Squills 9/22-9/29/13

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!

Spoiler

Editor-in-Chief
Hannah

General Editors
Iggy
ShadowVyper

Friendly Neighborhood Robot
SquillsBot

Friendly Neighborhood Cow
CowLogic

Literary Reporter
SparkofDoubt

Community Reporter
Sapi

Storybook Report
AfterTheStorm

Link Cowgirl
megsug

Quibbles Columnist
skorlir

Social Correspondent
StellaThomas

General Reporters
Cspr
BlackNether12
ArcticMonkey
HomeschooledTeen

Past Editors-in-Chief
GriffinKeeper
AlfredSymon

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.

Well, that’s all I have for now. So, what are you waiting for? Enjoy!

1. 10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT YWS
2. 10 CHOICE CLUBS ON YWS
3. TOP TEN WRITING PROMPTS
4. THE TEN BEST YWS POEMS EVER
5. 10 PIECES OF WRITING FROM WHEN WE WERE TEN (OR SO)
6. COW SAYS: SEPTEMBER 22nd, 2013
7. IN THE SPOTLIGHT: FATCOWSSIS
8. ADVENTURER IN THE STORYBOOK FORUM
9. SO BAD IT'S GOOD: BLACKWOOD
10. GREEN ROOM GALLERY
11. NEW ARRIVALS
12. THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 9/22
13. SHAMELESS PLUGS
14. SUBSCRIBERS

10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT YWSwritten by ArcticMonkey < PM: >

1. There is no apostrophe in YWS because it caused an error.

Originally when @Nate set up YWS, he tried to call it 'Young Writer's Society'. However the software threw an error, so it had to be changed to 'Young Writers Society'. So instead of the society belonging to the young writers, it's a society full of young writers! Both make sense, and now it seems like the apostrophe wouldn't fit in anyway.

2. Dragon vs Monkey vs... Pat Buchanan?

As a lot of you may have seen, YWS' mascot is an adorable monkey. However, it was almost going to be a dragon! As we see in the first poll for the new mascot, dragon had almost 70% of the vote. The second poll also included the option Pat Buchanan. Any YWSer will know that Pat Buchanan is our dear friend, and whenever there is a poll on, Pat Buchanan somehow sneaks in to steal the votes. In his inaugural poll, however, he only got 2 votes. Shocking!

3. Life on Mars: The YWS Office has been on Mars.

If you're wondering, yes, a YWS office does exist... kind of. The last time it was seen was in London, as shown in a blogpost from @Rydia, but before that, it spent a lot of time on Mars as shown here . Who knows where it will end up next? Could it be right next door?

4. Squills has been through many changes!

Basically, the Squills you read today hasn't always been like this, and it's taken a while to get here. It used to be more of a magazine type publication, which when finished was a PDF that members could download. Now, as you can see, it's more of an online newsletter dedicated to reporting the news of writing and YWS.

5. The Literary Area also went through some drastic changes.

The Literary Area wasn't always how it is today. Literary posts, such as stories and poems, used to all be on forums. Then the whole layout of the literary area got changed. Instead of getting rid of the literary forums, they have all been locked up
here , so take a look if you want!

6. Storybook 'Schools'

Many YWSers today spend a lot of time in the Storybook forum, creating characters and role-playing a story with other members. Some older members such as @Ego, @Griffinkeeper, and @Jennafina really made the Storybook forum what it is today.

Jennafina made the idea of Storybooks in a group, and this group proved to be so popular that it was made into its very own forum! Still, there are various different types of SBs, and some refer to them as the 'Griff school' and the 'Dono school'.

Griff's school of SB's follows the idea that the SB leader creates an idea, and everyone puts in their own input as they like, like a playground which everyone can use. Dono's idea was that the SB leader had more control: they create the idea and the plot, and the other participators follow that guideline.

7. Instructors and Greeters

Currently, the mod squad is made up of junior moderators, global moderators, and administrators. In around 2008 though, there were two other positions: 'Instructors' and 'Greeters'. Instructors' main job was to be consistent and quality reviewers. Greeters had to, well, greet! But of course very often.

Instructors had their usernames in purple and Greeters were in blue, and they used to have fun with their roles such as swap jobs for 24 hours. @Rosey%20Unicorn was both an instructor and greeter, but here is what she had to say about greeting:






8. The 'YWS Radio Show' is a thing!

In the past there have been quite a few YWS Radio Shows, which either have an open-mic sort of theme (where people can call in and share their work), or another theme, such as the YWS anniversary or Halloween! Speaking from personal experience, it's one of the most fun things I've experienced on YWS. Here are the past radio shows, if you want to have a quick listen. If you'd like to see them make a come back, pressure your local moderator with pleas and bribes!

9. Review teams are about two years old.

The idea of review teams hovered around the site for a while, but it wasn't until about two years ago when the idea finally picked itself up. If you've been part of a review day before, you'll know that nothing is more exciting than finding out which review team you are on. I'm sure we're all glad that that idea finally did pick up!

10. The YWS logo was created by Elder Bobo.

See that pretty logo at the top of YWS? This was created by Elder Bobo, who was one of the first honorary admins of YWS.

10 CHOICE CLUBS ON YWS

written by Sapi < pm: >

One of the many awesome features of YWS is its clubs. You name it, there's a club for it, and clubs are a great tool to find and interact with like-minded YWSers. If you have never ventured into this realm, I suggest having a look at the main page for Clubs , which can also be found amongst the tabs at the top of the page.

This week, for Squills' grand 10th edition, I have a list of 10 of the juiciest clubs on YWS. I asked @Rydia , one of the wonderful administrators of the site, to choose 10 clubs that are favorites and deserving of recognition. I also sent out a poll to random members, and although very few people replied, still many of their choices of clubs agreed with Rydia's.

The clubs are arranged in order of popularity and awesomeness:

1. The Welcoming Committee
Created last summer by @SushiSashimi333, The Welcoming Committee is a group of members dedicated to welcoming as many new users as possible to the YWS family. Graced by 32 members and constantly in action (as proved by its frequency in the “New Posts” and “New Topics” sidebars), The Welcoming Committee is on a roll. But it can always use more people! If you are an experienced YWSer and you like welcoming the newbies, you can help the team by everything from keeping the Welcome Mat well attended to posting warm welcomes and information on new members' walls.

Also, 80% of people who answered my poll named The Welcoming Committee as one of their favorites.

@DarkKnight9 named this club a favorite because






2. Wheel of Prompts
Created on February 9, Wheel of Prompts is a club where writing prompts of any sort, whether it be song, picture, word, or phrase, are shared so that the creative mind is set in motion.

Put beautifully by the creator, @Zyphlid:






3. Poetry
With a whopping 169 subscribers, Poetry is an old timer, created in the summer of 2010. Run by @PenguinAttack and @Meshugenah , it is a place to share, discuss, and write poetry with fellow poets. Need poetry help or suggestions? Come here.

40% of responders to my poll declared Poetry as one of their favorites.

@Ary says of the Poetry club:






4. The Buddy System
Created by Rydia herself way back in 2011, The Buddy System pairs experienced mentors with mentees in order to show the newbies around the site and guide them through their first steps of YWSing. This club has 168 members.

5. Cake Lovers
Because, I mean, cake! Cake Lovers is fairly self-explanatory. It's okay, you can still like pie...but you must love the cake.

A message from @Carina , the creator:






6. Gamer's Playground
A club to play and discuss games of all types. Whether you play a sport, enjoy board games on Saturday evenings or are an avid videogamer, Gamer's Playground is the place for you. It was created last June by @racket, and currently has 37 members.

7. The Young Writer's Society
Everyone on the site is automatically a member of The Young Writer's Society , as the name suggests, however you do not get notifications of new posts. Therefore, if you want to keep updated with such things as site updates and upcoming events, check this club! It is run by Nate and other administrators and moderators of YWS.

