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Squills 5/17/20 - 5/24/20



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Mon May 18, 2020 5:32 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

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alliyah

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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 May 18, 2020 5:34 am
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FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW - WHATCHAMACALLIT
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written by Liberty < PM: >

On the 5th of May, YWS revealed a new featured member - @whatchamacallit! She’s a pretty old member - since June 2017. In the beginning of April, they wooshed back onto the site with a number of reviews - she even earned her third review star while she was at it. Speaking of reviews, whatcha is a knight of the Green Room! Here’s her scroll of achievements if you want to check it out!

Anyways, I got the honor of interviewing whatcha!

S: Heya, whatcha! I'm here on behalf of Squills and I was hoping it'll be okay with you if I interview you you about your experiences as FM so far?

w: For sure!

S: Alright! What did you first feel when you learned you're FM?

w: I was completely amazed. I couldn't, and still can't, believe that this is happening! I've really come to love this community of wonderful people, and it means so much to me that I was picked to be a featured member.

S: What do you think you did that you got featured? I think I know, but I'd like to hear what you have to say.

w: I'm not entirely sure, but probably a combination of things? For one, I have done a lot of reviews in the past month - the

Harry Potter

review day was a blast! I've also participated in several forums, and I enjoy dropping by poetry jams and other WriterFeed Pads. If I may say so myself, @LadyGemstone is a wonderful pad hostess.


S: Awesome! So you really enjoy the forums and pads? Is that your favorite part of the site or are there others?

w: The pads are definitely one of my favourite parts of the site. I love being able to chat with my YWS friends, collaborate on poetry, and do roleplay! I also enjoy scrolling through the poetry tab and reading all the amazing poems by the talented writers on here. They always inspire me with their beautiful poetry!

S: You mentioned the Harry Potter themed Review Day earlier, did you like the event? And also, have you participated in other Review Days?

w: I absolutely loved the Harry Potter Review day! I was on the small but mighty team Ravenclaw, with a bunch of amazing people, and we had a great time. Yes, I participated in a couple of review days, back in 2017 - I believe I joined teams We are not the Wurst, Summer, and Cranberries.

S: Nice! Do you have any shout-outs or anything to say in general?

w: I love this site and the people on it, and it's been so fun rediscovering it in the past month! I would like to mention a few people, just for being so fantastically wonderful and kind. LadyGemstone, my favourite fairy, @Gravitem (and his keyboard), and @EthanHoover, whose grammar is impeccable. Also, can I say @Liberty for being an amazing interviewer and a super kind and genuine person?

S: Hah, thanks. One more question - if anyone wanted to become featured member, what advice would you give them?

w: Honestly, just enjoy yourself on this site. If fantasy is your thing, review some fantasy works! If you're in to roleplaying, join the roleplay club! If you like to hang out and collaborate on poetry, drop in on some poetry jams and public pads. If you enjoy debating, head over to that forum. Get involved and do whatever you enjoy the most (and make sure to be kind and respectful while you're at it).

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

w: You're welcome! You're a wonderful interviewer!

If you haven’t yet congratulated her, make sure to drop by her wall or the thread . Thanks once again for taking this interview, whatcha! :)





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Mon May 18, 2020 5:35 am
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POETRY IN THE FORUMS
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written by alliyah < PM: >

National Poetry Month may be over, but this is Young Writers Society, so we're still writing poetry here! This month there's actually been a lot of poetry action in the forums. Here are a few of the highlights!

May Haiku Activities
May is "May Haiku Month" where many poets are choosing to share haikus on their walls with the hashtag "#MayHaiku." While a haiku is fairly straight forward, you've just got three lines with 5, 7, and 5 syllables, there are other ways to have fun with haikus this month - including some activities over in the forums.

@Gravitem, @Whatchamacallit, @LittleLee, @KahleneTenorio, @Querencia, @Kateex, and @LZPianoGirl have been especially busy in the Haiku Train and Haiku Battle threads.

