Megan Wong's Blog, page 5

Winding Down the Story

One more day left in July and then it's August!
Which means that Camp Nano will end in one more day. 
It has been quite a month. For those unfamiliar with Camp Nano, basically it is the "off-season" of National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo) and it is a time for writers to work on projects of their choosing. Participants can also set their own goal for the month, choosing between words, minutes, hours, or even sentences!
I've been working on a new project. A story of fae and faeries, magic and wonder. I've had the idea on my mind for several months, (since last fall, I think). I had come across several stories with faeries. Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses series, Holly Black - The Cruel Prince, mentions of the fae in Cassandra Clare's The Dark Artifices, along with stories and other small mentions in literature. Besides that I have always been fascinated with and enamored by faeries.
Side tangent - Have you ever built a faerie home?
Back when I was below the age of ten, I went to Girl Scout camp and they had a faerie forest with a place to add homes for the faeries. The homes were built from twigs, leaves and everything was natural. You had to construct something welcoming and sturdy. 
The Little Folk are shy creatures but they pervade every natural place. While in England, I told my friend Griffin (as we walked to Stonehenge) that the fun of imagination lay in the possibilities of everything. Including little faeries hiding in the trees and hollows, watching and waiting, and if you polluted their homes - you'd find mud and bugs in your bed!
So you see, my world has been primed with faeries and the idea of them, but for this story, I wanted to focus solely on the Fae. Most stories are stories with faeries and I wanted this story to be about a fairy. 
Also, have you noticed that there are variations on spelling and terminology?We have faeries, fae, fairies, fairy, the little folk, the little people, fey, fays, faery, the fair folk, etc...
Setting aside all those different ways. My story is about Kira Ragwort. As a teaser, here is the beginning of the first chapter:
What do you think?
Beginnings are tricky.
They are the hooks that draw a reader into the story-world and if they don't add mystery and questions, people may set them down. So for this entire month, I've written and worked on this story. Since I'd put thought into it before hand, I had a general idea of where I wanted to go. I actually had titles and vague plans for the first fourteen chapters. 
Of course, stories rarely go to plan and once I really dove into the world, I discovered more characters and events then I'd originally thought of. 
Before the month of nano even started, I reworked the beginning and order of events. I'd sent a very rough draft to my friend and she'd given me some feedback on how to really get the action moving. It's a habit of mine to go into the mundane before the exciting which can be off-putting and disinteresting to a reader. I tend to over describe the littlest things and gloss over the big which really should be the other way around. Which is why I'm so grateful for my writing friends, I have so much support in the writing community and my buddies help me figure out where improvements need to be made.
If you want to see some quotes from the work, check out my instagram. I go by author.meganwong - not super creative, but it makes me easy to find. I'll be editing and revising the story in the coming months and I'll update on Kira's journey as I go. Perhaps something new shall hit me and create a new twist. All will be revealed in time.
What are your favorite "fairy tales" or encounters with the fae?

I'm a bit behind on my goal, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be furiously typing away now

Literature Lessons: Colliding Clans

Families can be messy. These days we're familiar with the terms divorce, remarriage, step- mother, father, children, brother/sister, etc... Families are modge-podge creations like a scrapbook (that may or may not be bulging at the seams).

The family situations in Island Whispers are mixed as well. Angelica has just lost her father, but for a long time she grew up with a single parent (since her mother died while she was a baby). Monica still has two parents and extended family who are involved in her life. Adam lost his mother when he was young and has a mixed relationship with his father. Lastly, Grant comes from an interesting family situation that we learn more about in the story.

For this post, I'm going to focus on Grant and the vampires.

If you haven't read Island Whispers, let me warn you now - there will be spoilers. I can't delve into Grant's family situation and not reveal things that we learn about in the book. So if you prefer to have your stories unspoiled before you read them, stop here. Don't click "read more."

Thank you.


And now, for those who have read the book or don't mind spoilers, let's begin:

Grant's known family in the very beginning is composed of his mother (Adina), his brother (Ivan), his cousin (Lisa), his Aunt Trish, his Uncle Eddie, his grandparents and his step-father (David).