8. Suicide Prevention
Created by @PixieStix in August, this club is exactly what it sounds like- fighting against suicide today. A beautiful club with a good cause, Suicide Prevention is dedicated to a good cause.

20% of people who responded to my poll put down Suicide Prevention as a favorite

9. Doctor Who
Created by @AquaMarine in 2010, this club is pretty awesome. Doctor Who fans, unite! Discuss, fawn over, and anticipate this popular show.

20% of people who responded to the poll gave Doctor Who as one of their choices

If you are not familiar with Doctor Who, never fear! As AquaMarine explained:






And finally,

10. Squills Fan Club
For those of you out there that enjoy and want to support the Squills newsletter that you are currently reading (that's all of you, right? ), you can subscribe to Squills Fan Club to give feedback to us and to be informed of every new edition. This club is run by the editors and writers of Squills.

TOP TEN WRITING PROMPTSwritten by HomeschooledTeen < PM: >

Some of you (not all I hope) might be wondering exactly what a writing prompt is. Whatever you do, don't Google the definition. Not that you have to, of course, since I am here to explain it to you. The dictionary is a little too technical for my tastes, and furthermore it refers to essay assignments. That's not what we want to discuss.

You could define the two words separately, and then put the definitions together but that creates a complex compound sentence that is hard for even me to understand. It's just a waste of time.

I use what I call the writers definition. That is, I simply define it by what I think that it should mean to us as writers:

A writing prompt is a sentence or several that describes a situation that the writer uses to create a story, poem, or any other piece of writing.

They are very handy when one has writers block. (I speak from experience here.)

I did a lot of research in order to find the ten best writing prompts. Before I got smart and searched for creative writing prompts, I found a lot of prompts for essays. It was a very informative research assignment.

I have to be honest, these are just what I consider are the ten best writing prompts based on several days of research. You don't have to agree with them, but here they are, accompanied by the link to the page that I found them on.

10. The Apocalypse

You could consider this one overdone, but I do enjoy reading books with this plot and seeing the differences between them. I love how we as authors can be so creative even with one idea: the end of the world.



9. Describe a "first". Any "first".

Your first time, first date, first time on a roller coaster. This is a good prompt for short stories and poems. It may not seem that great, but there is always tension and discovery in a "first", and you should try it out.



8. Write a short story or poem consisting of 26 sentences, each sentence beginning with a letter of the alphabet.

Alright, so this one doesn't give us anything for the plot, and really it's more of a challenge then a prompt, but I think it would be cool to attempt something like this, which is why I listed it.



7. The nation is controlled by...

Have you ever read The 5th Wave? It's one of my favorite books with this plot blurb. And so many good books feature this idea of control or government in some way. I've even seen it in plots on the site. Overused, perhaps, but one of the classics.



6. And you thought dragons didn't exist...

The Dragons in Our Midst series, and the ones that accompany it are some of the best books that I've ever read. Dragons are one of my favorite plot devices, and with this prompt, you could really go places. The dragons could be good, evil, nearing extinction, just coming into the world... You get the idea.



5. You wake up, and your spouse is missing. Upon further investigation, you discover that the lights in your barn are on. You go outside to shut them off and when you open the door you find...

This was easily one of the weirdest prompts that I found. And you really could do anything with this. The person could find a surprise birthday party in the barn, or all of the animals could be dead and the spouse beheaded. Horror or Humor? Happy or Sad? You choose.



4. If you could change one event in your life, what would it be and why? Put your own spin on it.

Alright, it's a little cliché, but in truth so are a lot of writing prompts. And I have to admit that it's more of an essay prompt than anything else, but come on, we are writers! Get creative, go into deep detail! Have fun with it. You never know what might flow onto the paper... er... computer screen.



3. Your kids love watching CSI, so you buy them a forensic starter’s kit for Christmas. They begin running simple, fake experiments, collecting DNA, and dusting for fingerprints around the house. When you look at all of the powder and prints they pull, you find there are more fingerprints there then just you and your family’s. Whose are they?

Creepy! But in my opinion, it's one of the best so far. I could totally see a horror story coming out of that one.



2. Your crush wakes up with a superpower after a lab accident that involved the both of you.

I came up with this one, and yes, I know that's it's not that original. But the whole, "You've got a superpower so what happens now," thing is the only one that needs to stop happening. You really should check out the link below if you're into sci-fi.



1. After a head injury, a man has an unusual problem: every time he falls asleep, he wakes up ten years in the past.

This one was my favorite. Any form of time travel is totally boss. So you wake up ten years in the past every time you fall asleep? I'd be back in the stone ages in no time.



http://www.writepop.com was easily my favorite site to find story prompts on, since science fiction is one of my favorite genres. Although I have to admit I lean more towards the older (published before the turn of the century) books then the new ones.

Well, there you have it! HomeschooledTeen's Top Ten Writing Prompts.

Spoiler

If you use a prompt listed here to write something in the future, I would love to read it. Please post a link on my profile, or PM it to me.

THE TEN BEST YWS POEMS EVERwritten by SparkOfDoubt < PM: >

For this special edition of Squills, @SparkOfDoubt is writing a different kind of poetry article: the Ten Best YWS Poems Ever, chosen by your fellow YWSers.

We begin with this poem selected by @Hannah: Kylan's poppies -- an exitlude . Hannah tells us that she doesn't have a specific favorite poem, but she selected Kylan's work for the emotional connection she feels with his poetry. She says,





Almost writing poetry herself in her answer in why Kylan's poems meant so much to her, she explains the softly nostalgic feeling she gets when she comes back to read these old poems now. Even though I wasn't even on YWS yet, I can also feel the nostalgia that she speaks of.

Next on the Ten Best Poems of YWS, we have a poem chosen by @Darkknight9, @Snoink 's Reflections on John 10:11 . In a thoughtful reply, Night tells me why this poem is his favorite.





We continue on our poetry journey with a poem selected by @Aley, @megsug 's The Thoughts of a Used Juice Box . Aley tells us how subtle and vivid the images are, allowing the reader to ponder questions of life, including





Aley continues on to say,





@567ajt has chosen our next poem. A poem by @Persy: travel . He says he chose this poem because of the beauty of the language.

Following Ajt's selection, we are given a poem by @Dreamwalker, chosen by @wordsandwishes. Words chose right disasters, you and i . Words tells me she hasn't been on YWS much, but that after reading that poem, she couldn't remember the last time she'd read a poem this good.

Continuing on with a poem selected by @Rydia, we have the pleasure of reading another poem by @Dreamwalker: you too will turn to dust, one day .





Right on Heather! This poem is personally one of my very favorites.

I've featured the next poem before in Unsung Poetry Gems, and it still remains to be one of my favorite poems of all time on YWS. @vitamere 's My Body Is Not Poetry . Thus, this is my choice for the Top Ten Best YWS Poems Ever. Maybe because it speaks to me on a personal level, or merely because the imagery is so gorgeous, I love going back and reading it over again. It's like vitamere has put every insecurity into a truthful account of what really goes on in an unhappy person's head.

Ending with the following lines, the last stanza just completely encompasses what the whole poem is trying to say by finally admitting what we've known since the beginning.





We're almost finished as we continue on with a poem selected by @Tenyo. I see the patience of Chinars in winter... by @shoaib. She says she loves it





Our second to last poem is chosen by @ArcticMonkey. She chose a poem by @indieeloise. The poem she's chosen is It's Not You, but It Isn't Me, Either .

She says she remembers this poem for so long





As our final poem, @wonderland chooses another poem by @Persy, entanglement .






And there concludes the Ten Best YWS Poems Ever. Chosen from a variety of different genres and chosen by a variety of different readers, I hope you'll all agree that this was a diverse list of poetry and an interesting variety of poets!

See you next week!

