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. HOLY SPAM: REVIEW BLUES
2. LAST MAN STANDING INTERVIEW
3. SOCIETY PAGES
4. ONE YEAR OF IMPROVEMENT
5. ROUNDUP
6. SUBSCRIBERS

Holy Spam Presents: Review Blueswritten by Holysocks < PM: >

You may have noticed a few columns in Squills centred around one person’s opinions, experiences, and insights- Holy Spam is Holy’s (my) equivalent of that. Though let’s be honest; this will probably just be me ranting about random things and laughing at the universe (shhh, don’t tell Megsug!).

This week I want to talk about reviewing. Actually I was roped into doing this by Aley. I love reviewing. I also hate reviewing. It’s one of those things where I crave it, but also really dislike the texture and wonder why on earth I’m eating it. I review because a) It’s - hopefully - helpful to the authors, b) I feel obligated to, c) I LOVE it, and d) I know reviewing improves my own writing, and considering I don’t write nearly as much as I should, reviewing is one of the best ways to improve my writing.

So then, why do I hate it? How can you hate something you love (that’s almost a completely different rant but we’ll try to stick to reviewing for right now)? There’s many things that go into reviewing: energy, creativity, kindness, critical thinking, empathy (there’s empathy just in reading the story a lot of times because we’re always trying to connect with characters through empathy), time, typing- the list goes on. We put a lot of effort into reviewing, which of course, makes it even more rewarding, but that doesn’t mean it’s not difficult.

I’m often afraid of reviewing. There’s the fear that I’m going to offend or hurt the author, then there’s the fear that my advice has no weight behind it, and is just a bunch of rubbish. Then there’s the fear that I won’t find anything to critic in my review- and this is a big one for me. The fear of not having something to critique isn’t as easily quashed as the other fears because each time I start reading a new work, there’s no guarantee I’ll find something. It almost seems wrong to be hoping for there to be something that I dislike in a work, or think needs improvement, isn’t it? Mostly it’s not that I want that work to have flaws, it’s just that I tend to be a very slow reader, and reading a novel chapter only to discover that there’s nothing you want to critique in it, can be very disappointing when you came to that chapter with a craving to review!

The thing that makes the fear of not knowing what to critique kind of irrational is that there’s generally always something you can say about a piece because there’s so many elements to a story or poem. So when I don’t know what to say, I simply start writing down what I thought- and I’ve found you always think something about a piece. Whether you liked something a character said or how they acted- maybe you appreciated their morals, or maybe you didn’t like how they talked to one of their friends, and are having mixed feelings about them now. Things like this help the author understand how their writing is coming across to the reader, and let’s them know if they’re portraying what they want to portray. It’s kind of strange, but I think some of my best reviews have come out of the fear of not having anything to critique, because then it forces me to look at the work in a completely new light.

LMS Participants Interviewwritten by Nikayla < PM: >

This week, I've gathered three different participants to interview who have signed up for the Last Man Standing contest. Last Man Standing is where you have to write so much in a week. For Warriors this time around, 1,000 words, and for Bards, 14 lines or more of poetry. I won't get too into the specifics and at the end I will leave a link to the LMS club for you all to see and perhaps join! Let's get right into the interviews.

Our first interview comes from @Falconer!


Falconer: I was really just missing the consistency of writing. It gave me lots of good habits, and I really want to keep those up and keep learning. Goals are great, but it's helpful to have something there to keep you on task and others working with you as well. Besides, I have tons of novel ideas that never get executed. I want them all to progress!


F: I signed up as a warrior. I really want to focus on just the novel writing right now, and being a Rogue would give me too many excuses to get off track. Being a Bard was very appealing, but I can always come back and do NaPo so I thought I'd save that for another time.


F: I think I'll be writing a fantasy novel that's been on my mind for a while. It's centered around this king whose emotions are connected with the seasons. In the summer and times of prosperity, he rules with lenience. He makes sure that the kingdom is prepared for the ravaging winter to come. If an enemy invades, the kingdom practically turns into a wasteland. The people can withstand it, and so the kingdom is saved for another time of prosperity. However, everything changes forever when a thief out to steal his crown charms her way into his life.


F: I possibly could. I hung on for a long time last time, but I have some big things this summer. It's also hard when going through NaNoWriMo at the same time like I did last year! I really just want to keep myself writing, so I probably won't win. My goal isn't winning though, I'm just happy to participate.

This next interview is from @Holysocks!


Holysocks: GOOD question. I've watched LMS for round one and round two, and I've never felt that I could do it. But lately I've been realizing that I'm capable of much more than I give myself credit for- and I'm desperate to create a writing habit for myself.


H: I signed up for the roll as warrior because I think if I went as a rogue I wouldn't have the same kind of motivation since it's on your own sort of terms (I'm pretty sure...) whereas being a warrior, it's kinda write or die. I'd be a bard but poetry is not my main-game; prose is!



H: I have a few ideas, but they're all terrifying. I don't think I'm going to do a novel- Tenyo mentioned that we can do short stories that have a bit of a linking theme to them. I have to talk to her a bit more about that, because I'm not sure what is an acceptable theme, but I'm thinking I might have a recurring character in all the shorts... and it'll have to be a very interesting character I think- so I don't get incredibly bored! I also toyed with the idea of having the recurring theme something like I have to incorporate a giraffe in every story, or something like that. But if I have to write stories about robots for as long as LMS goes - or as long as I go - I don't think I would make it. I'll have to ask Tenyo.


H: Um, well, not really. I know technically I can, because 1000 words a week really isn't that much. But it's more that I'm worried I'll lose all motivation and just go "there's no point". Like that's what happened for me for Nano this year; I was super excited, I wanted SO bad for November to arrive... and then I think I wrote all of three days. And yet camp Nano did GREAT things for me. So we'll really have to see how things go. I mainly just want to have fun and learn to actually write regularly!

Our final interview came from @Apricity!


Apricity:Bards. Bards. Bards.


A: Sign up as a bard, because it's less demanding than writing a 1000 word chapter if not more week by week. Life is demanding and I also don't have enough stamina to finish off a novel, however being a Bard not only allows me to finetune my poetry and practice it. It's also far less demanding than being a Warrior.


A: I have absolutely no idea.


A: I certainly hope so c:

That's all we have for this week. These three were wonderful to interview, and we will wish them luck in LMS as well as everyone else participating! Here is a link to the club of Last Man Standing: clubs/1852

SOCIETY PAGESwritten by Mea < PM: >

Welcome back to your weekly column covering YWSers’ whims and woes, as measured by their status updates. The best place to catch up with all the trends, real life events, and miscellaneous thoughts!

@Sonder’s brother has an admirer! A little girl who likes to follow him around and play with him. Is it love in the making, or just friendship?

@Lava is getting ready for always-scary job interviews, and reflecting on how YWS has improved her writing and communication even in science areas. That’s right, guys, it turns out that you don’t get out of writing just because you got a STEM degree. Not that getting out of writing is a priority for most of us.

Lots of people, including @KAL, @Alpha, @Leeker, @godlypopo, @RippleGylf, and @Iggy were all alternately stunned, amazed, and broken-hearted after watching the newly-aired final episode of Sherlock S4.Those of us who still haven’t found the time and are trying to avoid spoilers are growing more apprehensive by the day. What more can happen to our rude detective?

This week was a good one for hashtags, starting with new hashtag going around: #10thingsthatmakeyouhappy . Examples have included everything from God to the smell of nutmeg, and it puts a smile on this reporter’s reading them all. We also see the resurrection of an old hashtag, #tenthingsaboutme , and just in the last day another one, #weirdtidbits , was started by @Omnom. Get tagging, folks!

@BlueAfrica is reading through one of her old stories and is highly amused by all the names she recycled and how many characters she killed. It definitely sounds like a dangerous story to be in.

@Mage and @Love have successfully finished their exams! It also turns out that @Love used to not be able to blink only one eye, but has always been able to wiggle their ears.

@passenger can’t seem to finish their old novel, so they’re starting a new one! This one is about a group of high schools who make a pact with the devil.

@featherstone9086 went to a field meet and wound up missing her twin brother a lot, prompting her to wonder what it would be like to not have a twin. I don’t have a twin, but I have to say, I don’t know what I would do without my sister.

@Auxiira has received a weighted blanket and is never getting out from under it. Considering recent temperatures, I can’t say I blame her.

In other news, @Sachiko has more em-dashes than paragraphs, @Eros is waiting for her semester results, @Dragongirl is looking for an accountability partner to keep her writing 500 words a day (message her if interested), and @ Autumns can’t seem to grow a manly enough beard.

And that about wraps it up for this week! Tune in next time for more updates (with a possible side of wit.)

ONE YEAR OF IMPROVEMENT

written by marmalade < PM: >

2016 was my first full year on YWS. I’ve said before in my yearbook post and on my wall that 2016 was a year I can wholeheartedly dedicate to my writing and that’s because I improved so much. I began writing poetry in January, did NaPo in April, and overall wrote and read poetry all year.

