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Young Writers Society


Squills 12/03/19 - 12/19/19



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Thu Dec 19, 2019 6:46 am
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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!

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alliyah

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General Reporters
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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 apply to become a Squillian Journalist by submitting a sample article to SquillsBot today!





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Thu Dec 19, 2019 6:56 am
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WHO WORE IT BEST? DECEMBER EDITION
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written by alliyah < PM: >

For whatever reason, I find it very entertaining to watch what people have been changing their avatars too, and keep up on the avatar/profile trends on the site. Hopefully there are few readers out there who also find this sort of thing interesting to read. (If you do like reading this or other articles in Squills, why not stop over by my Author's Corner to let me know?)

So this month the trend is... HOLLY JOLLY HOLIDAYS! Now there are a few different components that I'm noticing that are shared trending as part of this festive avatar and profile coordination.

Santa Hats

Santa Hats are an essential for your avatar wardrobe this season! And for good reason! They keep your ears warm for those who are experiencing a colder climate in December. Another benefit is that santa hats added to an avatar allow you to keep some continuity with your old theme or signature character while adding a festive little layer. Members seen doning Holiday Hats are @Jaybird, @xJade, @BlueFeltrix, @LZPianoGirl, @Messenger, @ShadowVyper and @zaminami. @Carlito and @Liberty are also both sporting Harry Potter characters in Santa Caps, so that deserves mention as subtrend within that trend!

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Holiday Cats

Another trend that's making a big wave this season, is CATS! And no, I'm not talking about the Live-Action version of the Musical Cats (that honestly scares me a little bit) but I'm talking about Holiday Cats featured in avatars! While many members are often seen sporting cats as their usual avatar (like AvantCoffee (alias: CoffeeCat) and TheBlueCat) other users have been joining up in the movement, or just adjusting their usual cat to a more festive one!

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Here are the avatars that @TheBlueCat, @fraey, @CaptainJack, @AvantCoffee, & @EverLight are all currently sporting!

Holiday Scenes

The last popular trend is just simply having a holiday scene as your avatar, or characters in a holiday context. In this category I've seen @Elinor's Daphne and Fred surrounded by some lovely snowflakes, and @Raelyn who has a character holding a festive present currently. In past season I've seen lots of snowflakes, antlers, and maybe a menorah or two floating around the site - so there are a lot of options if hats just aren't your style.

Profile Adornment

While some users have gotten their avatars dressed up in their holiday best, for other users that's simply not enough! I've seen several profiles completely decked out in new backgrounds, banners and the whole works! I personally am very indecisive when it comes to profile decorating so have done a week of Advent-Blue Stained-Glass themed, and now am transitioning over to a Sven from Frozen tribute, by the time this article is posted I might be on to something else!

I'd encourage you all to try to get in the Holiday Spirit yourself, and if you see a profile that you just love, why not spread some Holiday Cheer and give them a shout-out! Also if you need a bit of help getting your avatar festive, Jaybird actually has a thread for that where you can Holidayify Your Avatar .





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Thu Dec 19, 2019 7:07 am
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DECEMBER HASHTAGS
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written by alliyah < PM: >

December has brought with it a return of the hashtags! And it's definitely been a welcome addition to the site, seeing what people's thoughts and experiences are in various subjects - so in case you've been avoiding the people tab and haven't seen these, or just wanted to have them all in one place, here they are!

#OldestWorkChallenge

@Messenger restarted the hashtag trend, with a little bit of reminiscing! This Challenge calls those tagged to share a sample of their oldest work (from the site or from whenever they started writing) and a sample of a current work. A lot of people have participated so far, some sharing adorably cute beginner works and some honestly astounding me with what is aparently their natural writing talent that they even had at a young age. It's really fun to see where people's writing has progressed since they've begun.

Highlights include:

@niteowl's poem that they wrote at just FIVE YEARS OLD!

I love my room,
My room is full of gloom
I love to read my room
Reading my room.


@Tuckster's mystery drama novel, written at eight years old!

Ann Wilson was an ordinary girl , until her parents went on a vacation . Her babysitter was coming in twenty minutes ! I have to hurry .... KNOCK! KNOCK! Oh, no. Mr. Johnson is here! KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Ann snatched the key to the attic and raced upstairs. KNOCK. With one finial blast, Mr. Johnson soared in ANN! ANN ! ANN! he bellowed. Ann froze and slid into the attic. She was greeted by warm hellos all around her. Funny Little People were crowding around her .'' Hello.'' She said shyly . ''You are welcome here . '' proclaimed a short, round man with whiskers.