10 PIECES OF WRITING FROM WHEN WE WERE TEN (OR SO)
written by Hannah < PM: >

For some of us, it's been a long time. I'm looking at you, oh ancient ones like @Nate and @Meshugenah. For others, it was only a few years ago. For still others, like @Pokemonlover545, it hasn't even happened! The writing of our tenth years marks a particular point in our lives. At ten, we have a decade of experience under our belt, and most often have not yet developed a crippling sense of self-awareness that can arrive in our teens and beyond.

So, in honor of the 10th edition of Squills, I've asked 10 YWSers to share with us 10 pieces of writing from when they were -- you guessed it -- 10!


First up, because it wouldn't be fair to ask others to enter into potential embarrassment without going there myself, I've got a nice short poem from 2000 for you.

Let me tell you ‘bout a long time ago when there weren’t any guitars, and the fish were the stars. Well the stars rained into the sea, and suddenly, we invented electricity. And that’s the way… it is.

Let me tell you ‘bout a long time ago, when we hammered on an anvil, and the nail was just a rock! (Various tick tocks.) Well the rock was carved into a nail, and we got tired of the anvil. And that’s the way… it is.

Let me tell you ‘bout a long time ago when the dogs were plants, and we didn’t wear any pants. Then the dogs stop growin’ and we began to see, that pants were meant for you and me. And that’s the way… it is.

Of course since it's my own 10-year-old self writing, I'm a little more forgiving with the forced rhyme. I can see the place where it came from and since it fits in with the absurdity, it feels like I can get away with it.

What's awesome about looking back at old writing is that sometimes we get sudden revelations. I'm forgiving of this piece, where usually I have no patience for forced rhyme. In the future, though, I'll be keeping this little ditty in mind and giving other forced-rhymers a larger benefit of the doubt, 'cause sometimes it just feels good to let the rhyme take over.



Our second volunteer is Adam (@567ajt), who shared with us a very old poem that had been previously posted here in his blog . The text is as follows.

I'm bored out of my mind
I'm bored with no girl to find
I'm bored and my mum is out
I'm bored and I wanna shout

I don't wanna be bored
I just want to snore
And lay in my bed playing my PSP
With my mates watching the TV

I'm bored with all this homework
I'm bored because my brother's a jerk
I'm bored because my computer's broken
I'm bored because I lost my book token

I don't wanna be bored
I just want to snore
And lay in my bed playing my PSP
With my mates watching the TV

In a quick interview with Adam, we learned the truth about the book token and the origin of this poem. He said the book token was used to buy books for cheaper, and when he lost it that meant he wasn't able to buy any books. Unable to buy books, he succumbed to boredom, and we can only assume the result was this poem.

What's interesting about Adam's past is that when he was ten, he hated music. A stark contrast to the Adam now, who is working with @Louis%20Cypher on putting out an album, and who posts lyrics to his YWS blog nearly every day. His advice back to his ten-year-old self would be to not follow through with something unless you're relatively sure of your success, and is happy to follow that advice now, pleased with most of his results.

Since Adam was ten seven years ago, we asked him where he'd like to see himself in another seven, and he answered he'd like to be in a band, though his ten-year-old self would not be pleased.




Coming round the bend third is our lovely @fortis, who had also actually posted this old writing previously in a blog post, which you can access here . I've taken out my favorite part for an excerpt below, but it's not long so you should read the entire two chapters!

The next day, I woke up to a seagull staring in my face. It cocked its head and, to my great surprise, talked!
“And who are you? ERRP! ERRPER! I am Jed, Jed I am! And you are?” The seagull screeched.
“Ummm… Peppa… nice to meet you… Jed.” I replied, in shock. I was thinking, I must be dead, I must have fallen off the boat!
“Here on Fibbfestor beach, and on most of the Island of the Lost, humans can understand animals. ERR-EEP”
“Ahh…” so that explains it, I thought. “So there are other people on this beach?”
“PEEPUN! PARREEP! Oh, there are other people on this island, but, you have to find your way through The Cave of Origin,” replied Jed, “But that is the one place where animals can’t talk to you.”
“Where is The Cave of Origin?” I inquired, for I wanted very much to be with people. The seagull shuttered and pointed his beak a little to the left, indicating that the large rock formation there was the cave.
“Over yonder, but I wouldn’t go in there if I was you, there are rumors about that place. SCREE! SCREE! Plus you will need to rest up here, if you want to make it through the cave alive. No offence, but you don’t look so good. PEEN-PUP!”
“Non-taken.” I said sarcastically.
“PIP-SCRRUBB! Look at yourself! There’s a clear pool you can look at yourself in,” he advised. Sure enough, there was a small pool, big enough to bathe two cows. I looked at myself and saw a very sunburned, freckled, brown haired, face looking up at me. Of course, this was my face, but as Jed had said, I didn’t look too good. My usually clear, green-blue eyes (which were so bright my dad said they looked like mist) Were sunken and tired looking. Jed hopped over to a tree with a treehouse and said, “you can stay here for the night.”
I climbed up the rope ladder and looked around. There was two small bunk-beds, shelves, a closet, a large potted plant, a multi-colored rug with a faded pattern of palm trees, and a large table covered with sea glass, seashells, sand, and other small treasures. I noticed a lable of the company that my dad sells his fish to. In the closet, there was a dusty old broom, a pink and a blue sweatshirt, a rope, a flashlight, and a first aid kit. I climbed back down the ladder.
"How come I can't just climb over the rock, or sail around the the edge of the island?" I asked the Jed.

Spoiler

Squills: Dear fortis, We're here with your masterpiece from when you were 10, entitled The Island of the Lost. Looking back on this two-chapter adventure, what are your first thoughts?

fortis: hm... I think at first, "gee, look how much I've grown! Look how much I've learned from then!" I also remember thinking that this plot was absolute *genius* when I wrote it. I had the entire plot planned out. but... I still think It's pretty good, for a ten year old. Expectations for writing skills grow as you grow older, but the love of writing often remains the same.

S: For those of us waiting in anticipation -- what will happen to Peppa? is her dad still alive? why are there things with the label of her dad's fishing company in the cabin? -- could you summarize the rest of the story?

f: Well *rubs hands in glee* I've been waiting to share that with the world since I was ten. *clears throat* Peppa will travel through the Cave of Origin meeting many dangers along the way. When she finally makes it out, she comes upon a beautiful villiage filled with other shipwrecked people who created a society. It's a very happy place with a mysterious past, and lots of lore. I was going to do a whole chapter just on how this villiage looked.

There would be stories of a mighty warrior that had been on the island a many years ago. No one has ever escaped from the village of the island of the lost, except for this hero. He had bravely fought the monster that guards the Cave of Origin (that only attacks people on the way out, not the way in) but had been left with an ugly green scar. It was the pelican who had reported this.

Peppa realizes this was her father and wants to follow in his footsteps, so she fights the monster and gains a matching scar on her face. Peppa and her family are united after she makes it out of the cave or origin, as there have been search parties sent for her. Her father is fine. And the only reason for the label is that it had washed up randomly on shore one day.

S: A red herring, eh? Going back over this writing from another time, what do you think you can apply to your current writing?

f: what can I apply.... hm. well one day I hope to take this idea, refine it a bit, and maybe acutally write this novel. I doubt that will ever happen, but one never knows! also... I think it's important to remember what it's like to see the world from a child's perspective. Old writng actually helps me remeber what I was ACTUALLY thinking as a kid.

S: What advice do you think your 10-year-old self would give you today if you read your current writing?

f: You should have an open mind, and think creatively. Use your imagination! See the world differently!
When I was really little, I used my imagination soooo much! During recess, I would play on the swings and pretend I was on a space ship and exploring new planets. I would make up what creatures lived on those planets (they included spiders with cotton candy instead of webs, and and colorful, living, bouncy mushrooms). I would probably tell my older self to remember this kind of thing when I am writing.

S: And what advice would you give to your 10-year-old self from your grown-up perspective?

f: Hm… probably… It’s okay not to explain and describe every single detail, but some details are more important and should be focused on more. Also, don’t write like you speak. You speak too informally.

