Young Writers Society

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1. REVIEWERS SPEAK: REVMO WEEK TWO
2. REVMO STATS UPDATE: WEEK TWO
3. LMS ROUND V
4. THE CURIOUS WORLD OF BOOK REVIEWS
5. GREEN ROOM GALLERY
6. WRITING CONCEPT: BEGINNINGS
7. SHAMELESS PLUGS
8. SUBSCRIBERS

REVIEWERS SPEAK: REVMO WEEK TWOwritten by ShadowVyper< PM: >

We've already reached the midpoint for this year's #RevMo , and the review count only continues to climb! With so many people ditching their cyan usernames for the shiny new indigo one, I set out to get the inside scoop from this week's top reviewers from the Leaderboard about their experiences so far and advice they have for the rest of us! So put your hands together for @fraey, @FlamingPhoenix, @Querencia, @Asith and @alliyah!



fraey: My favorite piece was probably crushing by @Magestorrow, mostly because I really liked the emotional feeling of this poem and I remembered reading it when she first posted it! But it took me a whole long while to finally review it haha XD

FlamingPhoenix: Well that is a very tricky question, because I have read and reviewed a lot of amazing works so far this month, but if I had to come and read that work again I would say Coming Home by @LordStar, that poem was something I really could relate to, and it touched me.

Querencia: My favorite piece would have to be alliyah's poem spiraling ! It was really interesting, and I felt like it could have a lot of different interpretations depending on how a reader chose to unravel it. I had to read several times to take it all in. The formatting is amazing!

Asith: The one that comes to mind is definitely @AmadeusW's Dark Revenant: The Memoir series. It's wonderfully written and has presented a very intriguing story so far. Even just chapter one is worth a read!

alliyah: My favorite piece that I've reviewed this month has been eat the moon by @Anamel. As you can tell from the poem's title the poem starts with a really interesting premise - what would it be like to crack open the moon and see what's inside. And the imagery that Anamel uses to explore that topic, is just really outstanding. The poem is less than 10 lines long, but it's so packed with little symbols and images. I had a really great time writing a review for that piece, because I was able to spend some time just digging into the poem and trying to figure out what it meant. I highly recommend checking it out.



fr: Since I had procrastinated most of this week by not reviewing, I can definitely give some advice for people trying to catch up. Mostly, I recommend pulling out a few works you definitely want to review and keep the tabs open on your web browser - this way they’re always there to remind you to review eventually, and to write these reviews however they come. If they’re in fragments that you put together, try to organize your thoughts into a good review! Everything helps. ^^ Plus, good luck to everyone still doing RevMo!!

Fl: Well If they want to catch up they should go and catch up on old stories they haven't read in along time, because it helps them read their reviewing goals and catch up, but it also helps the person you are reviewing, you should also dig around through peoples portfolios, you might find a work that hasn't been reviewed yet. There are so many things you can do to catch up and reach your goal, just keep in mind to help out the person you are reviewing.

Q: Keep going, and remember that it's okay to take breaks when you need to. If there's work or school stopping you from reaching your goals, then keep that a priority if that's what you need to do. Reviewing is super fun, and I hope that everyone gets to reach their goals, but you shouldn't feel too stressed about trying to reach a specific number. Just enjoy yourself, and do your best!

As: Review things that you tend to enjoy, even if they have lots of room for improvement (well, that's the whole point :p). I get excited whenever I see a creepy short story in the green room, because that's my forte, and reviewing it isn't going to wear me out. Reviewing can be fun as well as useful!

al: I have a couple strategies I'm using this year actually! First is that a lot of times when I'm on YWS I set a timer for how long I'm going to spend on the site, especially if I'm busy. If I have half an hour, it's really easy to spend that whole chunk of time accidentally getting lost in some forum, or KB article, and then run out of time to review, even if reviewing is what I intended to do when I logged on! But if I put a timer for myself, I tend to get more reviews written - and generally just stay on task. This will hopefully also save you from spending like an hour writing a single review.

Also another tip is to trade reviews with a friend - sometimes this can happen formally - with you asking a buddy to review a piece you wrote, and then returning the favor. Or you can just look at who has reviewed your work recently, and then just pick a couple pieces from their portfolio to check out! I really enjoy reviewing multiple pieces by the same person, because then I don't find myself repeating the same stuff - I can build on other reviews I've written for them and it feels more like a conversation on a project.

