESS I ought to join some of those!
So basically, being active in multiple areas of the site, interacting with people, and putting out consistent reviews (much thanks to my WRFF thread, which everyone should go request stuff from)




M: Every SB I've joined has died in its infancy. The ones I'm in now have just gotten started. So not much experience there! (I used to RP a lot when I was younger so it's a little familiar)




M: I'll probably start my own soon.



M: A few! Leaning toward a murder mystery party style plot. Planning on some cool fantasy setting, I think!



M: I think so! The gears are turning. I pondered it quite a bit on the drive home today.



M: I spend my commute either thinking about writing, or listening to Writing Excuses podcasts.



M: It's a podcast moderated by Brandon Sanderson, with three other famous writers, as well as many great guest speakers (such as Pat Rothfuss, James Dashner, many other famous writers, occasional agents and editors, the head guy at Tor, etc). They talk about writing related questions and concepts in 15 minute bursts, and they're FULL of wisdom.



M: It IS. It's soooo helpful




M: Not yet



M: I don't listen to many podcasts. I only know about that one because Brandon Sanderson is my favorite author. And there are videos of his creative writing lectures for free on youtube, which is what I started with.




M: Fantasy! He's THE contemporary epic fantasy writer to be reading! To give you a sense of how amazing he is, he was trusted by the estate of Robert Jordan to finish the Wheel of Time series.
Mistborn is probably the best of his novels to start with.




M: You should, it's really good.



M: Read lots, engage other writers, explore the interwebs! There are lots of resources out there for aspiring writers.



M: Yw!



M: lol that would be something!

And there you have it! I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll be following more than some of her advice in the future! She seems to know what she’s doing! Until next Featured Member; so long!

SOCIETY PAGES (10/30/16-11/5/16)written by Mea < PM: >

This week (okay, last week) marks the start of November and NaNo and thus, your poor reporter has tried not to drown in the flurry of hashtags and word counts. There may still be some water in her lungs, though.

We start off the week with much Halloween festivities, from a flurry of Halloween avatars to a flurry of costume photos and hopefully a flurry of candy for everyone. @Omnom declares that the the scariest thing this Halloween is his lack of NaNo planning, and NaNoers everywhere nod frantically as they contemplate their current word count.

November comes, and with it the traditional trend of #linesfrommynano . @StellaThomas, @ChieRynn @EternalRain, @Kaos, and @Rememberance are just a few of the people to share their best work so far. Hot on its heels is #5NaNoQuestions , started by @steampowered to help people get to know their characters a little better.

A couple more days sees the birth of another hashtag trend by @marmalade: #sevencompliments . As the name implies, you tag seven people and compliment them, and then they tag seven people, and it all snowballs from there. So go spread those compliments around!

Appropriately for the time of year, @RoseAndThorn has just realized that there are footprints on her ceiling. Bare footprints. Apparently ghosts don’t wear shoes.

In one of the biggest announcements of week, @Sonder’s family will be adopting another little brother! He is 7 years old and also from China, and it’s just too amazing for words.

In other news, @heather has a toaster element with your name on it, @marmalade has discovered herself to be a ENFP, @Strange accidentally managed to fire a MLP-fanfic-writing teacher, poor @fortis is trying to register for college classes, @ScarlettFire’s kitty is being bratty (and too adorable for words), and @Craz has used her adult skillz to… buy a massive bag of candy and eat it all. Because that’s what adult skillz are for.

And that about wraps it up for this week! NaNoers: stay strong. Everyone else: enjoy your freedom.

Mea out.

Nowhere's Stagewritten by ChildOfNowhere < PM: >

Dear YWSers,

this column is for you.

We all know that, behind the cute avatars and everchanging usernames, there are real people, with real thoughts and feelings, and views on the world that we may not always dare to share publicly. Admitting to or sharing issues, losses or even victories under one's name can sometimes be overwhelming, and it's not uncommon for many of us in those cases to opt for silence.