S: How long ago were you 10?

f: I was ten 5 years ago

S: So where do you see you and your writing in another 5 years?

f: I don't know. I can't see the future, but I hope it will have improved at least this much.

When Squills sat down with fortis for an interview (which you can see in its entirety in the spoiler above), we learned the ending to this unfinished story. One prevailing quality of childhood writing is that it's often left unfinished and we are later unable to remember our intentions. Not so for fortis.

She says Peppa eventually finds the village through the Cave of Origin and hears a legend of the one brave warrior who fought the cave monster. This cave monster only fights people who try to leave the village, not those who find their way through the first time, but the seagull reports this victorious warrior escaped with a bright green scratch -- the very same as on Peppa's father. Peppa decides to fight her way out as well, gains a matching scar, and is reunited with her family. A happy ending for a dangerous story.

Looking back, Fortis says reading old work helps her remember what she was thinking when she was a kid. She thinks her 10-year-old self would tell her to






There seems to be a pattern developing here...

"A tranquil giant
Drifts through the ocean
Mysteriously."
--- Seraph

Spoiler

Squills: Seraph, if you can take a moment to get back into the mindset of your 10-year-old self... why on earth did you decide to write about a giant squid?

Seraph: My class had been given the assignment of choosing an animal to illustrate and scribe a haiku about. Because I simply adored documentaries in my youth, I was vaugely familiarized with a variety of concepts involving botany, microbiology, paleontology, and zoology. (There were many programs revolving around these subjects on the Discovery Channel, the Science Channel, and Animal Planet at the time.) I had recently seen a documentation pertaining to that illusive cephalopod. As this occurred prior to its actual filming, and only post mortem specimens had been acquired so far, I was particularly engrossed in its mystery. "What was life like for this huge squid with eyes the size of basketballs?!"
I decided to declare the animal as docile because it had never attacked humans before. Such a creature appeared, despite its gargantuan size, to be rather timid. The line "Drifts through the ocean" made sense to me. It reflected a placid creature while alive, and the limp cadavers that may wash ashore, drifting all the same.
The concluding line covered our scientific naivety about this behemoth. To see it alive would be the stuff of legends!

S: Lots of meaning in every line! What advice do you think 10-year-old Seraph would give to current-age Seraph?

S2: Upon reflection, I think a 10-year-old version of myself would tell me to follow my dreams and have fun.

S: And what advice would you give back to your 10-year-old self?

S2: That's an easier one. I would say, "Never give up and don't feel discouraged. Study more and don't slack off in school. Learn whatever you wish to and follow your heart, mind, and soul to wheresoever they may take you. I implore you to cherish these words in hopes that you may achieve greater success and reap even more fruitful benefits in life than I."

S: How long ago were you 10?

S2: This July, that was six years ago.

A ten-year-old writing haikus? Well, that could be none other than our super-intelligent @Seraph, right? Seraph's got a lovely explanation of this old piece (an excerpt of his full interview, which is in the spoiler above):






Leave it to a ten-year-old to try to write the truth of the world before it's officially scientifically discovered! Seraph says he would do nothing but encourage the writing of his past self, while the advice coming forward from the past wouldn't be much different: follow your dreams.




In her message to me, Deanie said to excuse the fact that the storyline didn't make sense -- she wrote it after her Granddad died. Read on to see for yourself the beauty that came out of a ten-year-old's experience:

I folded my note up and sent it away, tied to a birds leg. I reminded myself of my dream. It was perfect. Trees with blossoms and a fast flowing river. No school, no houses, nothing. Nothing except a bench, with my granddad on it.

Nothing else mattered now, except my granddad. I had to find him. I knew where he was, but it's dangerous to get there. You have to go through the field of terror. As soon as you step on it, things happen. You don't know if it's real or not. To everyone else, you're just stepping on grass.

I took my first step onto the grass. Immediately I saw the earth in front of me crumble away. I took a deep breath and stepped into nothing. But then the ground returned. It was only a illusion.

Then out of nowhere a waved crashed at my feet. Surfers were everywhere, laughing, joking, begging me to join them. So I did. I stepped onto a surfboard and clung onto the surfer. He took me to the deepest part of the ocean, and flung me off the board.

I screamed, as my mouth filled with water. Water was all over me, and I joined it, becoming water itself. Then I closed my eyes so that they'd never open again.

"But I survived, and that is the reason I'm bling," I told my granddaughter. "I never did find my granddad, but I know he's happy. I spent a while being water, but then I ended up on an island. For years I built a boat and then I sailed back here."

"Is that the end?" asked Macy.
"Yes, I'm afraid it is." I answered.
"Tell it again!" she squealed.
"No, it's time for you to sleep." And gently, I turned out her light and left. I dreamt my last dream that night. My granddad said 'come with me' and I took his hand and went. I died that night, at the age of 99, but I lived with my Granddad forever.

We figured that including the entire interview with @Deanie would work best to complement this piece, so enjoy!



Deanie: Ah, my Granddad was my best friend. Whenever we visited England I loved to see him because he seemed so wise and old. And his dream was to move back to Jamaica before he died so he would talk about it a lot and create the image of a perfect place. Thankfully he did spend six months living in Jamaica before he died, and getting his dream. When he was sick it was hard, because everyone used words I didn't understand like 'cancer' and 'terminal.' I knew he was sick but I really hoped he would get better. So when he didn't it was quite a shock to me.



D: I would tell them that this is a good beginning to your writing, and just keep practicing and learning best you can! And work on spelling :3 My spelling was awful. And most of all to keep my chin up through the best and worst.



D: If I was ten and talking to myself now she would probably tell me to use simpler words. I hated complicated words at that time. And to follow my heart and the fairy magic will guide me!



D: It was only four years ago.



D: Hopefully still on YWS! Hopefully at the end of the IB program and (again) hopefully writing better poetry and stories

We hope so, too!

“What have we here?” She asked, surveying the site.
“Some broken glass, turned off lasers, some…”
“Don’t get smart with me, Lieutenant. I mean what happened?” Her patience was growing short. Today had been busy and frustrating, and her lieutenants were used to her snapping at them every once in a while.
“There was a break in here.” Lieutenant Marshall answered. He stood beside a large sign that read ‘Historical Museum’. “Someone stole an object from an exhibit, Ms. Cornell. It was a seven-inch long dagger made of Damascus steel, still in working order. It was on display here for a while before it was moved to another museum. The experts say that it was still as sharp as it ever was, so they had it under a lot of security. But,” He paused, “someone decided to take a risk and stole it anyways.”
Kendra Cornell sighed. Another day, another theft. Another risk to be taken by your faithful police unit. This time, it was her sector which had been called in. She had seen these signs before; broken glass, missing items, hacked security cameras. Someone decided to keep them on their toes. She guessed that before the week was out, the culprit would be shoved into a police car and hauled off to the jail. Little did she know, it would not be so easy.
“A knife, huh? Dagger sized? Damascus steel? Do inform me, I don’t think I’ve heard of Damascus steel before.” She pulled Lt. Marshall away from his men, still at work shifting glass and looking for prints, to ask the history buff a question or two. They needed all the info they could get.
“Damascus steel was used by the Muslim armies in the crusades. It was known for its sharpness. When Richard the Lionhearted encountered them, the leader of the army showed him what the sword could do. He dropped a shred of silk onto the blade, and it sliced cleanly in two without any effort.” Marshal told her.
“Silk? Why silk?” Kendra asked, puzzled.
“Silk has a very thick weave. It just floated down through the air and was slice by the sword. Damascus steel was that sharp, and they conquered many places with those swords. The dagger was cured the traditional way, and because of it was considered a museum piece, even though it wasn’t very old. Besides, no one uses swords or daggers anymore.” Marshall shrugged.
“Right. Well, someone is intent on having this dagger in his, or her, possession, so we should pay it some mind. The usage of them may have changed, but not the ways they can be used.” Kendra frowned.
“Indeed.” Marshall nodded, and went back to check on his men.
Kendra leaned up against her van. A dangerous knife had been stolen out from under their noses. No security footage either. Whoever had committed this crime had known what they were doing, and did not intend to get caught. What could this mean?

Spoiler

Squills: So I read the first section, and I'm wondering if you could give a quick summary of the resolution of the story for us!

Silverdragon150: XD Well, it's a cop story, I watched a lot of cop shows with my parents so I sort of made it in that format, since it had to be a mystery. Eventually they do confront the guy and get the things he stole, but at the end it has a twist, because twists are fun. and, also because I really like that bad guy. XD

S: Ooh, well we can't give the twist away -- we'll have to read it all to know what happens! So, looking back on this period in your writing career, what's the first thing you notice?

S2: Well, I only finished it because I had to to turn it in. XD Or else I probably would have tried to stretch it out more and gotten lost. I notice it's kind of choppy and doesn't ahve things as fleshed out, not as much description, but nothing obviously horrendous, so that's a good sign, I guess. When you look back on this kind of stuff, you notice every little thing that's wrong with it- but I guess that just means I've gotten better, right? XD

S: Surely! So on that note, what advice would you, current-age SilverDragon, give back to your 10-year-old writerly self?

S2: Read more books! That has always been the best way to get more of the flow of things and see how better writers phrase things.

Also, talk to your english teacher. They actually know things that you don't because they read books too, and it's their job. I've been really fortunate by having good english teachers, so talking to them is really a good option.

S: Haha, wise words! What do you think your 10-year-old self could say to you now as words of advice?

S2: Keep writing stuff..... even if no one reads it. Just keep writing and writing and writing, and let the characters just do whatever if you have no other ideas. I've gotten really kind of stuck where I haven't been writing because I thought no one would want to read it. Then I wrote it just so I could think I wrote a good story and maybe show someone a completed work later and know that I could do more with all the ideas I had.

S2: ..... Six years ago. Sounds like a long time ago, but I guess maybe it wasn't actually that long ago.



S2: ........ College. XD Hopefully I actually have some good stories done that I can work off of, or edit and make better, but I'll probably be working on college. Maybe I can get some sort of minor related to writing. That could be nice.



S2: You're welcome. ^^ It was nice to get a chance to be a part of that![/spoiler]

What indeed could it mean? If you're interested in reading the rest of @Silverdragon150's lovely work, you can see it in full in the WriterFeedPad here ! Check out the entirety of our interview with her in the spoiler above, too!

What inspired SilverDragon to write this piece was her love for cop shows, which she often watched with her parents. What inspired her to finish, however, was the fact that this piece as an assignment. Looking back, she finds that many places were perhaps rushed when they shouldn't have been, and her inner editor longs to flesh it out.

That's in fact, one thing that SilverDragon's ten-year-old self seems to have been able to better than her present self: just keep writing. She says the advice her younger self would give would go something like this:






I think we can all use a little of that ten-year-old enthusiasm some days, right?




Time for another interview, yeah? Let's keep rolling right along. For number seven, we called on the omnipotent @Snoink, who dug up this excerpt to share with us:

“Hey Daisy!” her mother called, listening for her intently. She felt the vibrations of Daisy coming in the crude hut.

“What does this plant do?” Daisy asked thrusting a plant in her mother’s hand. Daisy’s mother carefully felt the plant’s rough bark. It had small leaves that felt glazed.

Her mother grinned slyly. Her mother had told her that it was supposed to even be touched, in their hut because it was poisonous. Although when you touched it was harmless, if you ate it, you were paralyzed. Rumors also said a Black Swan picked you up, and took you away.

“It’s a plant that gives pure happiness, don’t touch it.” She threw it away. She promised to tell Daisy the truth about this plant later, after her nap. She yawned and curled up.

Daisy walked out of their crude hut wondering if her mother was lying. She lied about everything that Daisy ever cared about. Then again, maybe she was trying to trick her.

She rubbed the rough bark tenderly, wondering how she could get the magic to her. An idea suddenly popped in her head, what if she ate it? She took a bite of the plant. Her head spinned and she seemed to be drifting into another world.

Spoiler

Squills: Could you give a brief summary of the rest of the story?

Snoink: ...kind of? XD it's about how Daisy and Thomas (a guy that she doesn't quite like until basically the end) have to team up and defeat the evil goose who has risen up and wants to take over the world. and Daisy and Thomas have magical powers that they don't realize that they have until basically the end. a diamond swan gives them powers! It's highly exciting! also, the goose is a Canada Goose named Kali, since that was the most evil name I could think of. As for the choice of Canada goose, it was because they were pretty and I was sure I had special powers and was able to talk with them.

S: Have you met anyone named Kali since you were that age?

S2: Nah... it came from Hindu mythology. I was obsessed with Mythology. in another story, written near that time, I accidentally named the evil character after a vacuum saleswoman who came to my house frequently. ...my family reminded me of this a lot. I had to scrap the story to end the teasing xD

S: xDD Oh no!! Would that be your advice to your ten-year-old writer self? Be careful what you name your characters? Or what other wisdom could your current self impart on the writer of your past?

S2:
...I actually like this story! the story with Daisy, anyway. I revised it so much though that eventually I hated it, so I scrapped it. the story that is handwritten in this red binder is probably my favorite version.

I would probably tell myself to trust your instincts and, if you like it, don't follow the advice of people who want to make it more commerically acceptable (because I read those books like candy back then, and edited my books accordingly) because eventually, you will not like your story at all.

S: What advice do you think your 10-year-old self could give back to you now?

S2: My 10-year-old self would look at me and be like, "Where did your enthusiasm for writing go? You're awesome! Publish!" ...or, 11-year-old self anyway, lol. 10-year-old self wanted to write pig reports.

S: Always pigs. How long ago were you 10?

S2: 15 years ago!

S: Where do you see yourself in another 15 years?

S2: I will probably be fascinated with my children, at that point! And hopefully be done with the book series I just started.

S: Ooh, any sneak peek information for Squills readers on that series?

S2: Isaac.

The voice woke Isaac up immediately. He blinked back sleep and sat up slowly. The room was still dark and the only noise that he heard was the other boys’ soft breathing. He guessed it was midnight, which was the latest hour that he could think of in this groggy state. He rubbed his eyes.

“Hello?” he said, too sleepy to keep his voice down. He heard several boys groan, still in their sleep, and the squeak of several mattresses, but then it was quiet. The silence woke him up more. “Hello?” he asked, his voice only in a whisper.
Nothing.

He sat up for a minute, his ears keen, but he heard nothing else, except for the usual sounds — the other boys breathing, the drip-dripping of the leaky faucet in their communal bathroom, and Richard whimpering, like usual.

He must have been dreaming.

What had he been dreaming?

He wrapped his blankets around him tightly and settled back to bed. Just as he felt his cheek touch his now cool pillow, the voice came again, but more urgently:

Isaac.

S: Thank you so much for your time, Snoink!

S2: no problem!

Be sure to read the spoiler above for the full interview and a sneak peek at Snoink's current project. One of the most defining aspects of her young writing was the choice of names. She says for this featured story, she invented a villain who was a Canadian Goose named Kali, because (as Snoink says):






In another story, Snoink accidentally named the villain after her family's vacuum saleswoman and was so teased about the coincidence that she eventually scrapped the story. Ten-year-olds draw inspiration from everywhere, though, didn't they know that?!




Take for example, ten-year-old @Lee0z! The story below, according to Lee, was just the first thing that popped into her head!

Little Dragon would try really, really hard, but whenever he tried only the tiniest puff of black smoke would come out of his nostrils. He would even drink boiling hot water before trying which always helps but it didn’t help him.