There you have it, straight from the mouths of this week's champs! Go check out one of the works they suggested, or try out a review tip or two or three, and get back out there and keep reviewing! We've all got to pitch in to reach the site's RevMo goal!

REVMO STATS UPDATE: WEEK TWO
written by alliyah < PM: >

Last week the Squills newsroom brought you the latest statistics on Review Month, and this week we've got your updated statistical information!

COLOR CHALLENGE

In the Color Challenge , this week the goal was 30 Reviews in order to win the covetted indigo username. Several users were able to accomplish this difficult feat - @FlamingPhoenix, @fraey, @Querencia, @Asith, @alliyah, and @Magestorrow all were able to end the week with freshly painted indigo usernames.

A few members also were able to join the cyan username team this week by making it to at least 15 reviews. Meeting this level was @Dreamy, @Tuckster, @JabberHut, @Liberty, and @mellifera.

Next week the challenge continues although instead of increasing by 15 reviews, it's only by 10, so for some the challenge might be easier, although at this second half of the month some reviewers may feel like they're running out of steam too. To get a crimson username users must have 40 reviews completed by the end of next week. My statistical predictions, are that this username color won't see too many newcomers, but that more users will come in to win the gold username at the very end.

TEAM TORTOISE

Several users continued completing Team Tortoise this week, marching in with a review every single day. Among these users are @Panikos, JabberHut, mellifera, alliyah, Asith, Querencia, & FlamingPhoenix . Notably, according to a post by @ReviewBuddy, JabberHut has actually completed 100 days of Team Tortoise in a row now - that's over three months of reviewing every single day, and is pretty darn impressive!

OTHER UPDATES & CHALLENGES

The reviewers are also continuing to make progress towards that site goal - with over 450 reviews written in these first two weeks, and 550 left to go to get to the goal of 1000 reviews.

Another challenge on the horizon, is that the Green Room seems to be slowly clearing out, and with that of course comes the search for the Golden Goose and the potential rise of The Afterwatch for those who are involved in the Knights of the Green Room. The Commander has actually issued a formal call to arms for those who are interested in helping to clear the Green Room.

Other challenges available are the Checklist Challenge and @ShadowVyper's Review Rampage .

LMS ROUND Vwritten by ShadowVyper< PM: >

#RevMo is half way to completion. The Green Room is nearing emptiness. You know what that means? Yup -- it's time for another round of LMS to kick off!

LMS stands for Last Man Standing, and, as you might have guessed, is a competition where only one writer can hold the title of the Last Man Standing. In case you missed it, last week @alliyah interviewed @LordWolf, the LMS IV victor, and you can read all about it here .

So what does it mean to compete in Last Man Standing?

You can get the details from @Tenyo's LMS V thread, and even sign up there if you decide you want to participate! But for the quick and dirty...

To be a warrior you need to commit to a brand new novel, novella, or short story anthology, and you must write (and post somewhere on the site) 1,000 words every week. This is a great entry method if you need motivation to make substantial, consistent contributions to your work in progress each week! To be a bard means that you have to submit a minimum of 14 lines or more per week of poetry or 60 lines of a script. This is also a great option to turn up the heat and ensure you're making progress on your works each week.

If you prefer a bit more flexibility, you can also enter as a rogue. For this method of entry you get to declare your target for each week, and then you simply have to stick with that. You can't win the title of Last Man Standing with this option, but you still get a reward if you make it to the end! This is a great choice if you want a little more flexibility in the terms of your competition, since you can continue projects, do re-writes or edits, or even enter using art or music composition if you want to!

And finally, if the sound of all of those options sounds too stressful this time around, you can enter as a sage. Being a sage means you'll reply to progress threads, review chapters, and provide encouragment to all of those who are competing! As somone who entered as a rogue in LMS IV, let me tell you, this competition is no joke and being an encourager is also a hugely important role!

If you want to work up the motivation to enter by catching the hype of all the shiny new projects in the works, head on over to the Writer's Corner to see plans for LMS V novels currently being developed! Or go talk to one of the many warriors (@Omnom , @TheSilverFox, @Ventomology, @mellifera, @Corvid, @ShadowVyper, @Tuckster, @LordWolf, @DougalofBiscuits, @Horisun, @Oxara, @Holysocks) or rogues (@soundofmind, @fraey , @LordStar, @Liberty, @EternalRain) who have already made the decision to compete!