However, Grant isn't aware that David isn't his real father until page 56. It's fairly early on in the book, but it's quite an eyeopener for Grant. He has always felt that he can't speak to David or relate to him. Grant has also realized that the way David treats his brother is different.

Parents are what they are, but not all accept children that are not their biological progeny. Every family situation is different and for Grant, he's always felt like a bit of an outsider.

This is when he learns that his father belonged to another clan and so did his mother. This other clan is known for its bloodthirsty actions and enjoying the hunt as a sport for amusement.

In Island Whispers, both clans have access to "blood wells" or magical wells that always have a fresh supply of blood to keep the vampires alive. However, one side only uses their well and the other prefers to make fresh kills.

It's no wonder that Grant begins to question whether he is a monster because of his heritage. It's that nature vs nurture debate coming up again. Are we shaped by how we are socialized or do our genes play a role in who we become?

Many children want to feel a connection with their biological parents, they may even go out and search for the answers. Grant does just that after he finds out the truth. He wants to know what his father was like and he wants to learn whether that means he'll be similar to his father.

By the way, Grant would be considered a teenager so the identity formation that most teenagers are going through is something that he is experiencing too. He needs to figure out who he is and for that to happen, he wants to find out more about his father.

Unfortunately, Grant's father died in an attack on the other clan. This makes Grant frustrated and hurt. Can you miss someone you never met? Perhaps it's the loss of an opportunity and a chance to get to know his father that really stings.

Doubt can take root when dealing with these revelations, and doubt does take root in Grant as he struggles to come to terms with his identity. He wants to know why his mother hid this information from him and he wants to know whether his mother actually loved his father.

When you're growing up, your parent can be your anchor. Early childhood is defined by our attachment to our parents. Children can be well adapted and respond to the loss of parents with despair and then joy at the reunion - or - children can be uncaring at the presence or absence of their caregiver. Grant has grown up with his mother and David his whole life. He feels attached to his mother and has fond memories, but his distance with David has always made him feel unwanted. Now he finds out that he lived a lie, but there is no other anchor for him to reach for. This causes his cognitive dissonance.

He runs away only to meet Trina, Viktor and Romulus (three vampires from the bloodthirsty clan). They know his father and so with some hesitation, he joins them to learn more about the parent he never knew.

I'll end it here, but hopefully your thoughts have been sent a-spinning and you're considering the different ways families are formed as well as the struggles of identity formation in young adulthood.

A Quick Fix Society vs Slow Thinking and Intuition

It is often the nature of our society to look for "quick fixes." Speed is of primary importance because we are so conscious of time, or the lack of it. This "quick fix" mindset finds its way into daily life through our thoughts about to-do lists.

"I need to do laundry, get groceries, finish that work assignment, etc..." Then our mind switches to, "I can start the laundry and get the groceries, start the work assignment, finish the laundry, etc..." Our ability to think, organize and solve problems helps us a lot. It makes us efficient.

Efficiency is beneficial, but it can also be harmful. There are certain activities that require slow thought and time for intuition and great ideas to manifest. Mostly creative and scientific work require this "thought time." These endeavors seek new ideas and stimulation from synthesizing information to adding onto it with insight.

As much as a computer is likened to our brains, the two are fundamentally different, and disregard the Imitation Game and Turing's theories for now. I mean to say that while our thoughts have a flow of various ideas, there is a limit to how much we can absorb. We created machines like computers to do the work that we can't do alone. Thus, if the computer is able to calculate or dispense information to us, we should be able to do our part and use that data/info to create new ideas.

However, the "quick fix" society is concerned with getting to the answer quickly. Since speed is valued. The time needed for ingenuity and creative ideas is not given its full weight and not appreciated.

Perhaps, as a writer, you can recall times that the story got stuck. Your mind began working at the problem, the moment it occurred, but you couldn't see the full picture. So you put it to bed and took time away, perhaps to sleep yourself or some other activity. Later, in the process of something else or as you wake up, the answer comes to you, as magically as waving a wand. It would be nice if those ideas hit us in the moment, but our brains can't operate at the pace of society. We need out own time to reflect and think, which is why there seems to be a battle between "quick fixes" and the slow thinking required to cultivate intuition.