Here's a couple of my favorites:

"We’re lost to deceit—
but see, my darling, how well
these lies become us."

- Querencia

"Buffeted by winds
Yet I will stand steady here
And face my dark foes."

- LittleLee

Cinquain Activities

Another poetry activity that's taken off in the forums this month is the cinquain poetry writing activity started by @legolas1122. Users can jump in and try out writing a cinquain. If you've never written a cinquain before you can check out this article in the YWS Knowledge Base for a few versions of cinquains you can try out. Here's one I wrote for the thread!

This May -
feather dust gone -
She's flown away too soon,
left only her shadow to miss.
Time; gone.

- alliyah

And here's a lovely one from @Magebird!

birds.
swift, deadly,
soaring, hunting, diving,
gliding through the air.
raptors.

- Magebird

Poetry Discussions

Lastly we've had two really great threads posted in the Poetry Discussion section of YWS that I'd encourage you all to check out and weigh-in. First we've got the question What can be poetry? where the question has been posed by @AvantCoffee on just what are the bounds and possibilities of poetry. She's drawn some really interesting examples from modern art to start out the discussion, and I'd love to hear what all of your opinions are on the definitions of poetry given in the thread. So far we've had @Arcticus and @Lavvie taking a bit more of the traditional route of defining poetry, with @Gravitem positing that all poetry is dependent on needs and deprivation of the times, and @LadyGemstone asking if prose poetry is a valid form to be included within our definition. There's certainly a lot more that could be discussed, so stop on over!

The other discussion post in the Poetry Discussion section is from @CaptainJack. They've brought a classic poem from the American Civil War period for our discussion and reflection, the poem is only three stanzas long, so it's not going to take an hour of background reading to get involved. I hope a few people jump into that discussion with the lovely discussion questions that Jack has posed. I plan to get involved with both of these discussions after wrapping up finals!

Be sure to check out all these activities and discussions this May, and if there's more activities that you'd like to see, or questions you have about poetry, why not start you own thread and see what happens! Happy writing!





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Mon May 18, 2020 5:36 am
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AN ARTIST ANSWERS: AVANTCOFFEE
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written by neptune< PM: >

I’m back with another Artist Answers, an article in which I interview a talented artist from the site! This week we have the lovely @AvantCoffee, who shares her nature pictures in her thread here . Having been a fan of her photography for a while now, I was super excited to talk with her. So, let’s get into the interview!

Squills: Hey Coffee! I’m a reporter for Squills, and I was wondering if I could interview you about your photography in the Art & Photography forum?

AvantCoffee: You sure can!

S: Great! When did you first spark an interest in photography?

A: Ohoho. Well. Taking photographs started for me with a writing project of mine two years ago: I had the idea to create a mixed media project by integrating photos of the nature on my home property with a written story I'd outlined. No part of me had shown interest in photography before then, so it's kind of amusing how it started as merely a task to get over with for a greater goal. The written story is incomplete, despite returning to it now and then, but I continue to take nature photography just for the fun and creativity of it c:

S: So far, what have been your favorite photograph(s) to take, and why?

A: Oh! Hmm, I haven't thought about my favourites, but there certainly would be photos I enjoy more, let's see...

Recently I took a series of nature photos closer to my house (unlike previous forest and creek photos) that focused on close-up shots of flowers and plant details, which was refreshing to do. I particularly like this one I took of water droplets on this plant:
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... mainly because I feel the small water droplets are a motif with the round, green seeds splitting off from the plant's branches. I also feel the droplets look really elegant in how they collect along the branch.

This one doesn't stand out as much from other photos, but I personally like it because of the gradual transition in focus and colour—from blurred white/green at the bottom to focused ombre yellow/pink leaves at the top:
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I also had, like, way too much fun taking photos of insects, like this one of a tiny spider:
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... because insects are cute when they're smol, and I like the foreground focus of this photo.