I'll see you on the battlefield

THE CURIOUS WORLD OF BOOK REVIEWSwritten by fraey < PM: >

Recently, I’ve found two YouTube channels that discuss books or novels and get really into depth with them. Both of them, young-is adults mainly concerned with the young adult genre if I remember correctly, are just so entertaining and they’ve become a nice background noise to when I’m typing up lab reports.

There’s a curious change in the way that book reviews have turned into - years and years ago, the New York Times Bestseller List could be the one main source of knowledge for people, or from the newsletter if writers bought out an advertisement on their work. Now, the internet gives the largest database of reviews in anyway someone could want. Blog post, internet post, Goodreads reviews, you name it, it exists now.

I myself find reading 1-star reviews on my favorite books or least favorite books as one of my favorite pastimes and procrastinating habit. It’s fascinating for me to witness how quickly word of mouth can pass from teenager to teenager over social media or the classic book club meeting between older adults that start exclaiming about how dreamy this one main character totally seemed.

For years, I lived off of what other kids would tell me about books - everything from The Ranger’s Apprentice to the ever-enthralling Percy Jackson or The Fault in Our Stars was recommended until I finally broke down and read those novels. I didn’t mind since the internet hadn’t opened that wide to my young brain still wanting to learn more and see more and, of course, read more.

Here, now, I have a confession. I haven’t finished a book in forever, which yikes, but listening to these reviews have given me a joy that I missed with every word that these YouTubers speak. And I hope I can continue to feel involved with books, even if I can't quite work my way up to truly reading much. As well as for all of you lovely writers and readers!

GREEN ROOM GALLERYwritten by ShadowVyper< PM: >

At the time of writing this, there are 11 works with 0 reviews and 15 works with 1 review in the Green Room, with the oldest work being posted on August 3rd -- a whopping 43 days ago! With so many people still going for the gold, it's time once again for a gallery for all of the lovely works in the Green Room that are available for your reviewing pleasure!

The Wrong Era Chapter Four: First Encounters by @Moalex is an action/adventure fantasy story that currently has six chapters posted (with 4 through 6 still remaining in the Green Room!). To start at chapter one, check out The Wrong Era Chapter One: The Beginning of an End .
Rated 18+ for language, violence, and mature content


The Hero's Brother (40.1) by @mellifera another action/adventure fantasy story, with a LOT of chapters already posted! A total of five chapters, from 40.1 through the end of the novel, are currently waiting in the Green Room for your reviews! I've personally read parts of this novel myself and can vouch for the excellence of the characters and plot! Jump on in on the Green Room chapters, or if you're feeling ambitious, go all the way back to The Hero's Brother (1.1) to start from the very beginning!


The Last Pilot Chapter Six: Prime by @Zrillis is a science fiction/teen fiction novel with 6 chapters posted! Only chapter six remains in the Green Room, but if you want to get a running start to go review their work you can start here at The Last Pilot Chapter One
Rated 18+ for language and violence


richard III by @TheSilverFox is an emotionally-charged, powerful poem that, predictably, has a medieval theme. If you're a poetry reviewer go take a look and maybe drop a quick review to help them out!
Rated 16+ for language and violence


Detachment: Obsolete by @Asith is a science fiction mystery/suspense story! If short stories are more your style than novels, be sure to go take a look at their lovely little spaceship story and cheer them on in their writing pursuits!


Y.W.S. by @SuperOriginalName is a cute little poem about the wonderful site we all call home! Go drop a review on their piece, and welcome them to the site while you're at it!


A Janitor's Adventure 4.1 by @DougalofBiscuts is a science fiction action/adventure novel that already has several chapters posted (3 of which are still in the Green Room!). Go jump straight in with chapter four, or back up to Chapter One to immerse yourself in all of this janitor's adventures!


This is just a sampling of all of the lovely works waiting in the Green Room for you to go discover! From novels to short stories to poems, with themes of sci-fi, fantasy, action/adventure, narrative, and everything in between, we've got something for you! So jump on in and pick something to review -- help yourself towards a snazzy colored username, and help the site towards its goal for the month! Let's try to get the Green Room down to 0 by this time next week!