The more time we take the think, the more the rhythm of thinking and imagining become easier to manage and slip into. The issue occurs when we don't give ourselves time or berate ourselves for slow thinking. It's a necessary process and natural. We're so focused on getting things done, one after the other, that we lack the creative thinking which gave us the power of technology and the ease of other devices.

You might be wondering why the focus of this post is technical and contemplative. Partially because I'm in school again and reading articles always sets my mind spinning, but also because I think it is important for people to be aware of this.

If you get the chance, read "No Time to Think" by David M. Levy. The history and scholarship mentioned in the paper is fascinating. It's useful to learn about the historical intentions for current processes that we take for granted. Perhaps the article will send your mind spinning too.

The Reason Why I Write

I think many writers are often asked about why they started writing. 
"What inspired you?" "When did you know that this was something that you wanted to do?"


But, like everything else in the world, there is never one answer. Each writer will tell you something different. Depending on the person, there are various reasons that they began writing. This is my reason.

If I go back to the stories I wrote in elementary school and with my friends, then it was because I was excited by stories. I wanted to tell and make up stories because I enjoyed the ones that I read and I wanted to invent the adventures that we would have together.

Years later, I remembered my fondness for writing and decided that I wanted to write a story that others would want to read. I wanted to share the stories in my head. So I began with a story about a girl and scuba diving.

Why this watery tale? I think it was because I had an interest in the ocean at the time. I wanted to do something realistic. The time period changed over the course of that story from an Edwardian period to modern day. I couldn't really decide what I wanted and where it was going. I was trying so hard to be a writer that I thought everyone would want (with a story that the public would like) that I forgot about the writing that I loved.

I abandoned ship on that project in 8th grade. That was when I started writing for myself with the intent of sharing it later. The stories that I loved to read had magic and magical creatures, so I started there. Angels, demons, vampires, they would all be present in my story. Not only that, they would be the main figures with the greatest population in my world. They would become the "humans" of my story. Several times I thought about actual humans featuring in the story, but that seemed to follow everyone else's pattern. Besides, I was tired of humans and most of all, I wanted every character to have magic. To complete the idea, I added a fourth group: merpeople.

My four characters came to life and perhaps you know them, Angelica, Monica, Grant, and Adam. This story would show each of their lives. They would be young. Around my age and a little older than I was (at the time), and they would be everything I dreamed of.


In my late middle school - early high school years, I was bored and disappointed with the world around me. I'd grown up reading Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. I wanted to be a wizard, half blood, dragon, witch, etc...

The problem was that everything I wanted to be was magical. Everything had a supernatural element that I lacked. While I waited for a letter to arrive, looked for monsters and tried to train myself to fight; I couldn't let the idea go that if I was lucky enough, something would happen.

The realities of growing older make you put away your imagination. No longer do rainbows lead to pots of gold. Fairies aren't hiding in the flowers and the tooth fairy doesn't come to your pillow. Ghosts don't haunt the attic and you can't summon the spirits of those departed. Bunnies aren't leaving eggs and if a large man in red comes down the chimney, he's probably a burglar.

To keep those realities from sinking in, I began to draw away from the world. If I couldn't have magic or couldn't find it where I was, then I decided to create my own world where magic was present all the time. In my own world, it was always there and everyone had it. No one had to do without.

The story began to take shape and I was writing all the time. I brought this large journal with me everywhere and a trusty pen. While I'd written in pencil to begin with, the lasting ink of pens seemed a more permanent way to keep my ideas intact. The story grew and it was somewhere around the 100th page of handwritten scribbles that I thought about publication. Was it possible? I wondered. Could I really make a book?

I was still far off at that point, but the idea grew inside me. Within the next few months, I began to type every written word and create the first draft of Island Whispers. The story was still unformed, but I had written a proposed ending months ahead of that, so I had a direction. I kept writing, kept typing and eventually finished a manuscript that I was somewhat proud of.