The next day at school at the fringe of the forest was unbearable. They were practising breathing fire. The teacher was a kind dragon but Little Dragon was too scared to say his weakness. What if his teacher laughed at him, what if his classmates laughed at him and worst of all, what if he started crying? He’d be known as a sook for sure! Thinking about these things only made things worse. He couldn’t think of a way out of this one.

The first dragon stood in front of the class. He sucked in a big breath and then let go. A giant blaze came shooting out of his mouth and nostrils. It sounded like sausages sizzling on the barbeque. He finished with a series of puffs of black smoke. The other boys and girls did it the same

His teacher walked over to him and said, “Your turn Little Dragon.”

Little Dragon turned bright green, as green as the lightest green grass. A sick green colour. He felt tears forming in his eyes and trembled as he walked towards the front of the class where the rock sat. He sucked in a big breath and let go. He pushed himself as hard as he could but once again the tiniest puff of smoke came out. He felt a whole lake forming in his eyes and it soon became a river flowing down his face.

If you think this is as bad as it gets you are entirely wrong…

Little Dragon looked up and dreaded what he saw. SHOCKED!!!

Shocked faces just staring at him and they soon turned to laughing faces.

Little Dragon couldn’t take it anymore, he turned and ran.

Millions of tears ran down his face. He ran and RAN AND RAN!

Spoiler

Squills: Oh my gosh, so cute! Did you like dragons especially, or were you interested in all kinds of fantasy when you were ten?

lee0z: I don't know, at the time, the idea sort of just popped into my head, no other idea was there, and this one seemed perfect to me

S: When you look back at this writing, what's the first thing you notice?

l: Well, I actually surprised myself, the story starts off pretty ordinary, but I actually threw in some similes in there, and some nice imagery. Looking back, I wonder, is writing my true destiny? I mean, I was ten, ten! And I wrote that? Pretty cool if you ask me

S: So what do you think this awesome ten-year-old writer could say to you as advice?

l: 'Believe in yourself, despite all the crazy bullying and hard times you're going through, believe. Because you are creatively beautiful, a work of art' Aww thanks past me, I'm getting teary

S: xDD Aww, lovely ten-year-old. What advice would you give back to the past?

l: Oh wow, this is a tough one. Hey past me, you know those kids that were absolutely horrid to you? Well they can't hurt you, you know why? Because you have writing. You have friends. People love you, I love you, mini me, I love you. Wow I'm getting choked up here!

S: I hope you're doing better now. How long ago were you ten?

l: six years ago, close to seven almost

S: So where do you see yourself in another six/seven years?

l: Well to be honest, I never thought I'd survive this long, I tried to end my own life a few times. But now I'm doing way better. Don't get me wrong, I still have severe depression and psychosis, but I'm able to function again. So in another six/seven years? Hmm, I'd hope I'd be a 'famouse' novelist (see what I did there?), but otherwise I can see me getting a job with graphic design, something creative I hope.

S: Haha, I hope everything continues to go well for you. Keep your strength! Thank you so much for your time.

l: That's okay, lovely talking!

What was revealed to Lee, and what you can read the entirety of in the spoiler above, was that by looking back at her past writing, she found evidence of her strength. No matter what bullying was going on, what hard times she was going through, she had and will always have writing as her safe-space to keep her going until she finally achieves her dream as a "famouse" novelist.




Though, as mentioned earlier, one of the largest challenges that faces young writers is actually finishing what they start, that seems to have been no problem with ten-year-old-or-so @Blues, who completed and entire novel titled The Last Remnant, which you can look over in a Google document here ! Below, find the thrilling beginning excerpted and the full interview with Blues in the spoiler under that!

Chapter One, The Beginning
The first of September was greeted with a shower of crisp, golden leaves, falling gracefully onto the streets of Oakworth, Hertfordshire. It was noisy; the engines of cars revved as they zoomed past, occasional laughter was heard along with talking and sizzling of barbeques. Wafts of cooking sausages drifted across the hot, summer air. It was considered ‘the perfect day’ by all the residents of Oakworth. Almost all.
An average-sized, brown haired boy, slightly on the short side, was busy peering through the window of his best friend, Jordan Carter’s sitting room, trying to get his attention. He had already punched the window many times, and was now stuffing leaves and twigs out of the small, open, top window. Jordan was staring at the news with a glazed look on his face. The boy began to wave his arms as if he was a drowning man out at a stormy sea, but Jordan took no notice. Look this way! he thought. Can’t you see me?!
‘… was recently been jailed for seventeen years. Now, a summary of today’s news: The Army of Independence has decided to drop their campaigns for freedom from the Western Union. Residents of Sudbury, not far from Colchester had to be evacuated from their homes due to a burst water tower. And the latest on the UN’s meeting in New York regarding poverty in Lesser Economically Developed Countries.’
‘Rob!’ called Jordan.
‘Yeah, what?’ said Rob, his head round the door. He was Jordan’s seventeen year old brother, who Jordan often found extremely irritating. Jordan would be glad to see the back of him.
‘Dad’s coming home. The AI’ve stopped. Does that mean he’s coming home?’
‘Dad wasn’t fighting the AI in the first place you idiot. Oh, and, tax,’ said Rob, pinching a few peanuts from the bowl in front of Jordan.

Spoiler

Squills: Can you summarize the story for the potential lazy Squill readers who won't go into the Google doc? xD

Blues: Oh god xD Basically, a thirteen year old is kidnapped by a terrorist group to get attention for their cause (independence for their country) and her friends try to figure out where she is and try to get her back

S: Oh my god -- what inspired 10-year-old you to take on such a story?

B: I took a lot of 'inspiration' from the book Noughts & Crosses and combined it with lots of ideas that were floating in my head around the time xD

S: Haha, looking back at that piece, what do you notice?

B: How badly written it was. xD I also didn't think about whether anything that happened was actually plausible. I do also see lots of influences from other sources there like James Bond and things that happened in my life (mostly trivial things like what I learned at school)

S: If you could try to take something constructive out of that, what would you learn? xD

B: Hm. I think I'd definitely try and work on pacing and making everything seem like it could actually happen, whether so that it strikes a chord with the reader or so that people don't think "that could never happen!"

S: What advice do you think your 10-year-old self would give to you today?

B: I think he'd tell me to have fun, or to try and get my work published in the future

S: How long ago were you 10?

B: Around six years ago in 2007/2008 o:

S: Where do you see yourself in another six years?!

B: Hopefully in another country! I'd love to travel. And perhaps start writing more

S: Awesome! Thanks for your time!

For Blues, the biggest thing his ten-year-old self had to learn was making sure what he wrote was believable. The story The Last Remnant tackles and awesome topic: a child kidnapped by a terrorist group and the friends who try to find him. It's a big chunk of the world for so young a kid to take on alone, so Blues said he brought in influences from epic movies like James Bond.

In any case, we hope Blues takes the advice from his past self and gets to publishing some work soon!



And we'll wrap this article up with one of our very own. A lovely reporter over here at Squills, @ArcticMonkey shared two very short chapters with me that are featured in their entirety below. The full interview is available in the spoiler underneath.

Wisdo and Penelope:
Chapter One: Bad News
“I have to tell the King and Queen, something” said a man. He was wearing ragged clothes. Torn in the corners. His face was covered with dirt. And he had bare cold feet.
The man was being held back by a guard. “What do you want to tell them?” Asked the guard. “Tell me and I will tell the King and Queen for you.”
“No,” Whimpered the man, trying to get free. “ I need to tell them. It’s too important.”
The Queen came out to hear the noise. She was wearing a big puffy red dress. “What is going on?” She asked.
“Wisdo has escaped!” Said the man.

