Wednesday, October 29, 2014

The Weekly Draconian, 10.29.14. Issue #8.

Frostuay in Unexpected Heat Wave

Columnist: Glen Greenscale
Editor: Krala the Terror

The province of Frostuay has been experiencing one of the hottest seasons in its history. Temperatures began to climb late last month, and have only continued to climb as this month has progressed. Today, the record has been broken for hottest temperatures in the province, with the southern edge of the normally freezing region recording temperatures of 39°F early this morning.
Local officials have issued a heat warning to all dragons in the province, and the avalanche alert level has been increased to Critical. Skiers have been advised not to go until temperatures drop once again, and several dragons who had been content living in caves embedded in the mountains have had to be evacuated due to concern for avalanches blocking their cave mouths and trapping them.
Reekus the Unwashed is one of those dragons who has been evacuated. He says that the evacuation decision was a bad idea. 
"[The officials] are forgetting that dragons can breathe fire! Whoever decided [evacuation] was a good plan, they sure are stupid."
Reporting for The Weekly Draconian,
-Glen Greenscale

Monday, October 27, 2014

Concerning NaNoWriMo (& the Blog in General)

Welcome, readers, to Iron Wyvern! You may have noticed that it is October. You may also have noticed that it will soon be...November.
Which happens to be National Novel Writing Month (x).
We three scribblers have all scrivened some scratch in the past for this event, but this year we have not really done anything (excluding J's failed attempt to complete a novel in July).
But for November 2014, two of us, J and Z respectively, have decided to embark upon the monthlong, 50,000-word adventure that is NaNoWriMo.
We also invite you to join us! Sign up at their website and get started November 1st.

J will be writing a mystery novel set in current-day Los Angeles.
Z will be rewriting a steampunk/fantasy adventure set in an entirely different world.

And, don't forget, on November 1st, the long-anticipated Water Under the Bridge will begin! We will be posting two letters a week until the end of Book One.

The Draconian Letters: Book Three is scheduled to start sometime in the late summer/early fall of 2015.
Anyway, good luck, WriMos! See you at the finish line!

-JTZ Baner

Sunday, October 26, 2014

A Post Primarily Pertaining Powerful Prose and Paramount....P-information

'Ello, 'ello, 'ello! And we're back in the Wyvern's Den! So, lets get started with the pinformation.
You may say to yourself, 'they're great (really incredibly awesome, really. Really), they can write like schizophrenic Dragons and sometimes even like everyday human procrastinators (that's skill).....'
'BUT CAN THEY WRITE LIKE TROLLS?!'
The answer is YES! And we shall demonstrate in glorious Blu-ray and extended bonus features in five days time! On November 1st we shall unveil, reveal, enlighten and otherwise sell the screenplay of our newest alliterative project...
Water Under the Bridge!
Yet another three close relations shall bombard an innocent child with all sorts of advice, life lessons, and mind melting plot twists, war stories, and all that sort of thing.
The plan for the deployment of each letter will be twice a week, while our other posts shall continue to be thrown in, including some all new trollkind benefiting features.
Our Trollish characters, Bingo, Ferdy and Ferkil shall soon blow your mind! And please, I beg of you, just this once (sob), enjoy it...
Comment with your suggestions for changes to the blog concerning Water Under The Bridge. Anything goes, and don't forget,
Մի լինել կոռեկտ, դա վատ է ձեզ համար


Wednesday, October 8, 2014

The Weekly Draconian, 10/8/14. Issue #7.

Abandoned Theme Park Purchased By Multibillionaire

Columnist: Glen Greenscale

Editor: Krala the Terror

Authorities have it that the multibillionaire draconian legend, Belligast the Boldest, has recently purchased an abandoned themepark in North Yovi.
Deemed too dangerous for public use, Mirakulus the Mad's Flying Carnival Themepark was shut down over eight years ago after a frenzied lawsuit filed by soccer dragons in fear for their hatchlings' safety. Since then, the abandoned complex has been neglected and fallen into serious disrepair. About four years ago, however, the property was repurchased by Erilikk the Mistaken, a young real estate agent, who hoped it could eventually turn a profit.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

7 Ways to Avoid Writer's Block

Welcome to the Wyvern's Den, readers. Please take the complimentary cheese puffs we've set out for you.
As you munch your complimentary cheese puff, we will give you some (also complimentary) advice.
Every writer has encountered the deadly foe known as Writer's Block before. Writer's Block is a terrible and lethal beast that can kill your writing before you ever even write it.
Which is bad. And especially with NaNoWriMo coming up! (link)

National Novel Writing Month is an especially bad time of year to get writer's block. So here are a few tips on how to work past it. These are pooled both from the depths of the internet and from personal experience.

1. If you write on a computer, turn off the internet.

Many people find themselves easily wandering into the distractions of Youtube and other social media, or perhaps playing games online. This is really bad for your unwritten novel! So, simple solution: turn off the internet. Many word processors do not even use the internet, such as Microsoft Word or Scrivener. However, even the ones that do, such as Google Drive, usually have an offline mode. And if you're ever tempted to simply switch the internet back on, there are productivity programs such as Freedom (link), which temporarily disable the internet for the specified amount of time.

2. Change the scenery.

Do you write in your room all the time? Take your writing outside. Find some shade in the backyard and work. Or you could drive to a coffee shop and work there. Bookstores and libraries are also good choices, because they offer a more quiet and soothing environment, and there are reference books all around you, without the distractions of social media! Wherever you go, it's always good to be in a different environment. It helps refresh your mind so you can keep pounding out words.

3. Listen to music? Try changing it up.

If you listen to music while you write, it may be distracting you. Your brain is constantly absorbing everything that's happening, so it's good sometimes to turn off all sound around you. Another helpful thing to do is to switch to something non-lyrical. Lyrics especially distract our brains. Soundtrack or atmospheric music are a good idea too.

4. Remove all distractions from your environment.

Going back to #1 and #2, if moving to someplace else isn't an option, you can try to remove all distractions from your environment. For example, if your family members keep barging into your space during writing time, forcibly evict them with all the fury of Cthulhu work with them to establish when they can't come into your room. If your TV is there, turn it off or even move it out. If your room is messy and you can't think with all that clutter, clean it and then get back to writing.

5. Take breaks.

This may seem counterintuitive, but breaks help you write. Referring back to #4, taking a break to clean your room can actually help you. If you've spent the last hour writing, it's good to go outside for fifteen minutes. Either relax or occupy yourself with a chore, like doing dishes or cleaning. It helps.

6. Get enough rest.

Another reason you might not be finding enough inspiration is if you aren't getting enough sleep at night. Try to enforce a strict bedtime. Going to bed at midnight every single night will tire your brain and become a detriment to your work. Adjust your sleep schedule so that you go to bed earlier, and your mind will be fresher when it's time to write.

7. Establish a routine.

Write every day. Write for the same amount of time. And write at the same time of day. Our brains love routine. If you do the same thing every day, your brain remembers it and builds up myelin, which strengthens your neural networks. Routine literally grows your brain. You strengthen your memory, work more efficiently, and learn faster when you have a routine. You become a better writer.

--------------

So there you have it! 7 tips for combating writer's block. This can apply to any activity, really, from playing a musical instrument to practicing sports.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

7th Riddling Derby RESULTS & Book of the Week

Well, readers, sorry.

Let's all take a moment to sigh at the incredible procrastinatorial talent of JTZ Baner.
We have left the blog forgotten, yet again.

But not to worry, we're back in business!

RIDDLING DERBY RESULTS: