Young Writers Society

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.
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1. FAREWELL FROM PERKS
2. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: ILLY7896
3. 10 QUICK AND EASY PROOF-READING TIPS
4. SHADOW AND BONE TV REVIEW
5. NEW ARRIVALS
6. SHAMELESS PLUGS
7. SUBSCRIBERS

FAREWELL FROM PERKS
written by EditorAndPerks < PM: >

Hi all — I wanted to give you all a short message as an announcement so as I wouldn’t be alarming anyone with my absence, but I’m retiring as the editor-in-chief for Squills.

It’s been an absolute pleasure and amazing experience joining Squills as a regular writer and then becoming an editor later on. I have really loved writing articles every month and getting involved with the community. My love for writing has not faded but I have realized that I need a bit of a break from most things.

I hope you all are doing well and staying healthy. Until next time c: <3

- EditorAndPerks

FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: ILLY7896
written by EternalRain < PM: >

@illy7896 was one of April’s featured members! Illy joined back in February of this year and has already written 100 reviews, sporting 3 shiny stars. I had the honor of sitting down with them and asking a bit about their experience as FM and YWS!


illy7896: Of course and thanks so much!


i: Honestly, I was surprised!! But I was really happy and grateful because so many other good and talented writers and people had been featured members and I felt really good to be placed among them.


i: I think that what landed me as fm, forgive me for my arrogance, was the amount of reviews that I had done and how many works that I had published as well.

My favourite thing to do on YWS is definitely to read other people's writing, especially the poetry section because I love to see the way that others portray their experiences and imagination though story-telling and imagery. I also like to go on writersfeed pads although I have only been on a couple.


[b]i: Thanks! Poetry is my favourite thing to review and what I like about reviewing is being able to pick out important features that I think could be improved upon or were very well-written. It's that feeling of accomplishment and sharing your own opinions about the work itself- being able to communicate with others and give advice and feedback that could be really helpful to the author.


i: Try and involve yourself a little bit in different forums and do your best at giving people helpful advice by reviewing other people's work. Also, to be polite and kind and share support with other writers and people- also just try your best at writing itself and letting others know that you appreciate their work.


i: No, other than to keep writing and trying out new techniques! Thanks so much x


I had a lot of fun interviewing illy this week and tuning in to their experiences as FM and advice for those who are interested in becoming FM! Illy’s profile can be found here ! You can also read their featured member forum post here .

10 QUICK AND EASY PROOF-READING TIPS written by IcyFlame< PM: >

So you've finished the draft of that novel or poem you've been working on, and you're ready to edit. Here are some tips and tricks to make your proof-reading that bit more effective.

1. Clear your mind and make sure you are focussed on the task at hand. Avoid distractions. Try not to proof-read when you are feeling rushed or tired. That can cause you to miss things.
   Block out some time to get the proof-reading done, and take your time. Try turning off your phone, or closing things other than what you're working on. If you're someone who gets distracted easily, try to limit the temptation from things around you as best you can.
   
   
2. Read the piece out loud. This is the advice that works best for me. It feels awkward and uncomfortable to read your own work aloud, but it is hands down the best way to catch errors. When you're reading out loud you are forced to sound out every single word and it's a lot harder for your brain to correct the mistakes, whether you've misspelled a word or left one out altogether.
   
   
3. Don't try to proof-read it all at once. For longer work, allow yourself to get it done a little at a time. Slow and steady.
   
   
4. Watch out for double words - e.g. they went to to the park. From experience, duplicating words happens most often with the shorter ones - the, to, if. Our brains tend to skip over these words when reading them so they can be hard to spot. This is where reading aloud is also very helpful because you're more likely to catch this!
   
   
5. Keep track of common mistakes - e.g. constant misspelling of a specific word. If you've done it a couple of times, chances are you've done it again. Then use ctrl + F to find the other mistakes.
   
   
6. Look out for homophones - just because a word sounds right that doesn't mean it is. There are plenty of examples of this and a mistake we're all guilty of but don't catch until proof-reading. If you're not sure which word you should be using, the internet is your friend.
   
   
7. If it's a shorter piece of work, print it out! It can be easier to proof-read when the document isn't on the screen (don't do this for hundreds of pages, save trees). Sometimes our brains go a little fuzzy when staring at a screen for a long time, so this tip can also give your eyes a bit of a break.
   
   
8. Don't proof-read immediately after you've finished writing, but wait a while. This allows you to gain some distance from what you've written so that you can assess it better.
   
   
9. Try reading your work backwards, sentence by sentence. This way you're less caught up in the overall work and more focussed on the words alone. For poetry, this can also help to spot if there are flaws in your flow.
   
   
10. Get a fresh set of eyes. This is the best piece of advice, and great news, you're already in the right place! YWS is perfect for this. Post your work on the site or, if you're not quite ready for that, ask if someone wouldn't mind having a quick look over for you. It's much easier to spot errors in someone else's work.

So there you have it! 10 quick and easy tips for proof-reading your work. Try some of them out the next time you're editing your work and see if they work for you. If you have any extra tips not on this list, be sure to let us know!

SHADOW AND BONE TV REVIEWwritten by EternalRain < PM: >


A few weeks ago, on April 23rd, Netflix’s Shadow and Bone series came out. The series is based off of the Grishaverse novels written by Leigh Bardugo--the Shadow and Bone series, and the Six of Crows series.

As a huge fan of the Six of Crows books, I was really excited to watch the show! Admittedly, I actually haven’t read the Shadow and Bone series, but that made watching the show a bit more exciting for me because I wasn’t completely sure what was going to go down. I dedicated my Friday to watching the entire first season and let me just saw: I was really impressed! Book-to-screen adaptations can sometimes be touchy territory, as you may well be aware (we don’t speak of the Percy Jackson movie adaptations…). However, the first season of the Shadow and Bone show was remarkably well done!

What I liked about it: the close faithfulness to the books, the casting (actors that matched their characters, talented and new actors), the costumes, and the adaptation of the rich world in Leigh Bardugo’s books onto the screen.

If you’ve read the books and are on the fence whether or not to watch it:

I recommend it! I personally loved seeing the Six of Crows cast come to life on the big screen. The actors did a great job capturing the characters in the novels.

If you haven’t read the books but are thinking of watching it:

I, of course, also wholeheartedly recommend it. One thing to note, however, is that the show is quite like the books in regards to its world building. Leigh Bardugo’s worldbuilding is pretty seamless and learn-as-you-go. So for a first time Shadow and Bone watcher, it may be a bit overwhelming stepping right into the show. That being said, I have family and friends who have watched the show without knowing anything and loved every bit of it!

So, overall, if you’ve read the books and want to see the characters and story come to life in a TV show format, or if you’re simply interested in watching a new YA fantasy TV series, Shadow and Bone is for you!

NEW ARRIVALSwritten by IcyFlame< PM: >

Take a moment to welcome April's newest members to the site!

@NivedaJames22 has already completed over 50 reviews and earned their second review star. If you're a fan of quirky characters in high school settings, the first five chapters of their novel The Story of an Introvert are posted on the site! Check out Chapter One here.

You might recognise @YourFriendQuirks08 from their wonderful poem An appreciation speech for all educators which made its way into the literary spotlight recently! They've also got their first review star already and love acting and anything creativel! Be sure to swing by and say hi .

Fans of fantasy might enjoy @LizzyTyler's novel Written in the Stars . They've also posted some great poetry!

SHAMELESS PLUGS

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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SUBSCRIBERS

written by SquillsBot < PM: >

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