Chapter Two: Hector and Penelope
“Come on Hector do you want to catch Wisdo or not?” Asked Penelope.
“Coming, they’re obviously going to pick me” Responded Hector.
Penelope, and her older brother Hector travelled to the King and Queen. Walking for hours. After the first hour their feet started to hurt. But they still carried on. And promised they’d never give up.
When they reached the King and Queen’s castle. They walked through a small tunnel, which lead to the King and Queen. Only people who wanted to help catch Wisdo were lead there.
“We have found our hero!” Cried the Queen. When Penelope and Hector came in
“Who?” Asked Penelope hopeful it was her.
“Obviously not you. You are a girl,” Laughed the Queen. Penelope didn’t find this funny at all. She made an angry. And looked at the queen in disgust. Penelope’s eyes got bigger and bigger. They got so big that if they got any bigger her eyeball would fall out. She looked at this King. She could tell he was on her side. But she also knew that he wouldn’t say anything. “I’m a girl?” Penelope began, “is this some sort of joke? I’m a girl so what.”

Spoiler

Squills: So, we'll start with the important question: who is Wisdo, and why do we need to find him?!

ArcticMonkey: If I remember correctly, I think he was some sort of villain that had escaped?

S: If you were forced by your 10-year-old self to finish the story now, who would he be and how would the story end!?

A: ah! Okay so what I'm thinking is Wisdo is a prisoner who has escaped, Hector gets chosen to capture him but Penelope goes too anyways despite the Queen's orders and ends up.... falling in love with him! I'm pretty sure that's not the original plot, but there ya go xD

S: Haha, sounds good! When you look back at this writing, what's the first thing you notice?

A: just how choppy and rushed it is really

S: Do you have any idea how you eventually overcame that very sparse writing? Any specific influences from that time?

A: I guess I just practised my writing more to overcome that

S: What specific advice might you give back to your ten-year-old self?

A: Stop naming all your character's Penelope! Literally, I had like four different stories where the main character was called Penelope xD

S: It's a nice name, though! What do you think your Penelope-loving 10-year-old self would say to you as advice?

A: Just to never quit writing I guess! Which I haven't thus far

S: How long has it been since you were 10?

A: 5 years xD

S: Where do you see yourself in another 5 years?

A: Hopefully still writing, and even more hopefully with an actual finished novel!

As we close out this ten-year old extravaganza with an interview with the lovely Tam, we realize an over-arcing truth about looking back at these pieces from when we were ten. Often, we want to pick the stories right back up because they hold so much imagination and promise. Even if, looking critically, we might think they have no real value or potential to be published, just remembering these old plots or habits (like forced rhyme or crazy island adventures) is enough to awaken the deeper imagination that we are trying so desperately to cultivate. To nurture. To not let go of.

So, how about it? Are you ready to go dig up your old YWS submissions, USB drives, floppy disks, and notebooks? What can you learn from taking a look into the past? And how many of you didn't actually write when you were ten years old? What changed? What's your story? Share your own pieces and reactions in the Squills Fan Club discussion board ! See you in ten~

COW SAYS: SEPTEMBER 22nd, 2013 written by CowLogic < PM: >



Today I will tell you ***10*** things about me you probably didn't know.

1.) I am not really a cow. Phew, feels good to get that off my chest.

2.) Once, when I received severe trauma to my head, I assessed whether or not damage was done to my brain by trying to remember how to name chemistry compounds. When I realized that I could and that was really all that's important, I happily moved on with my life.

3.) I suffer from a condition known as snortitus, which causes me to snort, seemingly spontaneously when I am laughing sometimes. Doctors have as of yet been unable to explain this anomaly.

4.) I have a very high threshold for annoyance, and although some radically annoying people go unnoticed by me, snobby people who knowingly lack talent get on my nerves more than just about anything.

5.) I once lost a spelling be on a teknikalitee.

6.) I've noticed that when you are barraged by a realization of enlightenment at random times of day, there is a 50% chance of ensuing depression and a 50% chance of bursting into laughter.

7.) I'm addicted to exercise. Whenever I feel my chillness disrupted, I get conscious urges to go on long runs. How's that for motivation?

8.) Although I foresee a white collar occupation in my near future, I would be quite partial to being a lumberjack.

9.) I often set my goals too high in the beginning of things.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: FATCOWSSISwritten by Iggy < PM: >

Greetings, YWSers! As you all know, the top five works to be most-liked in the past 24 hours are featured on the home page. Last week's featured work author was @FatCowsSis. Squills sat down with her to see what it was like having a Featured Work.



FatCowsSis: Hi, Squills!



FatCowsSis: I can't really explain my inspiration. It was like, my Assistant Principal came over the loudspeaker and reminded us it was 9/11. I guess it just made me want to write about it. Remind other people kind of what happened. I just wanted them to pause for a moment and think about it.



FCS: I'm really not sure if it's changed my impression. Truth is, except for announcing it was 9/11, no one else said anything about it. None of my teachers, or anything. I haven't learned about 9/11 yet, so I'm not an expert, but I try. It's like one of those things that everyone knows about, but no one talks about..



FCS: Um, I'm not sure that I would watch movies and stuff to know more. Maybe when I'm older and I understand more about it.



FCS: It wasn't that difficult to write. Once I start writing, I usually find it hard to stop. It's like, writing is a part of me. It's never really difficult.



FCS: If I went to New York, I would definitely to see the memorial. It's an important part of US history!



FCS: Thanks, Iggy!

ADVENTURER IN THE STORYBOOK FORUM
written by Hannah < PM: >

This Squills edition coincides with the feature of @AdventurerDaniel as the site's featured member. @Big Brother mentioned in The Lounge that the feature was awarded "for his many contributions to the Storybooks area of YWS", and the many posts with his name on it attest to that. Squills sat down with the Adventurer to find out a bit more about his triumphs.



AdventurerDaniel: Well...hm...honestly I'm terrible at describing myself. Currently I'm a trainee meat cutter, but aside from that I split my time practicing singing and acting. I'm also a bit of a nerd with an extensive knowledge in to comic books, mythology, anime, manga, and video games. Which hopefully explains a lot of my writing style and my heavy involvement in the Storybook section.



A: I feel like a lot of Storybooking is largely the role-playing aspect. It's something that I do quite a bit in gaming and as an actor. So for me getting to write characters that allow me to combine the two as I do it in first person feels natural and fun.



A: Oh definitely, though it is a matter of working with other people. I feel some people starting out have difficulty realizing each post, to an extent, needs to contribute to an over all story arc. All so I feel as though on occasion different writers disagree with ideas to an extent, especially nowadays, that the DT [discussion thread] ends up with more pointless argument post than real ones.



A: Honestly I'm not sure, when I first started being in Storybooks DTs were a foreign concept. We mostly used chat and if an idea didn't get enough steam behind it then it would die and the Storybook would move on.



A: Honestly I'm not entirely sure. The DT is efficient but I feel mass PMs and simply using chat rooms worked as well. I'll admit the DT made it easier in the respect that everyone didn't have to be online at the same time and everyone was still consciously aware of what was going on. On the Flip side for DTs, well, you already know



A: That's a hard one for me because I've been in quite a few good ones. I was first in Masked Resistance Vs. Aradian Tyranny which was fun but the newest one I've been in that I enjoyed was The Silver Bullet Club.



A: Well it was essentially a blank slate. The characters were gathered together as a support group and as it went on subplots developed and it became a stronger SB even in one with such an actually short number of pages. Also it was a character that I had used my name to give life to. He was also the product of an ongoing running gag between some of my friends and I.



A: To an extent he mirrored my personality in a lot of ways the take charge attitude with a slight nervous side in moments.



A: I'm not sure one of my friends said it was perhaps my skill as a mediator and diplomat. I always try to keep a level head and see a problem through to it's conclusion.



A: Well I imagine the main difference I have made is through my never giving up on writing. I met a playwrite when I was around 17 and she told the group I was with to take 30 minutes everyday to just write, it doesn't matter what it is, just write. I've achieved insight from some of my random writings and pondering, and it has definitely helped me to contribute in the way I have. Even if I feel that my contribution is very minor indeed.



A: No problem. Glad I could help.

