Good Appetite! S'more than a eating 'Cliche'.

As a Dragon,  a good appetite is something I understand. Takes more than a little nibble to develop appreciable Dragon heft. In this instance, however, I speak not of food/chow/vittles, but of Life, for which a good appetite is every bit as important.  What different does it make to shovel calories into one's great maw/jaw/gullet if they've no motivation for the outcome of such an effort...life?

A short while ago I curled in my cave and enjoyed watching a film called "Julie & Julia", an inspiring tale about two motivated humans (Dragon or not, I've no problem with cross- species entertainment; soul-spark recognizes no physiological boundaries!)  S'not just a 'chick' or 'Dragon' flick, but an excellent presentation of drive, focus on goals, a joy for existence, and the beauty of relationships that survive the difficulties of fierce drive, assiduous focus, and unbounded joy.  All applicable circumstances, I think, for writers and artists to consider in their works.

Writers: what rich characteristics to assign your characters! Driven characters have conflicts, both internal and external.  Focused folks don't always see what's happening around them, either emotionally or intellectually.  More Conflict!  Unbounded joy/happiness/elation can be charming, but can also be irritating to the 'unjoyful' (new word!) among your characters, and it can be a careless and distracting attribute.  If a character is blinded by joy, will they recognize evil?  Threats?  The possibility of  disenchantment?  S'a thick soup of potential issues worthy of spooning into your story development.  

Artists:  Rather than spoon the soup, spatter it on with paint.  Or pixels; whatever your choice of artistic weaponry.  Every emotion has its own color and texture, visible to the eyes and heart of the individual artist.  Subject and style, both or either, can express drive. Focus can relate to the artist or the work, but my reference is to the visual: soften or sharpen lines, tones, hues, light.  Such expresses the environment of the scene.  How can there be naught but unbounded joy in the mere creation?  But that alludes to the artist.  Not all art expresses joy, but can push the bounds of emotion by invoking sadness, peace, dread...s'all in the presentation.  Make your art a palatable creation.

"Julie & Julia", so much can be reaped from the manner of their lives!  Touches even a Dragon's heart to recognize the depth of devotion between Julia Child and her husband.  She was tall, loud, uninhibited, and (at least in the movie) his love was unbending.  He loved her not 'in spite' of her characteristics, but because of them.

What a delicious story.  Butter was never so tasty!  S'worth your time to watch this one!

The Dragon has spoken...                 

Twitter's Tweets: a literary format!

I read an interesting article by Chris Vognar that addressed tweeting as a viable forum for short writing. He spoke not of the typical tweet territory of sharing links or emotional shout-outs or celebrity self-celebratory spouting, but of the new format discovered by those who celebrate the art of the written word. Held to the tight requirement of 140 characters, writers/authors/journalists and all manner of humans and Dragons who enjoy writing can wring words until they are rendered bone stark and reduced to their most fundamental sense.

Brevity. Conciseness. Succinctness. 'Less is More' are 3 words so tightly packed with righteous truth, if you add water they'll explode! Twitter provides an opportunity to perfect an economy of style through vigorous editing. What true writer wouldn't love the challenge to say something utterly profound within the parameters of a few short sentences?

  

Forget the links (well, not entirely! I do enjoy following those digital byways to new knowledge and revelations) and the oh-so-yawn-inducing announcement of where your posterior/rear/tail is settled at the moment, and strive, fellow witty writers to achieve true literary heights via nuggets of crisp and poignant syllables.  Tame your prose, clip the bloat, slice the fat (s'only good on steaks and pork chops in any case!) and bring new literary achievements to the Twitter universe. Make reading 140 characters worthwhile.

 

As a Dragon I've a tendency to excess...however, in the spirit of tweeting purity, I shall endeavor to explore the strategy of 'write tight'. Adapt! Enjoy the technology. S'likely more folks will read a two sentence wonder than a 1,000 page novel. Sad but true.

The Dragon has spoken... 

A Nod To LVS Associates: Where Learning Is FUN!

Even Dragons, old as we are, need to be educated in new things.  We live so many years/eras/centuries, the brain becomes weighty. Heavy with wisdoms, burdened with experience.  Our superior intellect requires priming--a pruning of the old, a pricking with the new.  

A witty Dragon, in particular, must have fuel for the brain. Knowledge. Edification. Erudition. BUT - s'not easy to find courses suitable to one's financial situation (not all of us have caves full of treasure!) or convenient to our busy schedules.  An artistic Dragon, in particular, has special needs, requires tools by which to express its talents.  Wise Dragon that I am, I searched online for an institute that would provide lessons I could both afford And have time to participate in. The Great Egg was watching out for me. I found the perfect situation.

LVS Associates...they say it best in their own words: 

"LVS Online Classes offer the highest quality instruction in a unique format. Whether you want to upgrade your resume, improve your skills, or impress your boss, LVS Online classes offers a selection of classes that are not only affordable but will also introduce you to a great group of people - our students! 

Our online courses are perfect for senior learners, homeschoolers, or those seeking a stress-relieving hobby or even a career change. You won't need any special hardware of software to participate in our online classes. There are no scheduled class times - you decide when you'd like to work online, day or the middle of the night, no matter what time zone. Your instructor is there to review your work, answer questions or concerns and, if you'd like, you can chat with other students on our class discussion board. The very best part of online learning is that you don't have to leave your home to enjoy a course developed and taught by a professional in their field!"

This is a marvelous institution. For the grand sum of $30 ($24 if you're a returning student) you can take a 6 week course in academic subjects, business, graphic design and art, graphic programs (I've taken numerous classes in Corel Painter), arts and humanities, computers and internet, photography, and web related subjects (web development, programming, Dreamweaver, and Flash).  