At the same time, I had joined a writing group at my local library. The first meeting that I went to was a blur, but I wanted to go back. I was anxious, feeling adrenaline high, and very sensitive about my story. It was my first time sharing my work in a long time, but that rush! I was doing something that I feared, letting others see the cobbled together work that I had put a couple years of effort into by then. I wanted to be proud of what I'd done, but seeing the flaws is a lot easier and self-deprecation is a safe place to hide your true feelings.



Let's fast forward a couple years, graduating high school was on the horizon and leaving behind everything I had known was a future fast approaching. I had been sending out query letters to agents and publishing houses, hoping for a lucky break. Island Whispers was in its "final" draft and I believed that if I just kept trying, someone might give me a chance.



At that point, I was writing fully with the intent to publish. I wanted to get my story out there. My lucky break came from my mom and her ability to always give me the right information when I need it. She met a woman at one of her meetings and by chance happened to speak about me and my story. The woman told her that I should query Ingram Elliott. With some apprehension, several drafted query letters and a final polish, I sent them an email with all the necessary information.

If you know me, then you know what happened next.

But, since this is about why I write and not how I got published, I'll curtail that story for now.

Bottomline: for my early years, I wrote because I loved to imagine.
In my middle years, I wrote to be heard.
Now, I'm back to the love of imagination and storytelling.

These days I write because I do enjoy it and because there are stories in my head that make me happy. I've done a number of different hobby activities over the years, but nothing has challenged or excited me as much as writing. So if you're looking for the answer to the two questions at the very beginning of this post, look no further. I was inspired by friends and books. The moment of knowing was gradual and even now I'm a pendulum on the matter. Nevertheless, I am still writing. I am a writer. This is why.

Book Review: July

My mother told me the Hobbit made her hungry. Well, The Magic Thief made me doubly so and with a craving for buttery biscuits. Although, biscuits are so delicious that it takes very little to make me crave them. My mother bought this book for me. She went to the store
when the author was there and got me a signed copy.
It is one of the most touching gifts I've received and
I absolutely adore this book.The first thing you should know about The Magic Thief is that it's fun. That might seem simple, but never underestimate the power of a fun book. Most of the time I want to read a book to be entertained. I want to read something that will capture my imagination and show me things that I've never seen before. A good book is powerful because it can light those fires in your mind and turn mere shadows of a story into a stained glass window of color.

I suppose I'm being a bit dramatic, but I was drawn to the cover and the books appearance. The pages are edged and create fun ridges. The first line drew me in: "A thief is a lot like a wizard." Just breathe that in. A thief and a wizard, comparing the two, it makes a lot of sense actually.

The voice is strong though. Conn, the main character and pick-pocketing thief, is on the street when he picks the pocket of a wizard. Thus begins his life from a street urchin to living in an old manor and making a life for himself with Nevery (the aforementioned wizard) and his muscle, Benet.

I love the language used and how things are described. Conn is direct and yet, he has a talent for comparisons and stating things that just ring true. "No luck that day for my quick, pocket-pick hands..." or "I hunched into my lurking spot..." or "Old man, I thought. A bent, bearded cloak-wearing old croakety croak leaning on a cane." How can you not love those words and not want to know more about the character behind them.

Conn becomes embroiled in the conflict brewing in the city as he learns more about the world and the magic that it supposed to ensconce Wellmet. He aims to be Nevery's apprentice, but to do that he must get a locus stone (a stone that helps a wizard channel magic and call upon it). Time begins to tick down as Conn learns more about the loss of magic and as magic weakens, dark figures emerge ready to squeeze the city.

 Worth every copper to read it. I think you'll enjoy Conn and finding out more about Wellmet. Prineas has a unique world with scientific explanations for magic and reasonings that make quite a lot of sense if you hear them in Conn's words. So, make yourself some biscuits, pull yourself close to the fire (to avoid any nasty encounters with misery eels), and open The Magic Thief.

I'll save you the trouble of decoding the message.
It says, To Megan - A little advice: never eat
Conn's biscuits.I mentioned how this book made me hungry at the top of the post and here is why. One of the first scenes of Nevery and Conn takes them to a chophouse. Then, Prineas describes the food.

"The pork chops were fragrant and crisp, the potatoes swimming in butter with a sprinkling of black pepper over their shiny brown backs...a plate of pie oozing with berries and dusted with sugar."