WRITING CONCEPT: BEGINNINGS
written by alliyah < PM: >

So I was reading The Homiletical Plot by Eugene Lowry this weekend, and while reading came across this distinction between prose beginnings that while I had considered before, I didn't realize had a formula and a name. I'll explain both types in case they stir something in your own writing.

Many books follow one of two openings, there are other options out there, but these are both common ones that you'll find.

Movie Plot Opening
The first option is the typical movie opening, where you are presented with the primary problem of the story right at the beginning. The conflict may grow stronger as the story moves on, and everything builds sort of like a pyramid. Everything in the story basically centers around this main problem, conflict, or choice - and so readers or viewers are interested in the story if they are invested in that singular conflict that they want to be resolved. Typically the resolution is the eventual solving of that main conflict, and the resolution is typically one that couldn't have been figured out by the opening of beginning sequence. As a viewer you become more invested in the plot as it goes on, because you're learning more about the conflict at the same rate as the characters and are almost right there with them in it.

Television Series Plot Opening
The second option is more commonly seen in TV shows, you know that the characters will live at the end of the day's conflict because their contracted to play the character for the rest of the season! In some way the resolution is given away before the conflict is even fully understood. This can be done with a time-skip forward at the beginning or from the reader, or viewer, becoming privy to some sort of knowledge of the resolution beyond the character's ability. In this type of opener the reader often knows the beginning and ending of the story, but not the middle, or the story is unveiled in complete reverse order of end, middle, and then beginning. In this case the plot is sometimes not moved forward by the conflict itself, but sometimes by the ambiguity of how the character gets from point A to point B, how do they discover the crime, or survive the bomb etc.

For some reason, when I learned about this type of opener my first thought was "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" the Nickelodeon TV show that seemed to always follow this sort of opening - I think that's an extreme example where there's almost an awkward 4th wall break, where we all acknowledge it's an uncomfortable TV show gimmick, but there are ways to do this opening a bit more subtly too. A book version of this example is "All the Light we Cannot See" which starts in it's first few chapters way after where the story starts and then does a flash-back to show how we got there - you know where the book's trajectory is, but you're caught reading because you have no idea how they get to that point.

Analysis of these Opening Options
Now there are certainly benefits and draw-backs to each of these options. From a practical point, if you don't know where your story is headed when you begin writing, then the "Television Series" style is not going to work. Both types of openings cause different types of tension for the reader to keep them engaged in reading - the "Television Series" one seems like it would go best with plots that are already mysterious, or that don't launch into their action right away in the story arc. Whereas the "Movie Plot" option is going to be a good one for stories that hinge on a major character development or decision - because it can more easily show a character's (and plot's) growth.

If you'd like to discuss these more, feel free to come over to my office in the Squills Newsroom over at my Author's Page . And if you're interested in reading the book, that gave me a little bit of the background on these two plot structures check out the full citation below.


Work Referenced:

Lowry, Eugene L. The Homiletical Plot. John Knox Press, 2001.

SHAMELESS PLUGS

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Submit to Queer as In F*** You!

QAIFY is an alternative compzine that is going to be published physically and digitally every month starting in August, and is currently accepting submissions. August's theme is Exit, Kindly, although submissions can range anywhere in topic from feminism, punk, identity, queerness, womanhood, social justice, or just experimental. QAIFY accepts poetry, short essays, serialized novels and short stories, articles and art such as collages, drawings, paintings, and photography.

Send submissions as a word document, .jpg, or .pdf file to queerasineffyou.zine@gmail.com........... before August 31 to be considered for publication in August's issue. While you're at it, follow the zine on twitter and tumblr and look out for the official website soon!







Want to be a part of Squills, the YWS newsletter? Perfect! We want you. You can find more information here, and you can apply now by sending a sample article to SquillsBot's PM.





With Review Month here and the Great Hall officially re-opened it is a perfect time to join the Knights of the Green Room. If you enjoy reviewing, this is the group for you!

For more information: KotGR Information
To declare you interest: Declare in the Great Hall .
If you have questions: Send a PM to Captain of the Guard Jack (@LordWolf) or Court Magician Knight Alliyah (@alliyah).


That's all folks~ Now send us yours.

SUBSCRIBERS

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