S'nough to make an old Dragon's heart sing! Fun, self-paced, knowledgeable, and varied in subject matter.  If you are interested in learning something new, something you need know, fun but useful courses, go to the website (http://www.lvsassociates.com/register), see what a great line up of courses LVS provides, and look over the exciting classes offered.  If you've half a Dragon's worth of motivation, this is the site for you!

Go!  Look!  Marvel!  Make a choice to improve yourself, to improve your life, or at least make it more interesting.  The Dragon has spoken.

The 4th of July - Appreciating the Freedoms

As a Dragon, a plethora of activities give me joy: flying, flaming, eating!  I'm Free to engage in these activities...well, I do have to control the extent of my enthusiasm.  Too much wing here, too hot a flame there--ho, yes!  There are consequences.  But control is a freedom of choice; if one chooses to be part of a social order, the freedom to flap their wings or flip their tail ends at the tip of the next Dragon's (or human's) nose.  Mutual respect.  S'only way to assure the continuation of health, amicability, and order, both for moi and those who share my world. 

Ergo, within those self-imposed restrictions one can fly where and as they will (avoiding jet flight paths and somersaults that could rip ye olde wings!), flame with impunity, and eat what soaks the fat cells!  [As I've noted before, a Dragon needs tremendous tush to handle heavy landings.]  I appreciate/adore/love the Freedom to do these things.  

There are many places in this world where I, as a Dragon, and my scribe, as a female, wouldn't be 'allowed' to express/convey/articulate anything, let alone emote emotions, spew freely the language we love, or carry ourselves proudly as free thinking individuals. The western world is special for Dragons and females, America is flaming Great!

Happy 4th of July--appreciate the Freedoms.  Responsibly.  The Dragon has spoken...

 

The Dragon Has A SHOPPE! T-Shirts, Totes, Pillows & Clocks--What Fun!

As a Dragon with superior sensory capabilities, is it a wonder I love/like/enjoy the glory of color? Artistic endeavor? Creativity...imagination...inspiration? S'no surprise! 

With paint brush/stylus pen in claw, I now create/generate/produce images extraordinaire. And Cafepress has been kind enough to help me set up my own Writing Dragon Shoppe (www.cafepress.com/WritingDragon), where humans may purchase my bursts of original creative innovation...wear'em (t-shirts, sweatshirts, outer wear, children's wear, aprons, even intimate undies!); bear'em (totes & bags); sip from them (mugs & bottles); display them in your humble abode/dwelling/cave (clocks, throw pillows, keepsake boxes, coasters, etc.).

With my propensity for the Written Word, I've created items for writers and readers and anyone who loves to relax with a paper book/ebook reader in hand or claw.  For those who love dogs and/or cats (as pets, not chow! Dragons do not partake of cuddly creatures) there are Dog Daze Delights and Cat Capers. Oh, how I enjoy generating those.

Like Dragons? Well, I've not ignored the inherent beauty of my own species. I've painted a friend or two, or parts thereof.  Dragons make such marvelous subjects.

And there are pieces simply for the sake of the art. You've a grand choice from which to draw. Gift yourself, a family member, a friend. And keep going back because the creative spirit is on-going, the creative juices are flowing, the brush/pen will be endlessly busy, the wares continually added to.

Good news! I'll soon open a store on Zazzle.  AND some of my art is up on Red Bubble. S'nough to make a Dragon dance on his claw tips.

Oh, and follow me on Twitter for moments of Draconic wit.  The Dragon has spoken...

A few of my designs/artwork:

On Noise and Explosions, Politics and Ire, Vinegar and Honey

Verily, but there is so much noise/din/clamor/RACKET in the air these days it is an absolute agony for Dragon ears! When one hears All So Well as a Dragon does, no twitter (nay, I mean sound, not text) goes unnoticed.

Americans are a fractious and oft antagonistic/belligerent/hostile variant of the human species, so seriously do they take their personal philosophies. So much thought and passion gone rampant inside those little human bodies and heads--s'wonder they don't explode! Detonate! Splatter outward like sparkles from a skyrocket. Pyrotechnic spew. Which would be a fascinating sight, but hardly pleasant either for the exploder or the recipient of their spraying/spreading/effervescent molecules. Do you think the resultant discharge would be in tones of red, white and blue? Just a thought...

Religion. Law. Politics. Value systems as varied as colorful leaves spiraling in autumnal splendor--orange and ginger, red and ruby, crimson and russet and chocolate and yellow...lovely in their individual expression, but mix them, chop them into tiny/minuscule bits and the color goes dark. Somber. Scareeeyyyy....grrrrrrr.

Civility and passion seem, to my Dragon senses, incompatible. Irreconcilable. Mutually exclusive. Dragons were once that way, to my chagrin. All fire and spit and it WILL be my way...or not at all. But we learned the error of our ways. Naught comes from flash fire and anger but incineration of all that is dear to one's being. From passion set free and spent without regard to feelings, respect, or simple common courtesy.

In today's impassioned atmosphere, blistered as it is with the ire of righteous indignation and virtuous resentment, manners no longer exist. Vinegar, not honey, has become the ingredient of choice in the recipe of verbal debate. Personally, as a discerning Dragon, I have a sweet tooth. A palate titillated/tingled/teased by saccharine constituents, sugary components, tongue tasty bits of politeness. Gobbled up, such tidbits stifle irrational reaction.

Sigh. If only set minds were as easy to work with as words. Seek ye, olde writers of stories, tales, and narratives, the richest, mind rejuvenating expressions you can ferret from whatever language you consider your own. Make an old Dragon happy, and give every written account an incomparable flavor that will please the reader, improve his/her mood, provide clarity of perspective and, please Lord, return kindness/tolerance/graciousness to their expression of humanity.

The Dragon has spoken...