Another meal,

"As long as he kept talking, I could keep eating. I eyed the biscuits. Maybe one with butter this time. Mmm, and pickle. Sadly, there wasn't any bacon left."

That is sad, but now you know and this is just a taste of the book. You might not want to read it when you're hungry. You've been warned.

Literature Lessons: Revenge

Revenge is sweet so they say, but I think that's because they've forgotten what bitter tastes like. The main conflict in Island Whispers is about revenge; a retribution, a reckoning, whatever you want to call it, it's about a belief that the scale needs to be balanced for a wrong that has been done.

In the first few pages, the reader is introduced to The Elder. He is bent on a warpath from the ground to the sky. The first angel, merperson, demon and vampire took something from him and he wants his justice.

When it comes to revenge, we need to focus on loss. Because the person seeking revenge has lost something or perceives something as lost. They have nurtured some hurt and decided to turn it outside themselves to someone or something else. This is critical because there is some justification for their actions. They believe that they have just cause and this righteousness often makes them formidable villains.

Now, The Elder hasn't just lost some trinket; this isn't a petty squabble over honor or reputation. He has a huge hole in his heart because he is the last of his kind. There are no other syrans in the world. He has lost friends. He has lost family. He is all alone.

Do you begin to see the pull of revenge?

When those one loves are lost, is it any wonder that many turn down a dark path?
They have no one to steer them right.

He is in pain, thus he wants others to feel pain. Simply put, it's an eye for an eye philosophy. But, that doesn't make it right. The difficult thing is to forgive. It is far more difficult to accept what has happened and continue living. Dark emotions breed darkness in our hearts. Quite literally in The Elder's case as the dark spirits are manifestations of darkness that leave pain and suffering in their wake.

Throughout the novel, The Elder has two goals: (1) resurrect the syrans, (2) wreck havoc on the communities of demons, angels, vampires and merpeople. He doesn't just want to cause pain. He wants to reestablish the order that was lost thousands of years ago. But what happens when you bring a race of super beings back from the dead? Would they be able to adjust to life as it is or would they try to change everything around them? That's a discussion topic for another time, but keep it in your thoughts, I'd love to hear your ideas.

Past Perspective on Phrases

Have you ever wondered about those casual phrases we utter that we don't really understand or sound just down right strange? (Like "it's raining cats and dogs")

I have and through the years, I've randomly learned about the origins of some of them. Here are a few of my favorites although I'm sure you can think of more.

~
"Sleep tight" is in reference to the beds that were made of rope. The rope stretched across the frame and made a criss-crossing network that held the mattress up. Sleeping tight meant having the rope tight enough that your bum didn't hit the floor.

"A Diamond in the Rough" comes from the fact that uncut diamonds are still diamonds. They just need a little polish to make them shine, but they're still beautiful with that potential of being like the diamonds set in baubles.

"A Penny for Your Thoughts" is said to have been first written down by Sir Thomas More in Four Last Things. Pennies were worth more in that time and thus someone might ask you for your thoughts because they were encouraging you to share them and this way they were saying that your thoughts are worth something to them.

"Barking Up the Wrong Tree" comes from hunting with dogs. A wily prey animal could confuse the dogs into thinking they were up the tree when, in fact, they had escaped. In conversation, this means that someone has made a mistake.

https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/p...
~
Fun writing activity for world building: create your own idioms! Do you know your world well? What is important? How do people think? What do people like to convey in sly context and how can you compare it to something in your world? This activity is a test of understanding and imagination. If you have trouble with it, try adapting one of our common idioms and then creating your own.

Book Review: June

The same teacher who gave me "The Miser of Mayfair" recommended this book. You might recognize it. You might have seen the movie. It's worth it. One hundred percent.

I got my copy from the Book Rack which means
it was only $6 and half that because we had credit there.
A good deal all around because this is definitely
staying on my shelf for years to come.One of the things you'll notice right away is the format. This is all told in letters. It is quite a stunning piece of work because you get to know the characters in a different way.

The correspondence isn't too difficult to keep track of. There are helpful hints with each letter, since the address, the receiver and sender's names are all on it. There are even italic sentences that say From Juliet to Sidney in case you are really confused. 
Juliet Ashton is our protagonist, a writer and Londoner, emerging from the shadows of World War II. During the war, she wrote pieces that were comedic and meant to help people forget the doom hanging over them. However, she writes to her friend and editor, Sidney, she wants to get away from that and write something more serious. 
What I find amazing about the letters are the depths of the details. After the war, many things were scarce. Ration card were handed out and you had to use those to get anything. It really puts you into the perspective of post-war time when she mentions that, "Do you suppose that a lavish bonus could spur her on to butter?" Most everything is considered a luxury and making-do is the motto. Items that we consider everyday and have no trouble finding in a grocery store were prizes.
Each character makes their unique voice heard in their letters. The conversation always adds more information and is never dull. Somehow Shaffer and Barrows manage to draw in various memories and events into these letters so that the characters are expanded upon until we can recount that a young Juliet threw a book at the elocution mistress.
The novel really begins once we hear from Dawsey Adams. He is a pig farmer on the island of Guernsey and asks Juliet for a small thing, the name and address of a bookstore so that he may purchase the works of Charles Lamb. Such a small correspondence, yet it blossoms. Bibliophiles know that there are few things as satisfying as discussing a favorite book with a friend.
Soon Juliet is becoming invested in the island and the more she hears about it, the more she wants to go there. Can you see the issue? When a book is composed of letters and depends on them, you must have someone for the main character to communicate with. If Juliet goes to the island, then she must write letters to someone off the island, or just someone so that the story continues. Never fear - Shaffer and Barrows have orchestrated a masterpiece of engineering. Once Juliet becomes engrossed in the island, she writes to Sidney and Sophie among others. Other characters also say their piece, writing their letters that we have collected in this book. It is marvelously coherent. 
On a side tangent, I have made a potato pie, not a potato peel pie, but still, a similar concoction, although I think mine is a more savoury dish than the pie that the islanders made. 
Back on track, Juliet is a wonderful character as well. She asks questions, she takes action, and she doesn't let anyone bully her. She is quite a likable character and I feel a kinship with her since she is a writer. It is also her love of books that makes me so happy, because her sentiments are passionate. There are so many well written comments on the nature of books, and just the love of books that it makes a reader feel heard. 
Barring all that, I think you should just read this to learn what the title means and understand how the islands were affected during the war. This is quite a fascinating and page-turning book.

Literature Lessons: Natural vs Work

You've probably heard of this debate before, it certainly makes its way into several discussions, usually about the "why" of something. I've definitely brought it up before in another post. When it comes to people and their abilities, especially when they're children, we ask is it because of nature or nurture?

When children enter school, their mathematical abilities or leanings toward certain subjects can be credited to natural talent. On the other hand, improvement could be related to the environment (supportive teachers). Carol Dweck has a theory on mindsets that is similar to this. Dweck states that there are two types of mindsets: growth and fixed. As can be inferred, growth means someone believes in their own ability to improve and change, while fixed means that someone believes they are limited and unable to surpass a certain level.

A fixed mindset can hinder someone from making progress or getting farther in life. They believe that they are born with certain talents and that there are limits to what they can do. While a growth mindset can help someone overcome challenges, they work hard because they think that it is possible to get better. Adam comes across this debate in Island Whispers. He speaks to Gigi, a healer, about what he can do and she tells him about gifts.

"Gigi patted his hand again thoughtfully. “You know, after all these years, there is something I have learned about my gift.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “It is not special. All merpeople have the potential to be great healers. All it takes is work and practice. There is a misconception that we must be born with the ability, and that what we are born with determines who we are and what we can do.

“But that’s not true. I could teach any merperson to heal as long as they have the desire to learn and the persistence to never give up. Our gifts do not determine what we do; that is for our own minds to decide. You have the power to decide when and where you want to use your gift. These younger generations are so set in the belief that it must come easily to them, that it must be natural or else it is not their calling. But it is the interest that really determines what we do. If we are interested, then we can do anything. Think on that, Adam.” She let go of his hand, giving him another warm smile, her eyes tracing his face again. “You have a good heart, boy. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.”
(Page 45)

Now that is quite a mouthful of a paragraph so I'm going to highlight on some key points.