If you're not quite ready to tackle participating in a Storybook yourself, check out some of AdventurerDaniel's latest performances in Storybooks such as High School Mythical , or maybe help him revive his own Storybook: The 100th Annual Tournament . Either way, feel free to drop your congratulations on his wall and let him know he's appreciated for all his contributions.

SO BAD IT'S GOOD: BLACKWOODwritten by Iggy < PM: >

Readers! Ever wonder what it's like to write a terrible story, win a contest, and get featured for it? Then you should ask @Blackwood, who went through it all and seems to be a pro at it (as far as we know). Squills sat down to see what it was like writing such a work.




Blackwood: Greetings to you on this fine afternoon, my dear Squills.



Blackwood: I wrote it because:Write Your Worst [Closed]



B: As soon as I saw that contest, I knew it was for me. Why? Because I have written bad stuff before. I do admit I posted/published something absolutely terrible as a troll a while back to see what kind of reviews it would get, and it was written in the exact same style as that. As I was writing it one of my friends told me that it was so bad it was good, so seeing this contest I naturally took the opportunity to flaunt my skills at terrible writing. (I think the original bad story was worse/better though. )



B: The hardest thing about writing bad is writing it bad to be good. Most of the people who read the 'seriously bad story' really enjoyed reading it, but that was far from accidental. To write badly well you must still capture the readers attention, and keep them compelled to read more, I did this by developing my own terrible voice in the story by saying and then and then and then and then over and over and over. I also double described things, for example I said the tornado was long and I said it was tall. I also said it was grey twice.

Another hard thing which was probably the most hard was getting just the right balance between errors and correctness so that it would be noticeable but not torture to read. Some of my sentences have correct punctuation, some of my names have capital letters, and some of my speech starts on a new lines, but of course it is not consistent, and I made sure to contradict it with plenty of errors and lack of sense.



B: I am, you could say.
I see that the work itself was received which much love and praise, however I do find it so ironic how much more celebration my stupid and silly pieces of prose get compared to my serious stuff.



B: I like to write a variety of things, which makes that a difficult question to answer. Poetry, short stories, stories about my friends... I aim to write some proper novels but writers block only blocks me from those novels and not other stuff... Very unfortunate. When I write seriously I like to put as much meaning behind my words as possible, but who writes seriously when writing badly is so much more fun?



B: I may do some bad writing again? Why? Because its fun and people seemed to enjoy it a lot. Its also a challenge, and I want to see if I can successfully pull it off again.



B: Good day and au revoir!

GREEN ROOM GALLERYwritten by HomeschooledTeen < PM: >

No one responded to the little contest that I issued, but that's okay. It will be run again sometime in the future.

I'm going to repeat what I said last week: in order to give you a little incentive to review more works in the Green Room from now on Squills will be donating points to Green Room Gallery reviewers.

This will start this week, with points being donated to the two persons who knock out the featured Green Room works.

In order to be fair, we will only be donating to a person once. This is to prevent the same person from writing reviews on all of the works and expecting points from all of them. You have to write the reviews, write them well, and link them to my profile page. The minimum donation will be 300 points, but the number can possibly go up depending on how well you guys write your reviews. Also, you have to have them linked to my profile page by next Friday evening.

Donations will be given on Saturday.

This week, in honor of it being the 10th edition of Squills, I'm linking to 10 Green Room works. Have fun reviewing them, and I'll see you next week!

The Prophecy Ch. 8

Family Gathering

Rings of Rhea - Part 1.7

The Great Pokemon Adventures! Chapter 2 Part 2:Gold and Silver

The Great Pokemon Adentures! Chapter 3:The Magenta Archipelago

The Kingdom of Boredom, Chpt. 13

Book 1: The First Key; Chapter 2: Cynthia, Coming Out of the Closet

Too Late

Shades: Episode One, Act Four "Super Freaks"

story thang part 2

Warning: The last three links have a rating of 18+.

NEW ARRIVALS
written by ShadowVyper < PM: >

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

@IntellectualBacon has only been a member of the family a few days, but has already started spreading lots of awesome reviews around the site. Why not return the favor, by reading the first bit of his story, The Life of An Assassin ?

@janecontraire is also quite new to YWS, but has already written several lovely reviews. Go check out her article, Books and Music Saved My Life . You know you want to.

@Johannah has only joined YWS a few days ago, but has already reviewed so much she's earned her first star. Why not encourage that awesome behavior, by reviewing her article Noting the Difference: Creeper vs Stalker ?

THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP – 9/22
written by megsug < PM: >

Not one, not two! Not even the usual four or five, but ten links for your enjoyment. Eat up, my lovlies.


Reading with @Sakuragirl1 and @SparkOfDoubt? Yes? Fantastic! No? Hop to! Either way, you need to join the club where a lot of their discussions are taking place. Posts discuss the plot or what the book makes you think of. The About section says:





So join and catch up, or wait for next month and the next book.


What is your favorite Disney movie? Impossible to answeryou say? Perhaps. @OliveDreams didn't hesitate.





I cry too!
So, what is your favorite? Is it one of the princess movies? Toy Story? The Lion King? Or one of the many others? It may just be too hard to decide.


The Poetry Train has rolled into the station! What is the Poetry Train, you ask? It is a new contest where each poem is related to the prior to make one really long poem. There's no word limit, and you can post more than one poem. @Monsters, the contest creator, talks about the awards:





One free review for all who participate! There is no losing. Board the Poetry Train before it leaves the station.


Need a little inspiration? Have an empty spot for a character that you can't seem to fill? Perhaps you have a character you need to drop off. I've found the place for you! @xDarkHeart27x shares one of hers:





Check it out and pick from the crop or add to it. Just drop by Writing Activities and give a short bio on your character.


That's right! There is a club for you people of randomness! It opens its arms to any random thought, idea, or story. Come share your randomness as @herbgirl did:





Dear random warrior, come enlighten us with your great directionless thoughts. Manga waits at the end of the end of the rainbow.


One of Charles Dickens' best works, @GreenLight24 thinks it's worth talking about. Which, of course, it is. Talk about Pippin or Joe, the plot, or other works of Dickens'. @EmmVeePi says:





There's so much to talk about when it comes to Charles Dickens; it's hard to stick to one topic. Explore the world of Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, and the great world of Dickens.


@barefootrunner has your back. She has compiled The Great Grammar Compendium just for you! With four parts, she tries to help you





Great for your own use or to give to another user in a review, this is a how-to article that shouldn't be wasted in the Grammar & Research .


@Aqua1213 is offering to draw character sketches for other people. She's looking for a little more drawing time, and thinks this might be just the ticket. She says:





Want to see your character's face? Just reply to Aqua's thread.



Want to give something special to those special people? We now have a thread to do just that! In the form of GIFs, pictures, or a message, brighten other users' day. @AfterTheStorm demands it.





So yeah. Find a GIF or pic, tag a person… or two… or ten and give them something to smile about!


A bit late in showing its face in the Roundup, these are all the stats one could want about YWS activity in this year. It seems like activity is way higher than it has been in past years comparatively. It's not all fantastic though. @Nate informs us:





It's hard to know exactly what's causing this seemingly complete death of Storybooks comes from, but it's fun to ponder the reasons, and the graphs are cool as all graphs must be.

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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Place advertisement here. Make sure you include a title!

Ever thought theme music for your character would be an awesome idea? Or you would like music tailored just for your novel, or perhaps storybook? Click here and it'll happen!



A poetry competition is being held by @Hightop right here. This competition is about capturing the beauty of everyday moments! Deadline is October 10th and 1st place wins 2000 points!!



We're accepting new members! A club for Bloggersand Writers!Kindness is promised and all you have to do is co-operate with us! We hope that you decide to join since we are looking for new members right now only! To join today just go to this link: clubs/1742 We look forward to seeing you there! This is a club for young writes of all types so anyone can join!

That's all folks~ Now send us yours.