This column exists to break that silence. Not because it's not okay, but because it's important to be allowed to be silent and still be heard.
This column is here to give voice to all the emotions -- good or bad, or anywhere on the ridiculously huge spectrum in between -- a place to be honest and be heard, but not seen.

Without disclosing your name, this column exists to let you anonymously share all those rants you didn't want to post on your blog or wall, all those little secrets you maybe just want to see written out but aren't yet ready to admit out loud, and shoutouts to achievements as much as failures. A public-yet-anonymous hall of confessions.

Here's how it'll work
Really, it's quite simple. If you have a thought you wish to share, something to get off your chest but don't want to post publicly with your name next to it, message it to me privately and note it's for this column. Keep in mind that it isn't the purpose of this column to openly give advice or in any way comment on the stories it shares; it's here to be the voice of many who for whatever reason can't or don't want to speak up at the time.

I hereby pledge to keep all the stories and confessions I receive to myself, and not disclose your name in connection to what I publish in this column.

However, please note that we as staff of YWS take the safety of our members very seriously, and for that reason I retain the right to share a sharer's username with an admin if we believe there is reason for concern.

THE LITERARY SPOTLIGHTwritten by Casanova < PM: >

Here on YWS you all know we have a thing called the Literary Spotlight. This consists of five different works from most genres that have gotten a certain amount of likes in a period of forty eight hours. Amazing, right? To see your work get a certain amount of likes in a set time- and then see it on the front page! You feel a sense of pride when you first get in there, but what is it really about?

Some think that the spotlight is biased- that it doesn't show anything but the "popular peoples" works. Others think that the spotlight actually means something- that it's a chance to prove how good you are.

The controversy, at times, is overwhelming and sometimes you don't know which opinion is correct. So, I asked two Spotlight dominators, @fortis and @Kaos, to answer some questions on the spotlight. Here are there answers:



fortis: Worthy? I think any good literary work is worthy for the spotlight. "Goodness" includes things like technical skill, a new idea, real emotion, or any other reason that someone might like a particular work.

Kaos: I think that the Literary Spotlight tends to leave a lot of stuff out because it seems to be more of a popularity contest of who has the most friends or something of that sort. For what I think is worthy of being in the Literary Spotlight is, half the time, not there and instead sort of goes unnoticed. This question also sort of asks "What makes good writing?" which I think, that there are a lot of different variables that go into what makes something "good."



f: I think for sure it helps you get into the literary spotlight with those things, but the spotlight is based on "likes" so what helps a lot more is for more people to see the work. The farther spread the work is, the more likely someone with give it a "like." So some things that make a work more likely to get into the spotlight are shoutouts, wall posts, or people who have more followers "liking" the work (because it shows up on the people feed for everyone else to see). But in general, to get these things (except for wall posts from yourself, I guess) the work needs the "worthiness attributes." No one's gonna shout out a sucky work lol

K: A work that is in the Literary Spotlight to me doesn't necessarily have to be "good" and it shouldn't really be the judge of what is the "best" or not because it's other peoples' /opinions/ on the work. Having it being a work that is considered to be good definitely affects what gets into the literary spotlight. There are things that make it an unclear system because there could be people who ask for people to leave likes, or people who have a lot of friends or followers. Someone could even put a click-bait title or make a topic that is considered to be "edgy" and gain likes that way, but that doesn't mean the poem is "good".



f: A lot of times people "like" their friends' works and want to support them in what they do. This can lead to... an inflation, I guess? in the "likes" of this person's works. I also think it's hard to define what makes a work really of quality. Some people might not like poetry that doesn't rhyme, for example, and they feel jaded that unrhyming poetry is so popular, thinking it's just the popularity of the poet that's getting the works up there. Though popularity can be a huge factor in the literary spotlight. (That's again because of the whole people feed thing where if someone posts a work, all their followers will see it and thus gain more spread.)