First of all, the word "gift" often means something granted, given. It can be taken away, but it isn't something someone can get for themselves, not in this context. Gigi dismisses the idea of a gift as special. She is declared a gifted healer and the merfolk are awed by her abilities. They believe that you must be born with something to have it.

However, Gigi says that anyone can be a great healer. She has the growth mindset that anyone who works hard and practices will be able to do as well as her. If the desire for learning is there, then anything is possible.

She also states that what we are able to do doesn't determine what we do. People often choose the path of least resistance and if you are good at something, it can bolster your resolve to continue with it. Yet, you don't have to do that. You can choose to do what you're good at or learn something new.

Lastly, she remarks upon "these younger generations". I know, I know. I'm not that old, but I have an ear among my peers (currently the young folk of the world). Perhaps you've heard this too, but so many people believe that they're not meant to do something that is difficult. If something challenges you, then it's time to give it up. I'm guilty of that. I ran track and field for two years, but quit my last year because I didn't believe I was actually contributing to the team. There are a few other things that come to mind, but hopefully you see my point. When the going gets tough, we get going and don't look back. Obviously there are exceptions. People do stick it out in certain areas. We're not all lazy and likely to give up, but there is enough of a mindset that it doesn't come as a surprise.

My point? Know what you love. Know what makes you excited and energized. Follow it through. Keep trying and doing. If you falter, don't let yourself fall behind. You can do more than you know if you choose to keep with it.

A Small Scientific Discussion on the Physicality of Dragons

I've always loved dragons. When I was little, I told everyone that my favorite animal was a dragon. I wanted a dragon as a pet. I read books about dragons. I collected dragon stuffed animals. I was very invested. Which is why I could not pass up the opportunity to meet with a professor as he explained what dragons would have to look like if they were real. I really have to thank Meghan T. though for setting up the meeting, because she told me about it first.
A red European style dragon, although not as bulky a body.
Dragons roam the skies of our imaginations and light the fires of our dreams. Most people can describe a dragon to you. Common physical features including scales, claws, four limbs, spiked tail, horns on the head, sharp teeth and slit pupils.

A Hungarian Horntail from Harry Potter.
A stuffed animal version courtesy of B&N.
Dragons appear in the mythology of many different cultures and there are variations. Wings could be included in the common physical features if you are familiar with European dragons, but Asian dragons are usually wingless. Serpent-like is generally a good term to describe dragons, but it depends on where you're from, because these beautiful/magical beasts are diverse.
Another dragon I drew with the intent to show off the long curling tail.
You'll notice that the head and neck are very serpent-like.However, the size of dragons and their wingspans are not physically compatible. Anything that can fly must be able to get into the sky, carry their body weight, and land efficiently. Consider birds, their bones are hollow and their wings make up a large part of their bodies.

Dragons would need a very long wingspan, especially when they're depicted as such bulky creatures (like in Game of Thrones). The amount of strength to lift their bodies in the air would also need to be increased, leading to more muscle mass. Then they must be able to land. A professor at NC State explained that current dragons wouldn't be able to make the quick stops/landings that we've seen. The dragons would need miles of space and preparation to even begin landing. The speed would create an impact that might create a vast crater. 
Therefore, the best dragons would have flat heads (more aerodynamic), a large wingspan (within reason), hollow bones (for lighter weight), and possibly something called a chanticleer (structural support for the wings)? 
Real dragons would scientifically have the appearance of lizards with wings (roughly imagined with the above modifications). It would probably interfere with the image of power that dragons bring, because scales would not be possible (since their weight would interfere greatly with a dragon's ability to fly). Dragons might be fast, but their strength would also be lessened. They wouldn't be much larger than prehistoric pterodactyls, because those are some of the only known creatures (of that size) to have been able to fly.

And how to get around all of the scientific restrictions? Magic. If you're not relying on reality, then you can use magic to create the dragons of your dreams. 
Whichever draconic templates you choose, remember to never wake a sleeping dragon and always be polite!