Around the end of the year I had people note my improvement and tell me they were shocked by it. I’ve always been someone who is aware of her own growth so I wasn’t all too surprised like some of my friends were. Still, I can’t deny it really excited me. It still does. Thinking that in my first year of being a poet I got published twice, once in Teen Ink Magazine and a second time by The American Library of Poetry in a collection, is incredible to me. I have no idea what the future me will be capable of. I’m so passionate about my writing, my novels and my poems, it’s all I want to do with my life. I want to go to school for writing. If I can’t write then I don’t want to do anything with my life. It’s a scary thought but I seriously don’t think I’d be who I am today, a content person with purpose, without my writing―more specifically my poetry.

On January 25, 2016 I posted ”I Would Kill Myself” which is a poem I hate so much, haha. It was the first poem I’ve written and it’s about my anger against people over exaggerating things and making fun of mental illness. The reason I dislike this poem is not because of the meaning or the content but more of the fakeness on my part. I pride myself on being a genuine person and then I write a poem like this. It’s not who I am at all. I actually use phrases like “where’s the bleach?” on a daily basis as jokes. I had a phase in middle school where I self-diagnosed myself with General Anxiety Disorder and you can still see blog posts written by me where I talk like I have a disorder. That’s why I dislike this poem. It one of the few poems I have that’s written by the “old me”. I didn’t understand poetry at all when I wrote this. I just went on feeling and wrote. I capitalized, bolded, and italicized many words. I rhymed for half of the poem and then ramble for the rest. But people told me it was really good. People told me it was filled with emotion and other compliments like that. I enjoyed the feedback I got and that’s why I continued writing poetry. In the beginning I think I only wanted the attention and admirers.

A few days ago, January 19, 2017 to be exact, I wrote crumbs of you which is not necessarily my best or my favorite poem (cryst♡llize is my personal favorite). When you compare this poem to my first poem you can see many differences. I’ve gained my own style of not capitalizing anything and italicizing things that could be dialogue (or things that I want emphasis on). Also I’m writing more story based poetry. “I Would Kill Myself” was sort of a slam poem. It was an angry poem but not like more than just fire . My poetry has become more personal and based of my own emotions. I don’t create stories and imagine the pain a character would be feeling. I write about what I know in the present. My poetry has also gotten better with imagery and with metaphors. My poems have more depth to them than just bluntly saying the point. It took a lot to get where I am now and I’m definitely have to get better as I’m not a great poet (I doubt I’ll ever be).

I burnt out by the end of NaPo 2016 and really struggled to write anything for months. I asked many YWS poets that I looked up to (and still do) for advice. I wasn’t getting into the spotlight anymore or getting the attention I was originally writing for. It took months until I realized that the spotlight and the bad versus good reviews doesn’t matter. Reviews are there to help you but at the end of the day your art is just that, yours. I love poetry and writing it makes me feel powerful and thrilled. I’ll always have moments where I burn out and creator’s insecurities flood my mind, but that’s natural. I didn’t change or improve all on my own. I don’t think I would have gotten very far if it wasn’t for the YWS poets who helped me. Thank you (you guys know who you are).

I’m so very excited to see how I improve in 2017 with the help of my friends and my own hard work!

This Week’s Link Round Up 1/22 written by megsug < PM: >

We’re making art or going to battle in This Week’s Round Up.


@fortis is asking for some help on a cyoa game. She’s got the text completely done, but is looking for some art to add to it. There’s no big pressure. fortis has a few examples for a standard like this:



However, she wants to make it clear that if you use pictures you found online in your art, they have to be under creative commons, and that the art you donate is exactly that: a donation. Though she’ll put your name in the credits!


The third round of Last Man Standing is going to begin! @Tenyo has put up the Rules and Guidelines and the Sign Up Thread , so get in on it!







Warriors are the users who have a chance to be the winner of LMS, so hurry and sign up to have a chance at glory!


@Contest has announced the next round of RED or, for those of you who may not know, Review Every Day. The premise of the contest is to, obviously, review every day. The twist is, if you don’t, you donate a certain amount of points to Contest then the winners get a percentage of each of those.

When can you hop in on this?







Challenge yourself this year!


@Jyva as decided to show off his arts skills, and they’re pretty incredible. The picture below is just one fantastic example:


Check his other stuff out!

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written by SquillsBot < PM: >

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