K: I feel as if the Literary Spotlight does have a bias to it, it isn't really right to judge a work based on how many likes it has because there are other factors that could go into getting likes. There could be a popular user on the website whom is well-known and therefore gets a lot of likes. On the flip side of this, there could be someone new to the website who posts their work that could be argued to be just as "good" as this popular user's work, but they receive less attention just due to the fact that they don't have a following of people behind them. There could also be people on the site who happen to have a lot of friends, this makes the poem spread farther and friends are more likely to leave a like on the work.



f: I think people are definitely inspired by spotlight works. Just look at how whenever there's a "controvercial" subject brought up in one of the works, sometimes there's another work of a similar but oposite title written from the other point of view. If that's not a type of inspiration, I don't know what is. But I do think a lot of people see what's "popular" here on YWS and try to emulate it. I know I definitely have changed my style since I joined, but I do think it's changed for the better. I'm just a little worried that because it's so easy to draw inspiration off of writers on YWS, that people aren't reading famous poets and seeing the different styles that exist in the published poetry world. I feel like most "popular poets" on YWS have a sort of similar style and that's teaching budding poets that that's the only "correct" or "worthy" way of writing poetry, which is simply not true.

K: I think that people can be inspired by works that get into the Literary Spotlight. People will often try to do what people in the Spotlight have done, even though I don't really believe in this. There are some poets on here who think in the way that there is only a certain way to write poetry and they're more highly respected so people will listen to them. I don't believe in this or there being a real and right way to write. Overall what I'm trying to say is that the Literary Spotlight does not equal something being good because of other factors that could mess it up or something of that sort. If everything that was popular was good, then this world would be quite the crazy place to live in.

Two entirely different opinions which show the truth of it. Is the spotlight biased in it's choosing? Perhaps. But does that mean that the works in the spotlight shouldn't be there? But does that mean that other works, not in the spotlight, don't deserve it? I constructed the next interview to show the difference in spotlight, and not spotlight, works.

I have taken the time to talk with @RadiantShadow and @Lumi for this interview.



RadiantShadow: There are many aspects to what makes a piece of work good or better then others, however my personal top 2 catagories that I try to entwine in my works are; emotion and moral. If someone tries to write some sort of prose or poetry and is not able to simulate the right type of emotion - wheter it be an emotion or expreince s/he has been through themselves - the work will suffer and it almost as if there is something huge missing from it. In addition to this there must be some sort of moral that comes out of the work even if its not very visable to everyone, it should at least be very clear in the writers mind.

Lumi: A good work should ultimately reflect the amount of meticulous, enduring work that went into its craft. In poetry, this can be something as simple as the ability for the metaphors and images to flow together without hiccup. In prose, there's a large riveting factor! But--ultimately, without doubt, when a writer constructs with care and artisanry, it will likely be noticed.



R: Well, popularity plays a huge role in what gives a work attention, which isn't really fair however when a work is truly good it will get the attention its deserves on its own. The use of an eye catching title also really works to get the attention a work needs it being relevent to the work or not it still works as a good hook.

L: The factors are innumerable. It could be popularity, craftsmanship, subject matter, or complete random happenstance. Heck, I've seen works featured for weeks on end as pranks (from 2004, no less). If you're being serious about the ins and outs, the system is designed to reflect the appreciation the community has for writers and their work--so be it popularity or prowess, it does work quite effectively...until it gets pranked.



R: Easy to answer, to get a higher probability of getting into the literary spotlight. I do admit it is a very tempting act to do and especially to the new members as they do tend to do it often, which in itself isn't really a bad thing to do if you are new. Another reason one might decide to 'like' his or her own work is to make other members aware of the work, as when someone 'likes' a work it is shown under the 'people' tab.

