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.

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

1. A FAREWELL TO CHAT
2. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: KAL
3. SOCIETY PAGES
4. WRITERS OF THE ROUND TABLE: INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPHGEORGE
5. THIS WEEK’S ROUND UP 1/8
6. NEW ARRIVALS
7. SHAMELESS PLUGS
8. SUBSCRIBERS

A FAREWELL TO CHATwritten by Mea < PM: >

The news has swept the site: in an unexpected decision, Nate has decided to remove chat and chatbar entirely from YWS due to safety and legal concerns. (For more information, see here .)

In light of this, I decided to give a bit of a farewell to chat, interviewing four users (@lostthought, @felidae, @Prokaryote, and @AstralHunter) over the chatbar for the final time and asking them how they used chat, what their favorite memories are, and what their plans for the future are.

With lostthought:


L: I mostly use chat a lot. It's great 'cause I can talk to people in there that I can't otherwise talk to anywhere else, plus you get to see other people interact, which can be pretty funny/interesting at times. I mostly used chat just to talk to my friends in all honesty. Regarding what I usually talked about, I don't reckon there was a general thing overall that I talked about, considering how finicky and random chat can be.


L: I think my best memories of chat is when the cloakroom was actually first implemented. There was so much fighting over who was actually the owner of the room since everyone wanted to claim it.


L: I don't think there was really a winner. In all honesty, if it was anyone, it was @Dreamery. He fought pretty hard for that title.


L: Some people are probably going to either switch to either forums or other media. I know that quite a few chat-goers have switched to an unofficial discord server to continue talking to their friends- me included. It's pretty neat, actually.



With felidae:



f: I used it, but I only started to use it recently because I'm fairly new and I was still working out how things worked But I made quite a few new friends with the chat bar.


f: Yup. And to discuss Storybooks.


f: I think I'll either send PMs, or find a platform outside of YWS to chat on. And maybe join the unofficial YWS chat that's supposedly happening.



With Prokaryote:



P: Yeah, I use the chatroom but mainly out of habit; not many interesting conversations happen there anymore. The chatbar is great, though. Much easier to stay in touch with people and find new people to talk to. It's fun.



P: Just use the discord chat. I've already gotten the contact info of the people I regularly talk to through the chatbar, so it won't be a big deal once it's gone. I will miss the oddball, out-of-nowhere conversations it facilitated, though.



With AstralHunter:


A: I didn't use Chat, as in The Lounge, very often outside events, but the chatbar I used semi-regularly, mostly for talking with friends, though also for asking and answering questions and taking moderating requests.


A: Any questions I received would mostly be about a storybook I created or in which I was involved, but those I predominantly encourage to ask in the concerned Discussion Topics, so I seldom get any. Requests for me to act in a moderating capacity I got a bit more frequently, although those were mostly because I was one of the only moderators online at the time. Being an SB mod, there wasn't much I could do anyway, so I'd always pass the request/report on to somebody who could.


A: My favourite memory of the Lounge was the 2016 Monkeys vs Dragons event, since I was part of a relatively small group of users who participated and thus contributed more than I might have otherwise. My favourite memories of the chatbar would be the night-long conversations and serious discussions I had with friends.


A: I've already begun doing that since the start of last year. Though the chatbar was certainly useful, it was limited in certain ways. For example, you could only start a chat with another person if they were online and visible, and it would kick you if you remained inactive in YWS for an hour (two after Nate increased the limit); considering how involved I am with my chats, especially at night, that happened quite often. I therefore got the contact details of as many friends as I could, so I now communicate with them by means of my cellphone, either through WhatsApp or Skype. This not only allows us to talk more conveniently, but also more frequently. If the phone isn't an option, however, I use WriterFeedPad, a site to which all YWSers have access, to have conversations. WFP is anyway a tool with which most storybookers are familiar - it is the best option for having group discussions and writing collaboratively - so using it in the future will go without saying. If all else fails, we can always resort to the Personal Message system, which has been invaluable in the past and remains so to this day.

I personally found a lot of interesting insights in all of these responses - if nothing else, it shows that although this is a big change, we can definitely adapt and move forward.

For those wondering about the mentions of a discord group, see here for more information. And don’t forget the Break the Chat Event on the 10th!

FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: KALwritten by Nikayla < PM: >

We are here with another Featured Member Interview, this time with the lovely @KAL! We have seen them active around the site from the get-go and it was no surprise that they would get the spot of Featured Member from the start! They have been active in reviewing and the Storybook section as well as just being a wonderful presence on the site in general. I happened to get an interview with them, and here's how it all went!



K: My hopes on joining this site were that I'd be able to read some really great and interesting stories, make at least a couple of new friends, try to give decent advice, or write okay reviews.



