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Squills 1/12/20 - 1/19/20



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Mon Jan 20, 2020 3:46 pm
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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!

CREATIVE STAFF

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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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Mon Jan 20, 2020 3:52 pm
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FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW - LITTLELEE
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written by Liberty < PM: >

Hello everyone!

One of YWS’ featured members, the wonderful @LittleLee, became FM on the 1st of December! He joined the site way back in April 2017. And, I actually got the honor of interviewing him to ask him about his experiences!

Squills: Hi, Little Lee! I was wondering if it's cool with you if I can ask you a few questions for a featured member interview?

LittleLee: Of course! Shoot me your questions whenever possible. I'll try to answer them as soon as I can!

S: Marvelous! Firstly, what did you feel like when you first realized you had become FM?

L: It took me a moment to register. I saw people congratulating me on my wall, and the forum, but I was quite surprised and a little confused. After that, I felt extremely happy that I had been selected for the FM, and my entire day felt great! I had a ridiculous grin on my face when it finally kicked in. :D

S: I can imagine! What do you think you've done around the site to earn this fabulous title?

L: Hmm. Well, I tried to be as active as possible, posting everywhere on the site and on my wall. I also tried to greet all newcomers I could and make them feel welcome. Other than that, I would wish people on their birthdays, etc. On several occasions, I attempted to restart old clubs or forums that were largely forgotten. I'd like to continue doing all this; YWS is a great place for everyone, and we should all contribute to its warmth!

S: Agreed! What part of YWS would you say is your favorite and why?

L: Well, that's a tough one. I like reading up on the Storybooks section (though I'm not in any as of now) and the Lounge. They're both great places to just chill in. Besides that, I love to RP in the Roleplay Geeks, and read poems and shorts (I end up reviewing fewer than I should, being me :P) while procrastinating on my homework. All these places are good for meeting new people, understanding different styles of writing, and getting a glimpse of really good literature.
But I love the rest of the site too!


S: Lovely answer. What advice would you give anyone who would like to be FM some day?

L: I'd tell them to be themselves. They shouldn't try to be extra nice just to become the FM or something; that way, the title would feel artificial. I think that everyone has it in them to be a genuinely good person, so if they let that part blossom, they'll get it!

S: Sound advice. Before I wrap up this interview, do you have any shoutouts you'd like to make real quick?

L: Hm. Almost everybody here is a great person, but I'd definitely want to thank @Jaybird, @MiniGem26, @alliyah, @LadyVendetta, @EverLight and a certain Squills reporter for making this site an awesome place for me!

S: That's great! Thanks for taking time out for this interview, Lee!

L: Sure, no problem! Thanks!

It was great joy to do this interview. Thanks again for your time, LittleLee!





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Mon Jan 20, 2020 3:53 pm
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FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: JABBERHUT
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written by fraey < PM: >

Hello readers! I had an amazing interview with our very own @JabberHut, who singlehandedly completed Team Tortoise for over a hundred days, while providing well-written and helpful reviews. Thanks to all of those consecutive days of reviewing, she now has all five red review stars! So, let's just say she is quite awesome.

Squills: Hello Jabber! I wanted to say again congratulations for becoming the FM. How did you feel when you first saw the announcement? (And I assume all of the cheers on your page!)

JabberHut: Oh, it was a huge shock! I didn't expect it in the least. The fact that the staff even considered me as a potential candidate is flattering alone. I figured I already had my time in that kind of spotlight when I was more active years ago, so being recognized in such a way was really just a heart-warming moment for me. I was touched especially by the staff that decided on such a decision. I know how difficult making that kind of call can be, and I simply couldn't help but appreciate the notion. It was a surprise, to say the least!

S: Why do you think you earned FM? I've got a couple of theories of my own, but I'm curious about yours.

J: I really don't know! I imagine it has something to do with maintaining Team Tortoise for so long. I really enjoyed what I was doing, though, and never really considered that my review streak could potentially earn me a spot as FM. But I suppose it might've caught someone else's eye!

S: What are your favorite activities to do on YWS, including or not including reviewing?

J: Right now, I just enjoy reviewing. It's really wonderful to see so many growing writers still active in such a supportive environment. I suppose that ages me a bit, but I'm just proud of everyone and the hardwork they put into everything they do. I enjoy being at least a small bit of support for them in any way possible. Seeing others succeed is something I can't get enough of, and that has always been the case for me.

Admittedly, though, I still have an urge to start storybooking again. I still browse every once in a while, wondering if perhaps today's the day I revive my SB career...


S: What were your expectations going into doing Team Tortoise? Also, how did you motivate yourself to continuously writing that many reviews?