L: I'm going to read the question as though the "someone" says "you" and give you a non-umbrella response. I press the button when a writer sticks with me well after I've left the page. Remember this: the button never gets pressed on first visit. If I leave, go to read something else, and am still thinking about _____ by ______, then it's on me, it's done its job, and it deserves the praise. And more often than not, the works that get the like are also marked for a review shot.



R: The literary Spotlight is the first thing anyone -being a member or a guest- sees when they get on the YWS page hence the point of it is to show the good works that other people have already published. It serves as an inspiration source, either for a member to go write something or for a guest to join the site.

L: Honestly? It shows me what works are the most popular and deserving of improvement, and thus most deserving of critical reviews. The more a writer is thrown into the spotlight, the more likely that person is to get a following from me, as well as scathing reviews--unless their material is already a cut into the fine meat; but it still gets scathing reviews. Everyone deserves to improve--especially those who are seen as trailblazers in the community.

There you have it. In contrast of spotlight works VS, non-spotlight works- the insides, the works themselves, aren't any different. What makes a good work isn't always what makes a spotlight work, but if it's in the spotlight it will be reviewed, and it will be improved. The same as any work. But does that mean a spotlight work is good or not? As stated above- it depends on the work itself. Some work do get in the spotlight because of their quality and content. Other works get in because of popularity around the site, people "liking" the work because of some sort of relationship with the author.

Poets who dominate the spotlight don't do it purely on popularity, or skill, however. It's a mixture of both- as was stated in the interview. People like the work not just based on quality. It's several reasons. A friend who has a work in the green room might get more likes than someone who has a poem that's been reviewed twice already- since it's not in the open anymore. You have to search for it- unlike the ones in the green room which are just there.

In conclusion it seems that The Literary Spotlight has a bit of biased, but the truth of it is based on opinions. Your views on it is what makes it what it is. So, do you like a work because of popularity, or do you like it for it's content and quality?

Resources Reportwritten by ChildOfNowhere < PM: >

In the Forums between Community and Creativity Corner, lies the Resources section. While it's likely that, for most people reading this, it's not a completely unfamiliar place, I've decided to start this column by answering the most basic question: What is the Resources section?

Masterfully put by my co-crew leader @Rosendorn,






It is home to some of the most helpful advice you may read on YWS, and it's separated into smaller parts:

Ask An Expert is where you are welcome to ask a question you need an answer to, as well as answer the questions you may know the answer to.

Knowledge Base , while it might appear similar at first, is the place to look for answers. Here you can find articles polished up and approved by the Resources Crew, that cover a wide variety of topics across five main categories, each of which features a regularly updated index of articles for easy navigation. To get your article posted here, you need to follow the submission rules stated in a sticky post on top of each of the sections.

The Will Review For Food forum is where you are welcome to post a thread asking for specific works to review and have people volunteer their pieces. It is also where you may request reviews from other threads -- however, please read the pinned post with rules first.

Writers Corner is the stage for you to talk all about your ideas and WIPs. It's here that you're welcome to ponder over plot, introduce characters or ask for opinions on which of your plot twists seems more interesting. And much more.

Writing Tips, self-explenatory, is the place for you to get tips on writing, as well as to give them. It differs from Ask An Expert mainly in the sense that it deals with general tips rather than specific questions.

Finally, the Writers Market is where you will find information on contests and publishing opportunities non-related to YWS.


The Resources section of YWS is moderated by the dedicated staff of The Resources Crew .

The next time you feel stuck with your story, or you find a new way of developing characters something and want to share it with others, or you really feel like reviewing but are having troubles deciding on what to start with, or even just want to learn something about an area or a method you haven't previously heard much about, visit the Resources section in the Forums, and feel free to always message one of its moderators if you are unsure about anything within it.

All Things Books and Readingwritten by Pretzelstick < PM: >

Surprise here’s edition #2 of my new column “All Things Books and Reading!” Announcement: I need people to start writing in their requests for recommendations. In order to keep that running, please PM me or message me in chat and I will be delighted at your inquiries.