#ChristmasCover

If you've been hearing Jingle Bells and sounds of joyful caroling around the site, you have @AvantCoffee's hashtag to thank! Coffee started out the Holiday tunes with "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and she's calling us all to get into the holly jolly spirit and share a carol or two as well! So far there's been a lot of beautiful variety in what people have chosen.

@Tuckster showed off some piano skills with a cover of "It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas".

@CaptainJack staying true to style, picked "The Christmas Cannonball" to cover,and let me tell you it is full of energy and character!

And you know since it's a music hashtag, our YWS-Lyricist @soundofmind had to drop in too! She posted a really lovely cover of "Oh Holy Night" that you all need to listen to if you haven't yet.

#SixProtagonistFacts

@Jaybird started up this hashtag to share about her new retelling of the Beauty and the Beast that is in the works, and has invited other users to go ahead and share facts about their own protagonists.

Here's an assortment of intriguing protagonist facts I gathered, but click on the hashtag to see the rest!

@StellaThomas: "When Noorah was two days old, she floated out of the window and into the sky."

@EverLight: "Autumn hides a secret, a secret that makes her afraid of herself...and a secret that could lead to her downfall."

@fraey: "Hamish grew up with lots of pets as a young kid, and so when he travels to Earth he seriously adopts as many animals as he can, even if they're not technically legal to have as pets."

@TheMultiColoredCyr: "Eddie has a rock collection full of the shiniest rocks he could find while he was playing in the woods."

#MyDecade

And lastly, we're back in the nostalgic/remiscenent mood with a hashtag started by @Carlito! This one is very open to whatever you want to share, but basically asks users to share whatever they feel like sharing about the last decade.

So far folks have shared their educational and writing accomplishments, new personal developments, and how much has changed in the last ten years.

If you want to get involved in any of these hashtag trends yourself, You are officially tagged!





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Thu Dec 19, 2019 7:13 am
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GREEN ROOM GALLERY
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written by Liberty < PM: >

Hello everyone!

There are currently 135 pieces, in total, that are in the Green Room; 48 works with no reviews and 87 works with 1 review. The latest work is from the thirtieth of September, which seems like not much time, considering how fast days are going by, but it was a while ago! Imagine how much effort these writers put in to make all of these works. By giving them reviews, and commenting on what they've created, we would give them the satisfaction that, "Yes, my work is being read."

Soul Clutters Chapter 15 by @Gnomish is a fantastical and suspenseful chapter, in which a girl named Artona goes back to her city, where she had first learned to be a Cutter and trained there. The first chapter’s link is here if you’re interested.

When I Was Anna - 21 by @Carlito is a chapter about a teenage girl, named Summer, attempting to catfish a boy. Watch what happens as the secrets unfold. It's related to Catfish, the show, and if you're interested in reading these chapters, the first one can be found here .

Abnormals - Part Three by @xJade is a completely fantastical part of a story, that includes only the fifth chapter. It does have deaths, but there are no warnings. And young woman named Hannah is framed for a murder that she didn’t commit. If you like, you could start reading from here, or start from Part One .

Dreams!!! by @BhayvaSingh is a cute lyrical poem about everyone’s own special dreams that gives them wings and motivates them to keep working.

That Fateful Christmas (for the Christmas Song Writing Competition) by @LZPianoGirl is a romantic short story, focusing on a young woman named Sydney and how she’s going through depression, and why she isn’t celebrating Christmas.

There’s many great stories, poems, scripts, etc., in the Green Room that need more attention than they’re getting at the moment! If you want to read something mysterious, romantic, action-packed, or anything in between, there’s a fat chance that you won’t find it there. So get comfortable, grab a cookie and start reviewing to spread some love in our cozy community.

Adios!





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Thu Dec 19, 2019 7:16 am
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MEDIA REVIEW: EAGLE ROCK
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written by alliyah < PM: >

YWS is filled with extremely talented writers. One of those talented writers has made a huge accomplishment lately, in a realm of writing that's not always featured on the site - film! @Elinor has been working on her film called "Eagle Rock" for quite a while now, but it's turned from a "work in progress" to something available for the public very recently. I was able to watch it myself and am excited to bring this Media Review to Squills to share with our readers my thoughts on this interesting film. I would definitely encourage everyone to take a look at it yourselves too, you can watch "Eagle Rock" yourself on Amazon Prime if you are from the US or UK. The review might have some slight spoilers so watch it before reading the review if that's important to you!

Eagle Rock is set in the 1970's and the story opens up with Alex in prison, for some serious crime that the viewers don't yet know the full picture of involving Alex and a host of other people she was living with in a society. The film flashes back to how Alex got involved in this group, how it all started.