J: I didn't have any expectations! Funnily enough, I was inspired by @FlamingPhoenix and their 3-month streak. I was so impressed at the dedication and figured I would challenge myself for just one month, thinking it would be the way to hop back into site activity. But it quickly turned into a habit I just absolutely enjoyed. It really helped me to start my day with a review, almost like a brain exercise while also just giving myself a moment to enjoy some literary work. But also like I said earlier, I really thrive on seeing others succeed and helping where I can. Anyone who posts on YWS is looking for advice or assistance in their writing passion, and though my advice isn't always sound, just spreading a little positivity can go a long way. Reviewing is a great way to do just that!

S:How are things working out with your NaNo project now? I remember loving all of your updates in the forum topic and that you broke 50k!

J: Aww, thanks! I appreciated your support there! Yes, I still absolutely love my NaNo project. I've put it aside to write some holiday funsies -- A Christmas short story has turned into a solid novella project! -- but I am still so pleased with the groundwork made during NaNo. I look forward to re-outlining that bad boy eventually, and perhaps work in a second PoV! (Matthias has been such a nuisance in my head, but don't tell him his efforts might have earned him a PoV. I couldn't bear the thought.)

S: Finally, do you have any advice for people seeking to become FM, or to try their hand at winning Team Tortoise?

J: Absolutely! Simply put, don't make FM your goal. Making a difference should be your goal. People notice you when you notice them, and a kind heart really goes a long way. Be willing to help when someone needs a hand, remain hopeful and positive in everything you say and do, and always remember to keep on writing!

Team Tortoise is pretty simple if you take it one day at a time. Making it a habit made it really easy for me. Every morning, I did it while drinking my cup of coffee (hence why many of my reviews sound very... energetic), and I ultimately felt better tackling the rest of my day afterward. It doesn't work for everyone -- some people really feed off the nighttime air -- but making it a habit was really key for me. It felt wrong skipping a day of reviewing afterward!


Thank you again Jabber for taking the time to answer my questions! There is some great advice to be found here, and I hope you all are inspired to make your own Team Tortoise run ;) Here's to hoping for another great year of reviews!

~~~


If you have any questions or comments about this article or something that the author has written about, tell fraey at their Author’s Page!





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Mon Jan 20, 2020 3:54 pm
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DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS INTERVIEW WITH OXARA
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written by alliyah < PM: >

So you might have heard of the game called Dungeons and Dragons. I've heard about it for a long time, but haven't spent much thought on it. Recently though as I became friends with some people who are interested in DnD, it occured to me that a lot of DnD could be good practice for writing! And you know what, it turns out our very own @Oxara has started a DnD group with YWS members - who are endeavoring to learn a little and have some fun together. I decided to ask Oxara just what this Dungeons and Dragons buisiness is all about, and how other people can get involved. Here's what he had to say!

Squills: Hi Ox, so I know pretty much 0% about DnD - can you explain in a few sentences what it is and how you got into it?


Oxara: DnD, or Dungeon and Dragons, is a (mostly fantasy) table top game. This means you go around with blade,bow and magic, and for some parties even using your persuasive as weapons. You do this for a goal whether it be saving the world, destroying the world, becoming rich or whatever! In order to do an action you have to roll a dice, like if you wanted to try to let's say haggle someone you would roll a d20 and if you got a 20 it would be a successful haggle.(It's a bit more complicated than that but that's the idea)

As to how I got into it I always loved the idea and some online, off YWS, friends invited me to join them and I fell in love.


S: Sweet, so I've heard there's a YWS group that does DnD, how did that happen?


O: Well I had just wrapped up with a session (or when you play for a day, for however long that is) of the DnD of the Non YWS people, and I mentioned to @Tuckster I had thought of trying to do a YWS DnD group. And she loving kicked me to the goblins, I mean encouraged me to post it. And when I did people were surprising excited to do so. And after a day we had our players, sadly a few people couldn't join due to time zones but I am happy with the people we have.

S: What's your favorite part of DnD?


O: Asking me the hard questions I get it. If I had to say anything it would be the social part, as a gamer and a writer (and a pretty big introvert) it is a surprising statement but I just love the social part of DnD, I can get combat, or story from lots of games, but the social is something special to DnD and DnD-like games.

S: It seems like there are some obvious connections to writing as far as world-building, character-development, story-telling, and creativity, have you noticed any connections between your writing development and your D&D work?


O: I would like to expand upon the very VERY brief intro to DnD I did previously. There are two main parts, the players, the people who make and play the characters, and the DM or Dungeon Master; the story teller, rule maker/enforcer and guide in the party. Both of these require great improvisation, though DMing you do require to know a lot.

Basically as a player your DM might ask you to "in order to sell this item, talk it up to the merachat tell me how you are selling it" or that and you would have to go "well uh, as you see it's... blah blah." there's also character creation for the player, the starting and (hopefully but rarely the only) character they play, they create their personality history, relationships with character everything, it's kinda like a SB, in that way. No one is the "main character" and yet they are all so important.

For DMing, there's two ways to DM to create your own world and story or use a already created one. Using a already creating one does still require creating, you read the story and every detail and then you add, remove, change the story based on your party, and everything, it's about writing the story and world that works best for you.


S: What's your advice for other writers who are interested in getting into D&D?


O: If you know anyone IRL, go nerd out with them with physical dice and physical figures and stuff. If not try to get any online friends, the best website I know of is roll20, it takes a bit to figure out but it's great. I would suggest knowing the people you create a DnD campaign with, or at least getting to know them before as it is a commitment, but that's really up to you.

Also if people on YWS are interested I would be up for DMing or playing another DnD group, though we would have to figure out times, but if you are interested just shoot me a PM and maybe we can figure something out, or not, who knows.


Thanks for answering all those questions Ox! So what do you think readers? Want to give it a try? It sounds pretty fun to me, and might just be a great writing exercise!