Also: As a huge podcast junkie I would like to wholeheartedly recommend my favorite podcast about books ever All the Books from Book Riot. Liberty and Rebecca are a podcat match made in heaven and I am absolutely delighted to listen to their show every week Highly reccomend if you want to know more front titles.

Now, because books are quite therapeutic to me, let’s roll on and focus on them!

Something I can't let go of:
At this bookstore, scream your lungs away. (They want you to)






Speaking of therapy, there is apparently a dark “scream room” in a bookstore in Cairo where they actually want you to scream your lungs out in this soundproof room. This is a completely intriguing and new concept to me, but apparently this is a “thing” that’s done around the world. These sessions last 10 minutes long and according to scientific studies (found here ) screaming/yelling does have a positive effect on your brain.
I could imagine that this the most popular feature in the story, some customers come from all over the world just to try it out and see how it works for them. Definitely going to be putting this on my bucket list of bookstores to visit.

What's New in the World of Books:

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah :
Publication Date: November 15, 2016







I want to place a copy of this book in every person’s hands.

Eye-opening and raw, this book changed my perspective, gave me something to think about, and educated my mindset about systemic racism in ways that I haven't known before. I had physical reactions of laughs of dark comedy, gasps of chilling shock, and tears leaking from my eyes.

Noah is the host of The Daily Show, and although he didn't touch upon that part of his life, he implements excellent dark comedy and musings into these pages, and I loved every word of it. I just hope that he writes another book soon, because I want more from him as a writer.

This is one of the best memoirs that I've read this year, and that's saying a lot because memoirs are one of my favorite genres, and this one came from a powerful narrative.[/i]

Amazon-- Goodreads

#Reccomendsday:

This is a write-in column where I use get your recommendation requests/questions.

The second honorary mention was sent to me from @Mea and she writes:






I have two suggestions based on your previous favorite and let me tell you a little bit about them:

Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan


If you like Brandon Sanderson, you’ll like Michael J. Sullivan. This is the first novel of a 6 part series, but it’s set in the same world as his previous novels, just further back in time.

The quality of this book was unexpected but it blew me out of the water while reading. Michael Sullivan has proven that he is well-crafted writer who can manage writing the best intense fighting scenes that I have literally ever read in a long time. They took my breath away, and made me feel like I was standing right there in harm's way. I will definitely be rereading the climax scene of this book just to once again immerse myself in the world that he has built, just because it's out-of-this-world amazing.

Amazon --Goodreads

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova


I was debating back and forth if this book should make the cut, but ultimately, it was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences:






--Lambda Literary
Amazon --Goodreads

Quote of the Week:






Happy Reading y’all!

~Book Whisperer

New Arrivalswritten by Lightsong < PM: >

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

@veronika @MoonLitTragedy @TheInvisiblBoom @insanityandbeyond @SheilaSparks @Teenwriter13 @Tituseq @certverto @orville @CarleyWilkerso @itsprobablydelia @Himanshu @gcmmndlhc3c @LittleMissLegendary @Vogel @Dorseyhr @Eddynf @Jeanbv @Adrianuu @hertymolof8 @madisonmae19 @DaleenHolder @gcm24aydf @Shaynenh @Jackqa @Colined @Kadywattle37 @Clinton @LBV1996 @Juliette @Maximodb @QueenSammers @ZeldaIsShiek @Emeryjc @nedztorres @ahmblfgdi9m @rawritszoe @xertomlokma3 @pokorkowegab2 @CreativeNate @rp16888 @Atlas1991 @Artrex @MDG15 @olkertmasa @tfioslove @baghelneeru94 @WhosabellCanWrite @GhoulShifter64 @felida @Tiptoe @Nina @knitika @fpgml42 @andygibbs23 @rapmon8965 @dhdkv79 @gabpotykaczeee2 @xenph77 @gabpotykacze1

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