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Squills 5/3/20 - 5/17/20



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Mon May 04, 2020 2:18 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!

CREATIVE STAFF

Spoiler! :


Editor-in-Chief
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General Editors
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Friendly Neighborhood Robot
SquillsBot

Literary Reporter
CaptainJack

Community Reporter
Available - PM Squillsbot if interested

New BloodHound
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Creativity Reporter
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Poetry Enchantress
alliyah

Resources Reporter
Available - PM Squillsbot if interested

Storybooks Status Reporter
ScarlettFire
Clairia

Writer's World Columnist
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Social Correspondent
EternalRain

Code Master
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General Reporters
neptune
Liberty
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Ghost Reporters
amelie
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elysian
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shaniac
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writeasmile



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 May 04, 2020 2:23 am
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FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW - CHIRSDIXON
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written by Liberty < PM: >

In late March, @ChrisDixon was our Featured Member. They’ve been a part of the site since January of this year. They’ve done many things around the site, like participating in Camp NaPo (they even hosted a contest of their own!). Chris has even made a Will Review For Food thread .

And I got to interview them!

Squills: Hiya Chris! I’m a reporter for Squills and I was wondering if it’s cool with you if I interview you about when you were FM?

ChrisDixon: Hi Liberty. Thank you for asking me. I would like to be interview about being FM.

S: Great! What was your reaction when you first learned you were FM?

C: My first reaction was rechecking if it was my username, but it was still same, “ChrisDixon”. I was just so surprised, I kept reloading the url and checking if it really was my name in amazement.

S: I have a few of my own guesses, but what do you think you did that you got FM?

C: Well, I am not quite sure, but I think I was doing what people call, “Socializing.”

S: Nice! What's your favorite part of the site? Why?

C: My favorite part of the site is the green room, because you can review new works that doesn’t have any review, you could write a review and make people’s day wonderful. If the writer is new member, then he/she would be love to hear what people think about their work.

S: Aw, that’s sweet. If you were to give anyone advice on what to do to become FM, what would it be?

C: My advice to become FM is to keep on trying new things, and even if you are busy, just make some time and keep on doing. If you don’t have any ideas what to write about, ask. If you aren’t writing anything, just keep yourself busy reading others work. You might not like to read, but the best way to become FM is also quite like trying the be a good writer.( in my opinion)

S: Wonderful! Lastly, do you have any shout-outs you'd like to make?

C: Do your best! It’s okay to make mistakes, everybody makes them, but all you have to do is go over your mistakes. Just keep on trying to do better and even though it might be slow it works. There’s nothing that outdo practice! Keep on writing! Everybody, don’t give up on anything!

Thank you Chris for taking this interview! :)





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Mon May 04, 2020 2:30 am
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STORYBOOK UPDATE
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written by Clairia < PM:  >

So you’ve stumbled across YWS’ famous Storybook section, searching for an adventure. This place is chock full of writers; and it’s definitely looking for more! If you’re interested in creating a Storybook, I’d suggest you check out the Storybook Section Handbook and Storybook Rules & Resources articles for helpful information regarding the entirety of the SB realm and its general guidelines.
Let’s jump right into this update!


What’s New?
The SB tab is buzzing with activity this April! We’re seeing wonderful success in popular Storybooks, such as Magebird’s The Seven School Mysteries and ScarlettFire’s A Lost Tomb .

We’ve also got a brand-new storybook, As The Earth Falls , written by the lovely @EverLight. The first post is super interesting—you should check it out! If you love the idea of writing about a post apocalyptic earth, you’ll one hundred percent love this. Head on down!
EverLight wrote:You and the rest of the unfortunate men and women living in this turbulent year know the truth-planet earth and its people have fallen. All forests, meadows, and half the world's oceans have been destroyed, and drained-killing off the animals who live in those habitats, and thus depleting food sources.
And that's not the worst part.



Featured
The “featured” Storybook for this Squills issue is…
A Lost Tomb !
(written by ScarlettFire)
ScarlettFire wrote:Seven heroes seek out an ancient tomb for gold and glory.

But that doesn't always go as planned.


A Lost Tomb is packed with extensive lore, detail, and creativity. I was extremely impressed by the hard work (and color!) that @ScarlettFire put into her first post—and, well. Let’s face it. I love, love, fantasy, and that most definitely includes stories about elves consumed by greed ;). I’d like to applaud Scarlett for such a great storyline. Well done!

That just about wraps it up for Squills’ Storybook Update. Thanks to all of the wonderful YWSers who have pitched in to make the website a continuously more SB-full place!





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Mon May 04, 2020 2:32 am
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MAY HAIKU WRITING
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written by alliyah < PM: >

I know. I know. We just got done with 30 days of poetry, and I'm already bringing it up again. Ha! What can I say? I can't help it! Rest assured readers, May Haiku is a little more ... chill ... than National Poetry Month! For many around the world, they choose to write haikus during May, because it's the fifth month of the year, and that's the number of syllables in the first line of a haiku. Some folks choose to do a haiku every day, and some choose to just write when inspiration strikes.

Last year @Oxara, @Liberty, and a few others joined forces to write haikus during May. You can read about how that went in Last Year's Article . Some of the poems were more traditionally nature themed, some of them were just little life reflections, nothing too fancy.

If you haven't written a haiku before, or need a refresher from school, the basic rules are 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in second line, and 5 in the third line. It doesn't need rhyme, though if you want to be a bit more traditional use nature themes and include some sort of "turn" or "surprise" in your poem. @Kale has written a very thorough and informative article on the art of haiku writing, right here if you're really interested in going in-depth with it.

If you're not feeling burned-out with writing poetry, and want to continue to do a little poetic reflection in May, I definitely invite you to try it! In the spirit of May being the 5th month, personally, I'm going to set a goal of 5 Haikus and see where it take me! To join just post haikus on your wall during May with the hashtag "#MayHaiku".





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Mon May 04, 2020 2:33 am
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FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW - ETHANHOOVER
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written by Liberty < PM: >

Our new Featured Member has been a member of the site for quite a while now - since May of 2018! @EthanHoover, the one and only! He’s done loads of poems last month for NaPoWriMo and he even made a thread of his own, called Golden Canvasses . Go give it a read when you can. There’s some pretty neat poetry in there!

Squills: Hello there, Ethan! I'm a reporter for Squills and I was wondering if it was okay with you if I interviewed you about your experiences?

EthanHoover: Hey Lib, I'd love to help out! Just send the questions whenever you're ready.

S: Awesome! So, first of all, what was your reaction when you first learned that you were FM?

E: Well, I guess first a little confusion, then I was honestly shocked. It'd never even crossed my mind that I might be the featured member someday, let alone so soon after becoming active on YWS again!

S: It must have been a surprise! I have a few hunches myself, but what do you think you did that got you FM?

E: I'm don't really know that myself, but I think a big part of it has been my wholehearted participation in NaPo this year-- Other than the poem-a-day challenge, I also entered into April Madness, and I've been in all but one or two poetry jams this month.

S: That's great! What's your favorite part of the site?

E: I don't know if this quite counts, but the best thing about YWS for me has been the people. My Dad was a writer when he was younger, and I had always been regaled with stories of his mean and plagiaristic peers, so I came to the site braced for the worst. But then I got here, and everyone has been just so amazing to me, it's been a real blessing.

S: Aw, that's sweet. What's your favorite part about writing?

E: Hmm, hard one. It depends on my mood, I guess. When I'm comfortable and happy, I love the way writing creates people, places, entire worlds that didn't exist before, where there was nothing. When I'm stressed or angry or depressed, I like the way writing can let out those emotions more than anything else.

S: Wonderful! Do you have any advice for people who would want to become FM one day?

E: Hmm, well, since I kind of did it by accident, I guess the best advice I can give is to be you, but you to the nth degree, if that makes any kind of sense.

S: I find it super interesting that a lot of people have said that. Anyways, I have one more question before I conclude this interview! Do you have any shout-outs to make?

E: Yeah, a big thank you to @LadyGemstone for being especially awesome. If it weren't for her, I don't know that I'd have been able to get poetry out some days. Here's to you, Gem!

S: Fantastic! Thanks for taking this interview and congrats once again!

E: Hey, no problem, always glad to talk about myself help out! And thank you!

Thanks once again for taking time out for this interview, Ethan! If you haven’t already, make sure to congratulate him on the thread or on his wall .

And thank you, dear reader, for reading. =)





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Mon May 04, 2020 2:35 am
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SELF CARE IN QUARANTINE
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written by Bullet< PM: >

One of the most stigmatized and least discussed symptoms of depression (among other lovely mental idiosyncrasies) is the lapse in hygiene; no one ever talks about how one could be so depressed they could go days and weeks without doing things as "simple" as showering, doing laundry, or even brushing their teeth, due to lack of energy and motivation.

As someone who struggles to take care of themselves in even the most basic of ways, self-care during quarantine has become an ever-growing issue for me, and I'm sure many others as well. Being unemployed at the moment, the lack of structure and suddenly copious amounts of freetime are doing both good and bad; on one hand, I get to take a break from the usual grind of being an adult and pursue things I want to do; on the other, without a guiding force, the days start to blend together and I get lost in a dissociated fog, unable to really remember exactly when I did a certain thing (such as shower, or eat).

As such, due to our current circumstances, mentally ill/disabled folk and abled folk alike now have to drastically shift what "productivity" and "self care" mean, as opposed to what our capitalist hellscape of a society has taught us. The biggest lesson I've learned in this situation so far is that you can't do it all.

Lately, a good day for me looks like simple tasks: shower, check. do a load of laundry, check. brush your teeth, check. On my most productive days, the days where I feel proudest of myself, I make phone calls and talk to friends. And that's okay - it's okay that not every hour of every day results in something tangible and 'productive'. It's okay to rest, and goof off, and pursue things you enjoy, like writing or knitting or playing the ukulele (even if you're bad at it!).

So this is just your friendly reminder that, mentally ill or not, it's okay if you're not up to your "usual standard" during this epidemic crisis; we are all, collectively, experiencing trauma like nothing we've known in all of our history, and nobody is sure of anything. It's okay if your biggest accomplishment of the day is getting out of bed and eating something, and it's okay if your most productive days look like zoom classes/meetings, phone calls, emails. Everyone is struggling in their own way during this time, and the biggest thing to remember is that it is okay to stop, take a breath, and take a break to take care of yourself.

Over the course of my adolescent years and up to this point, the greatest lesson I've learned in regards to my mental illnesses is that happiness and "normality" isn't, and can't always be, the goal. Sometimes, it's about managing symptoms. It's about checking how much it pervades your life, checking behaviors and thinking patterns, trying to keep yourself in line 24/7. And I think that's an important goal to keep in mind, during this crisis; that just managing sympoms is a victory in and of itself, and it's okay if that's all you can manage to do.

And this isn't even mentioning the fact that the standards of productivity we're held to by a capitalist society, in which every waking moment and every task that consumes any substantial amount of effort must result in something "productive" (or, in reality, profitable for the higher-ups), is ridiculous and beyond natural capacity, anyway.

So, if you're reading this article, now is your moment to pause. Take a deep breath - in, then out. Recalibrate. Look around you. Think about what would make you happiest. And another deep breath. Be kind to yourself. You deserve it.

Stay safe, everyone. Hope you're doing well.





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Mon May 04, 2020 2:37 am
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NAPO SHOUTOUTS: FINAL WEEK
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written by alliyah < PM: >

We're on our last week of NaPo, so that makes this our last NaPo Highlight article of the month! You can chekc out the last two if you missed them, from week one and week two . Here's some snippets of poems for our shout outs this week.

____________________________________



my grandma told me, rainclouds
were in fact the mythology of another land.
vapours from the cooking of foreign spices
rising up, condenses.

@Apricity slanted sunbeams 08.




i uproot trees
and tear handfuls of young stars
away from the sky,
because if i can't grow
then nothing can.

@starlitmind April 24



If I swing my window open
to the pigment-free tunnel,
the wind could glide across
my face and hum goodnight.

@fraey hopefully the last sleep poem




The air was warm and still that summer night.
The radio played Fly Me To The Moon
as you and I watched under the starlight.

@Elinor Moon Song




and when the nights are windy, i hold on
to the fire’s warmth, tend to its breath,
and huddle so close that the withering logs
look like bones.

@neptune stranded at sea, April 22




if you draw my hands
draw their erred evolution
the filling the emptying
of the cavern between wrist and thumb

@Lavvie 19.

____________________________________


Make sure to take a look at the NaPoWriMo Threads this year. Just because this is the last Squills Highlight article for NaPo 2020, doesn't mean you can't give your own shoutouts, jump over to the NaPo Shout-Out Thread if you have a thread or poem that you want to bring some attention to. Thank you all for reading, and thank you all the NaPo poets for sharing your poetry this month! It's been lovely to follow along with your threads.





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Mon May 04, 2020 2:40 am
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SOCIETY PAGES
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written by Liberty < PM: >

Lots of things have happened since the last Society Pages column - which was way back in the beginning of 2015 (I’m trying to revive this column because I think it’s pretty cool). Of course I won’t be telling y’all about everything that happened from then till now but I’ll try to fill you guys in on whatever has happened in the past week-ish time.

Alright.

Let’s see. Most of you know all the talk about Harry Potter Houses that’s been going around. Everyone’s been trying out quizzes to see what house they’re sorted into. Some were upset that they got something else other than what they hoped. And some were denying what they got. There were multiple identity crises as well.

It all started with @Shapeofvoid’s post about a Which-House-Are-You Quiz being supposedly accurate. Here’s the direct link to the quiz if you want to take it!

By the way, there’s another Hogwarts House quiz that @alliyah had made with the help of @tgirly. And it’s based on YWS activity which is super cool. 8)

And for the latest Review Day, we even had teams based on a quiz that would sort us in our houses - Slytherin , Gryffindor , Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw . The winning team was… (drum-roll please) Ravenclaw House! Everyone did a fantastic job this Review Day. We cleared out a lot of the Green Room. More information here !