~~~


If you have any questions or comments about this article or something that the author has written about, tell alliyah at her Author’s Page!





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Mon Jan 20, 2020 3:56 pm
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GREEN ROOM GALLERY - JANUARY EDITION
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written by fraey < PM: >

Hello readers! The Green Room is quite full still, from our previous Gallery article. The number of works inside have only increased, to a whopping 146! That's right, the total had been 135 back in December, but this should only serve as further motivation to review some of these works and give feedback. 64 works have zero reviews, while 82 have one review. The oldest works date back all the way from October, which is three months into the past. Let's get on our review hats and go for some Green Room hunting! Who's with me?

The Lost Dragon 18.3 by @soundofmind
This is a late chapter of an on-going series, with this one involving griffins, adventures, people adventuring those adventures, a possible cowboy, and far more. Definitely in the fantasy genre! The first chapter can be found here
No warnings.

Hindi Mamamatay (Draft 1) by @Kazumi
This is a very unique work, starting with it being a play, but it also is solely written in Filipino. It follows the main lead as he tries to leave a mysterious world. Genres are again fantasy and cultural aspects are apparent as well.
No warnings.

Blues by @Questio
This is also a story written in a script format, focusing on a modern rendition of classic Greek figures, including Orpheus, who is in a band, and tends to flirt with others.
Rated 16+ for language.

Isolation or Civilization? by @Stellarjay
This is an article written about the novel The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and goes over the contents of what happened and what certain things like children fighting each other could mean.
No warnings.

This is only a short collection of some of the very interesting works in the Green Room! Please click here if you would like to be sent directly to the Green Room. I believe that we can all band together and decrease the contents quite significantly, especially because a certain Review Day is coming up at the end of the month! I hope to see all of you in the Green Room, fighting off some of those monsters.

Until next time!

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If you have any questions or comments about this article or something that the author has written about, tell fraey at their Author’s Page!





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Mon Jan 20, 2020 3:56 pm
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GETTING INTO DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
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written by Guest Writer: Oxara < PM: >

First, there is a lot of info, just focus on what you need to know, your class, and the basics of DnD. I would suggest asking your DM for help to set it up as doing it your self can be very confusing if you don't know what to do. (also some classes are more simple than others, so if want a really simple first time classes that don't use spells are pretty simple though feel free to do those classes I know I did).

Also for the lore there is a lot to learn and it can be so amazing but be aware some of it is not official and it can be confusing with DM changing,adding, or deleting form worlds using official lore, but if your the DM just know your making the lore not a book, and if your a player, the DM is telling you what his world and story is, don't worry of if it disagrees with something you heard before, if you choose to DM you get to decide which you like better.

Secondly, there are a lot of different experiences, in DnD, form the strict rules, or the loose, more laid back, a lot of this is due to the DM, which you will get to know as you know the DM. I, myself, tend to be pretty loose, though If anything does go against the rules I tend to talk with the players and figure it out and we all end up happy, though I do have limits. There are of course a wide range between these two. You can have a plenty funny, teasing group of DNDer's who follow the rules to the nail. You can also have a very serious DND group that bends the rules.

Thirdly, there are different versions of DnD, or editions. The most recent and the one I play is 5e or fifth edition.

And finally and most importantly: DnD has jokes and ideas that you know and don't know, that wizard slinging a fire ball, well while it did exist before hand, us nerdy DnDer's had a hand in popularizing it. Given that fireball is a very famous spell and pretty much every wizard picks it up. (same with firebolt though less so) And there are so many jokes i can now make to my friends and get blank stares back and who does not want that.

if you do have any questions of DnD do PM me or ask me on my wall (Oxaraluna) and while I am still learning I will try to help!

I could go on and on and I mean that, and this is JUST scratching the surface, of DnD, but this is already a pretty long article, so I will let you move to your next article.

***

If you would like to contribute articles to Squills as a guest, please send a copy of what you would like to publish to Squillsbot< >!





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Mon Jan 20, 2020 3:57 pm
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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.

Code: Select all
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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That's all folks~ Now send us yours.





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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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