K: I never once expected to be FM, no. I mean, I've only been on here for around three weeks, so I never thought that really new users had an equal chance of being featured, but that's something I definitely think is really cool.



K: I think I got Featured Member because although I haven't been on this site for very long, I tired to delve into everything: I got two Review stars, I joined a couple of Storybooks, I posted in a few of the forums. I tried to be as active as I possibly could.



K: My advice is that you should just try to do as much as you can on here without messing with your life - if you like writing and creating characters, then join a bunch of SBs, or if you really like reading, then write a bunch of good quality reviews. There's a lot of great things you can do on here, just find the one you really enjoy and go from there.

There you have it, our newest Featured Member, KAL! It was a lovely time getting to interview them about this since they've already made an active streak on the site and we all hope it stays that way!

SOCIETY PAGESwritten by Mea < PM: >

Hello, readers, and welcome to the 2017’s first edition of Society Pages! And without further ado, here are all the goings-on that have been going on while your very own reporter has been away, or well, at least all the goings-on of the last week or so.

Of course, the biggest event of the week was the fond (or not so fond) goodbye to 2016 and welcome of 2017. The wall posts rolled in as the clock rolled over, starting in Samoa and sweeping through Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, Hawaii, and finally back to Samoa through the magical power of timezones. And with that 2017 was born and every date I write will have a little smudge mark where I had to erase the number six.

Thanks to the new year, the YWS 2016 Yearbook is underway, and @Wolfical, @DragonWriter22, @fortis, and several others have all posted an update tagging those they mentioned in their post. Don’t forget to write your own yearbook post!

@Lauren2010 only needs to do 2 reviews a week to earn her next star by 2018! That’s definitely doable, right?

@Nate updated YWS’s copyright thing at the bottom of the page on time this year, thus preventing those pervasive copyright aliens from making off with all of YWS's code and achieving their goal to create a fake YWS! (I know that sounds like a conspiracy theory, but the evidence is there, I tell you!)

@Lareine has already found their quote to sum up 2017:






@SmaugsCat has gotten a bunch of adorable Sherlock “funko pops.” They’re little dolls that look similar to bobble heads. My favorite is the Moriarty one because of the crown.

Shortly after joining YWS, @reneehope declares that she has spent all day on here, an experience I’m sure many YWSers are familiar with. We hope she will spend many more days to come on here!

@ChieRynn experienced an awful storm, where, in her words, “there’s just about all the warnings you can think of issued.” Later, we learn that one of those warnings came true, and there was in fact a tornado, though thankfully it didn’t directly hit them.

@Fairylight has been doing some absolutely stunning art over on her wall. Mostly landscapes, I believe they’re done in oil pastel, and the colors are vibrant and warm. Make sure to check them out and ask how she does it!

Three of @Mage’s friends have forwarded her the same junk mail, with a twist - the link that will show you the face of your true love is broken. One wonders what that's supposed to show about the recipients’ true loves. Mage herself has never forwarded chain mail because, unless she’s being haunted by a “very chill” ghost, none of its dire predictions have ever come true.

@Snoink is bragging that Mary screams louder than your kids. A sentiment that certainly invites sympathy, though my little sisters might give Mary a run for her money.

@Love has found an amazing (joke) website that lets you download more RAM entirely for free. The website to end all slow computers, or so it claims. I’ve already downloaded at least 25GB. I’ll let you know when I see an improvement.

And finally, @niteowl’s mother is a little confused after seeing The Force Awakens. Her question?






And that’s all for this week, folks. Tune in next time to catch more of the laughs, weather, and celebrations in the lives of our wonderful YWSers!

WRITERS OF THE ROUND TABLE: INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPHGEORGE written by Aley < PM: >

Welcome back to the New Year and with it, we have a new club in town. This club is all about friendship and allies, set in a setting of knights with challenges that will be revolving around things like battling dragons, building a homestead, and creating a house name.

Writers of the Round Table is a club covered in archaic language, beautiful images, and everything you could ever want if you were hoping for something a little more involved out of things like Knights of the Green Room , but all in a baby club that's still trying to get on it's feet. Now is the time to join this new adventure by simply completing a puzzle set forth to you by @JosephGeorge, the fair, overworked King of this new land.

I was able steal a moment of his time for an interview. Here is what he said when I asked him about the club, it's future, and most importantly, how to join.


JosephGeorge: Sure thing.


J: Well, you could say they are. I remember back to when I was active on another account and being a Knight of the Green Room was quite enjoyable. I thought the same feel would go great for a club.


J: Well, it's hopefully the YWS brotherhood (we can throw "sisters" in there as well, but I had to keep it archaic.) Everything we do on this site should be tied back to its origin, so I want to make sure that's a big part of it.


J: My first desire was to create a group of friends that can call on one another to help out with various writing needs. But taking it farther, I want to create a fun environment where we can all enjoy life, especially that of writing, a little more, including contests and games and random things.

There's also the hope that many of those that join will be willing to engage in different "quests" to help out YWS, like going on GR Raids and having some "like" Bash-outs.


J: Sure, alliances with other clubs is definitely a high priority.


J: Well, in an attempt to make it feel more legitimate, I've created this somewhat random (but I feel fun) way. Once a YWSer has clicked to subscribe, I'll send them an "Examination" form in a PM. Once they've filled out the little questionnaire, I give them a "challenge" in the form of a riddle. After successfully solving it, they then are knighted and can enter the ranks, where they are inducted into one of four houses.


J: The houses are similar to that of Harry Potter. The council of "High Elders" determines which one is right for you based off the questionnaire you've taken. I've based them off the four suits in a Tarot deck, (Swords, Pentacles, Staves and Cups,) to stick with the Arthurian theme of things.


J: Currently it's only myself, (shh. don't tell anyone XD. But in the coming future I'll be calling on some of the more active and mature members to help out with all of the administrative things, and they will be helping with applicants and their knighting and housing assignments.


J: (Technically they're supposed to die in the ring, and bye bye....) I will just keep letting them try, and eventually give hints if they need it. They can also call for help from friends and such. It's mostly just to make it fun.


J: Nope, you can swing your sword as many times as you wish.


J: To be honest, I haven't thought much about that. As we get more members I'll be rousing them up and inviting them to create their own sorts of fun and adventure. At some point in time we'll have tournaments and give them points and awards.


J: So far I haven't set that up, as I don't figure that anyone will be doing much of that until we get a little bit farther, maybe a day or two.
But there will definitely be the space provided.


J: Greet new members, talk about events and other things that are coming up. (Unfortunately the club forum abilities are somewhat limited, so I'm wary of creating too many topics as I don't want it to become crowded and messy, but if it seems needed, then we'll add places for each House to chat and talk about random things.)


J: The design and the WotRT logos are mine, but the two images for the avatar and the banner are pulled from other sources.


J: Most of them. A few have done their own.


J: If I could say anything it would be that I've created this in an effort to build the community of YWS, and the way it will happen is if there's help from the members. Of course I'll do my best to make things run smooth and have fun, but ultimately, if the members, no matter how few, all work together, then we'll have a lot of fun.


J: No, it was my pleasure.

Since the interview, there have been questions, plans, and new plans for this club, but it is finally starting to really understand what it wants to be, so now is the time to join before these adventures go on without you.

Primarily, there will be challenges which you will complete from a list in order to win points for your assigned house, but later, there will also be RPs in the classic tabletop version either in the guild or in the Storybook section of YWS to look forward to.

Right now JosephGeorge is still creating the setup for the club, so if you ever wanted to be in on the ground floor of a cool thing, now's the time to apply and set yourself to puzzling out that entry riddle.

For all of the rules and guidelines of applying, check out the about page in the club and then click the subscribe button to apply.

THIS WEEK’S ROUND UP 1/8 written by megsug < PM: >

Some bad news and some nice change comes to YWS in This Week’s Round Up!


For those who haven’t heard, @Nate has decided to take down the chat bar and chatroom. For explanation, Nate said:







Alternatives are writerfeedpad and offsite chatting options though those would be unofficial. A bright side to this would be a boom of threads in The Lounge where people would relate instead of through chat.


@Prokaryote interviewed Squills own @Mea for a first issue of Spoobs, a new newsletter on the block. Check it out for fun tidbits about Mea like:







We’ll be on the lookout for a second issue next week!


The forecasted replacement of chat by the Lounge has already begun with a thread about the woes of writers. Users can still bond over word-based struggles. Several users express similar feelings to @Dest’s:







Others relate through the hatred of naming things or discuss how they’re different than the majority who have expressed their feelings.


for @EmmVeePi! He finished a novel, and is letting people know about it via The Lounge. He’s also keeping people updated on his sequel:







The forums in general will be a great place for conversations about progress on projects.

NEW ARRIVALS
written by EternalRain < PM: >

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

@Zoom has written some amazing, in depth reviews since they’ve joined the site. The writers receiving them are incredibly lucky.

@UnidreamXOXO has completed five reviews, which means they have acquired their first review star.

@MeatBunCat has a whopping 37 posts in the forums and 2 reviews already. Give ‘em a round of applause!

@reneehope has already 6 reviews and joined on January 1! They also have a work up about a modern day Frankenstein .

SHAMELESS PLUGS

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