(PS: Review Day was on @manilla ’s birthday this year!)

Harry Potter stuff aside, the Storybook made by @soundofmind called The Outlands has been completed after two years and seven months of hard work! Congrats to @Wolfical @fraey @Featherstone @sherlockhson @Lael and soundofmind herself! Go give it a read if you’re interested in action and drama. Here’s the official post .

We’ve had a couple of new username changes lately as well - Jaybird is now @Magebird, MiniGem26 is now @LadyGemstone and hiraeth is now ShapeOfVoid!

Also, @RavenLord is finally back with their #satisfyFea posts! You know you missed them…

Well I guess that’ll be it for now! ;)





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Mon May 04, 2020 2:44 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.

Code: Select all
Place advertisement here. Make sure you include a title!

And now for this week's Shameless Plugs!


~~~


YWS Advertising Post


Need more advertisements in your life?
Or maybe you just want to keep up with the latest events on YWS?

Join the YWS Advertising Post so you don't miss any of the upcoming events and feel free to share your own news too!

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Want to have fun and exercise your abilities as a poet? Consider joining this challenge. Each round will have a random set of parameters, including things like theme, rhyme scheme, format, etc. There are no eliminations and anyone is free to join or leave at any time. I think everyone will find something exciting for them!

~~~



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Welcome to the Universe



Do you want to participate in a universe with other YWSers? Would you like to create a diverse universe and mold it as you write? Do you want to write a deep story in an interconnected universe? Do you like writing with others, or just worldbuild for stories? Young Writers Universe is always open and inviting!


~~~


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That's all folks~ Now send us yours.





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Mon May 04, 2020 2:45 am
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SUBSCRIBERS
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written by SquillsBot < PM: >

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

@SquillsBot@Carina@ShadowVyper@ArcticMonkey@Hannah@KingLucifer@Caesar@veeren@megsug@StoneHeart@Skydreamer@Love@Aley@Rydia@Alpha@skorlir@KnightTeen • @ChildOfNowhere • @neko@Aquila90@DudeMcGuy@kayfortnight@Cole@Blackwood@manisha • @fortis • @Gardevite@cgirl1118@KittyCatMeow@Willard@ChocoCookie@carbonCore@Auxiira@Blues@Paracosm@Sparkle@FireFox@Dakushau@deleted5@wizkid515@yubbies21@PiesAreSquared@FatCowsSis@CelticaNoir@BenFranks@TimmyJake@whitewolfpuppy@WallFlower@Magenta@BrittanyNicole@GoldFlame@Messenger@ThereseCricket@TriSARAHtops@Ventomology@Evander@WillowPaw1@Laure@TakeThatYouFiend • @RoseAndThorn • @Cheetah@NicoleBri@Pompadour@Zontafer@QueenOfWords@Crimsona@vluvswriting@GreenTulip@Audy@EllaBliss@eldEr@Deanie@lostthought@CesareBorgia • @Omnom • @Morrigan@AfterTheStorm • @AstralHunter • @Arcticus • @Wolfical • @Pamplemousse@Sassafras@gia2505@ExOmelas@SkyeWalker@Noelle@elysian@TinkerTwaggy@kingofeli@SpiritedWolfe@malachitear@GeeLyria@AdmiralKat@Clickduncake • @yellow • @Seraphinaxx@Pretzelstick@WritingWolf@EternalRain@Tuesday@Dragongirl@JKHatt@Lucia@donizback •@Querencia • @BlueSunset@artybirdy@IncohesiveScribbles@cleverclogs@MLanders@ClackFlip@PickledChrissy@racket@Lorelie@Gravity@BluesClues • @hermione315@Steggy@willachilles@tintomara138@AmatuerWritings@TheLittlePrince@TheForgottenKing@Shoneja123 • @Jaybird • @Mea@klennon14@fandomsNmusic@Meerkat@HolographicLadybug@Sevro@DragonWriter22@RippleGylf@amelie@Morrigun@Megrim@Kazumi@inktopus@OreosAreLife@Saruka@rosette@PastelSlushie@Strident@darklady@Jashael@TheBlueCat • @Thundahguy • @ZeldaIsSheik • @Lives4Christ24@manilla@Danni88@Elinor@fishsashimi@TheWeirdoFromBeyond@shaniac@neptune@Storybraniac@WritingPrincess • @Traves • @JosephHGeorge@Amabilia@Fantascifi66@paperforest@alliyah • @Liberty • @Dossereana • @AtlasW • @EverLight@AlyTheBookworm@mckaylaam

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!








I'm not so good with the advice... Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?
— Chandler Bing