And as far as earlier creek/forest photos go, I like the more abstract ideas in this:
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... and how the rock in bottom right corner mimics the texture of the rippling water with its surface indents.

And finally (because there's a
lot more I could go into otherwise lol) this one of the creek, because it feels like a nice overall composition in the way the creek curves down the photo:
Spoiler! :
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S: Pretty! What is the most challenging thing about photography?

A: The most challenging thing from my experience has probably been taking credit for the photos I've taken, as strange as that sounds. Photography has been a unique creative activity for me in that sense, because unlike writing or other forms of creativity, photography involves capturing what already physically exists in the world. In early days of photographing I almost thought 'well I'm not the one who makes these photos anything, the nature I'm photographing is.' And it's been interesting and unexpected to reflect on this.

Possibly every form of creativity is an interpretation of what already exists in the way photography is. While photography interprets the physical using frame, perspective, focus etc., creative writing interprets the mental—the memory of life experiences, the knowledge we've attained, our conditioning, our contexts—through story. So I've sort of come to conclude that a photographer is able to take credit for their work as much as any creator, because they all interpret what already exists. idk, it's neat to think about for me ~

As for how much credit
any creator can take for their work hoo boy—that's a whole other can of worms that I probably shouldn't consider here haha

S: Wow, that’s very insightful! Finally, do you have any advice for those interested in photography/just starting out?

A: Honestly, just pick up a camera and play around. xD Trust your own judgement and creativity. I've never studied photography, but I feel that allowed me to focus less on getting everything technically 'right' and more on the wonder of the activity, which I feel has helped me familiarise and love photography overall.

Overall! I really encourage people to give photography a go, as someone who once had absolutely no interest in it. It can be fun and creative, but also calm and mindful of the present moment, which is awesome for times of stress or brain fog. I'll eagerly support any new photography threads that might pop up on YWS ;)


If you haven’t checked out her photography yet, I highly suggest visiting her thread in the Art & Photography forum . Seeing different forms of art and all the creative users on the site is very inspirational - so I am grateful I had the opportunity of talking with yet another wonderful artist!





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Mon May 18, 2020 5:36 am
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NAPO RECAP AND REFLECTION
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written by alliyah < PM: >

You may have seen the 2020 NaPo Recap that I posted in the lounge already, but we haven't gotten a Squills entry on it so here I am again.

About half a month ago we wrapped up NaPoWriMo and it was definitely one of the most successful well-participated ones we've had for a few years as far as numbers go. I am just generally interested in NaPo and YWS stats, so actually went back and counted all of the threads from the previous few years to see how this year faired and this is what I found out.

2017 NaPo - had 63 participants
2018 NaPo - had 64 participants
2019 NaPo - had 58 participants
& 2020 NaPo - had 70 participants!

That's pretty great! People also produced a lot of poems over the course of the month too, there were well over 1000 poems written with 20 users completing the 30 poems in 30 days challenge. In total 72 badges were handed out for the different contests and challenges we had this year! In 2020 we introduced two new bages that we haven't in previous years - one for participating in the Speak Your Mind Challenge which was introduced by @Lavvie, and a special new badge for the two April Madness Finalists who won first and second place in April Madness which was ran by @fraey this year.

I think it's interesting to consider, why did NaPo have so much participation this year? One might say that being stuck inside away from school because of the Corona-virus gave people more time to write poetry, but I think it's more than just having "more time available". For me at least this April, it didn't actually feel like I had more time than previous Aprils, to be really concrete about it, we still had 30 days made up of 24 hours just like every year. And in some ways the virus has put more work on some people with navigating different family situations, work changes, and new school pressures caused by the need to socially isolate. So the question remains, why more poetry? Why create art in the midst of a pandemic, when there are so many more concrete issues around us?

I can't speak to why the other 70 poets decided to write poetry in April, but for me, NaPo provided a little structure to each day during a time when all of the other usual structures of the day had been eliminated. Poetry is also interesting in that it can either (or sometimes both) allow you process what's going on around you or escape from what's going on, and I'm sure there was at least a little of that going on in my writing this month. Lastly, I think sharing poetry allows for a tangible way to leave meaning in the world in a way that other forms of expression and impact are sometimes not available. All of these benefits of poetry writing are always present of course, but maybe the corona-virus just made these factors for more stark this month for me. It's been interesting to read the threads this month too - there's not 1000 poems about survival, and yet the theme comes up in different subtle or sometimes obvious ways throughout the threads. There were other threads of continuity throughout people's poetry this month though as well, the passage of seasons, the holding on or letting go of memories, exploring identity, considering the validity of emotion, of history, of relationships, of stories, of language, of memory. For a month that was very difficult for a lot of us, there was a lot of hope and even humor expressed.

I think I've seen a few people express on their walls and other places not being entirely satisfied with their NaPo writing this year, I think I resonate with that too. I may have surpassed my number goal, but the poetry feels different this year, it doesn't feel as polished and there's not as much holding the whole thread together. While there were a lot of reasons to write poetry this month, to be honest there were also a lot of reasons to not write poetry this month, and a lot of reasons that the poetry this year might not have been up to your personal standards or expectations for how you wanted the month to turn out. If NaPo didn't go quite how you wanted know that you're not alone in that, and try to give yourself some grace - whether you wrote one poem or fifty poems - you made some poetry this month! And if things didn't quite go how you wanted them to, there's always next year, in fact there's always next month! Either way, thank you for sharing your poetry with us this strange April YWS!





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Mon May 18, 2020 5:37 am
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GREEN ROOM GALLERY
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written by Liberty < PM: >

Hello people!

The Green Room is currently at 70+ works right now - 24 works with 0 reviews and 57 works with 1 review in the Green Room. There’s novel chapters, poetry, articles, short stories, etc. Many works to check out and review! The oldest piece is a fantastical work that has a good amount of action in it. It’s there since April 27, which isn’t from too long ago, actually! But still, if you can, you should take out some time to review something from the Green Room to clear it. You get an extra 25 points if you review anything at all from there. If the work is from a month ago, then even better - instead of 25 extra points, you get 50 extra points. ;)

@Chaton15 wrote Where Light Meets Dark: Chapter 1 - Secrets which is the first chapter filled with action and adventure!
Warnings: 12, V

@felistia wrote The Quest for Fire - Frozen Past - Chapter Seven a chapter which is also an action/adventure story. If you like dragons, you probably want to check this out. You can check out the related chapters Chapter 1 , Chapter 2 , and Chapter 3 too!

@aeternum wrote She Keeps Us Here a short story that’s filled with suspense. Here’s a snippet: The woman beneath the grass awoke as her rotting flesh began to burn the soil around her.

@nykolasandrews wrote bloodlust a poem which is a dramatic and literary piece.
Warnings: 12, V

@JacobMoor wrote The Closet a horror short story. Here’s a quick description of it: A story about sins and secrets, and what happens when they don't stay buried.

Well that’s it for now. You’ve seen how many creative writers we have here on the site, so definitely go and check out these wonderful stories/poems some time! I’m sure you’ll enjoy them. :)

Adios!





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Mon May 18, 2020 5:38 am
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NEW ARRIVALS
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written by EternalRain < PM: >

Take a moment to welcome this week’s newest members to the site!

@madisonperkins59 has already made her way around the site! You may have seen her in the Research or Lounge forums. She’s also written several reviews and posted a chapter of her story The Long Journey about a girl juggling life living with spina bifida.

@mememimer has done a whopping 12 reviews since they joined, well on their way to their second sparkling star!

@crimsonrose06 is a fan of true crime, cats, and poetry! They’ve already posted their first work, a poem called Death Knocks .

Other members who haven't had a chance to be as active, but are no less a member of our family are...







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Mon May 18, 2020 5:39 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!


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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 18, 2020 5:39 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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@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!








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