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In the flashback the bold and confrontational Alex from the interview room, seems like another person; muted, shy, unsure of herself. The love-struck Alexandra (Alex) quickly meets and falls for the smooth and mysterious Jay. They run away together and begin to form a new cult-like society. More people join them and we get to see the story unfold; how Jay influences the group and how Alex changes into the woman we saw at the beginning of the film.

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While you'll find this plot to be both artistic and original, I think you'll also hear echoes of stories from real news stories. How one smooth-talking influencer can draw unlikely people into their circles. While the film is only 39 minutes, it's really very polished. The settings are gorgeous, especially in the outdoor scenes, and the music and acting is all very cohesive in completing the story.
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One of my favorite aspects of the acting is just how much Alex's character changes from her first meeting with Jay to her interview in prison. It makes you wonder as a viewer, what's going on here, how can someone so shy and unsure of herself get swept into a cult and end in prison? "Eagle Rock" doesn't spell out the answers for you though, and even the crime itself is left in a bit of mystery by the end of the film, so it leaves the viewer being able to pull apart the scenes and try to figure out what happened from the clues we're given. Like any good story, I'm left wondering these questions and thinking about the characters even after I've watched the film.

The Young Writer's Society should be very proud to have Elinor, such a talented director and writer in our midst. Definitely go check out "Eagle Rock" yourself and keep working for your writing dreams too!

images used are from Eagle Rock (2019) - IMDb





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Thu Dec 19, 2019 7:18 am
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THE WINDING DOWN OF THE SCHOOL YEAR
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written by fraey < PM: >

Hello Squill readers! While I know that plenty of users haven't managed to finish their education for the semester/year, I still wanted to give a summation of good ideas for this winter break and to go over some of the stuff that may have happened these past few months.

Whether you're done with an elementary grade or in the middle of a college year, there are a few things you can do during your winter break that will give you a nice relief, hopefully, from plenty of stresses.

I, myself, have managed to have busy breaks every time I was done with my semester, relearning a physics class over last year's winter break, then taking classes over this past summer session. I definitely understand some people's pain when they describe the absolute time management issues the year creates.

However, we must move onto lighter topics. Since the school year is ending, going over all of the work and documents you collected probably doesn't sound like a delightful time, but organization is something very important when it comes to making your room/backpack/brain more calm.

Doing something simple like putting all of your old homework in a folder can take away all of the past crazy moments and allow for you to start truly relaxing. I get very happy when I can take out of all my old work and hide them in a box under my bed XD.

Another perhaps not as fun idea is to come up with a schedule for what you might have to do in terms of chores or work around the house because it'll make the process a little easier.

I know, I know, please don't throw tomatoes at me. I'm just saying that there tends to be less complaining when you can point to your calendar and realize, "Oh, yeah, I really should get around to cleaning the bathrooms." It helps. At least it helps me.

Either way, I hope you all learned some good things in this school year and that you enjoyed something of your continued education. Plus, congrats on finishing this year, or soon to be. Enjoy your break C:

-fraey





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Thu Dec 19, 2019 7:22 am
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SHAMELESS PLUGS
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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.

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Place advertisement here. Make sure you include a title!

And now for this week's Shameless Plugs!


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Submit to the Queer as in F*** You magazine!

QAIFY is an alternative compzine published digitally every three months and compiled into a physical copy every year. It features poetry, prose, serials, art, and photography reflecting themes of identity, feminism, womanhood, queerness, love, loss, punkness, and (queer) sex ed, as well as whatever else.

Find submission guidelines here, and send your own submissions to queerasineffyou.zine@gmail.com.....


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Review Rampage

Do you like competitions? Do you like easy ways to make extra points? Then read on!

The #ReviewRampage is a competition hosted by @ShadowVyper and @Omnom that is a Go-At-Your-Own-Pace review challenge. You set your own review goals and wagers, then race against time to see if you can get done in time. Or, for the more competitive spirits out there, you can also duel against your fellow Rampagers.

Go check out the Q&A Forum for more information and then head on over to the Entry Forum to claim your place as a Rampager.

Get your Rampage on!



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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.

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Happy Holidays YWS!

Don't miss the Holiday Activites on YWS this December! :santa:

Contests
* A Holiday Writing Contest hosted by @Elinor
* A Christmas Character Writing Contest hosted by @LZPianoGirl

Festive Threads
* YWS Most & Best Awards 2019
* Secret Santa 2019
* Holidayify Your Avatar! hosted by @Jaybird

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That's all folks~ Now send us yours.





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Thu Dec 19, 2019 7:25 am
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SUBSCRIBERS
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written by SquillsBot < PM: >

Find an enspoiler-ed a list of our subscribers!
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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!








The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.
— Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest