Of Lions and Dragons

Big, fearsome felines and serpents with wings

These are a few of my favorite things

 

Hello, folks. Welcome to August.

So, this is my birthday month. I was born on August 19, 1988. I’m not a believer in zodiacs, but I always thought it was pretty cool that I get to be a lion in Greek  and a dragon in Chinese. Apparently they fit, too. My entire life, people have gone “Ahh, yes, of course you’re a Leo!” or “Wow, you really project that Leo energy”.

People are less familiar with the Chinese zodiac, but I get a lot of approving grins when I tell them I’m a dragon. Besides, the people in my life already associate me with dragons. I have a collection of 100+ dragon figurines and statues. You might call me a fan. 

You’d never convince me that zodiacs mean any more than Harry Potter houses. When people say “I should have known you’re a dragon” or “You’re a typical Leo”, I just  see the Barnum Effect. Even so, it’s still meaningful coming from someone who does believe. In essence, they’re calling me strong. That’s pretty nice, especially since I don’t always feel strong. 

Why am I talking about zodiacs? Especially when I don’t believe in them? Well, it comes down to my birthday month, and my desire to feel strong.

This has been a difficult year, as I stated in my previous update. I’ve got some nice updates that mark my progress towards some of the ambitious goals that I set for myself this year.

What’s going on? 

• Between April and July, I completed two different fantasy novellas. Both had been collecting dust for at least a year.  They’re just rough drafts, but rough drafts are better than the scraps I had.
  
• I have outlined a re-write of my first NaNoWriMo project from 2014. I believe this will be the final draft before I hand it over to some critique partners.

• I’ve grown to 1600 followers on Twitter, up from 400 at the beginning of the year. My goal for 2019 was 1000. Isn’t that crazy? My new goal for 2019 is 2500. Always raise the bar.

• And speaking of twitter – I’m starting to make friends and find a really good community there. Twitter’s #writingcommunity has some problems, but I’ll gladly take its relatively petty issues over the toxic, self-devouring nature of some other writing circles I’ve been a part of. 

What else? I’m not sure. I just know that right now, as I look at this year’s body of work, I feel strong. I’m getting a lot done, despite being bogged down with a work schedule that feels unnatural and a job that comes with extreme stress. Somehow, I’m doing pretty well.

I’ll be honest with you. I wasn’t sure that was going to happen.

So, let’s always remember to celebrate our success. They say Leos are ambitious and Dragons are powerful. As a kid, I’d read horoscopes and wish it was true. As an adult, I’m thinking that maybe it is. But it’s sure not because of the stars.

So, get out there. Be a lion. Be a dragon. Who cares what the stars say. You’ve got this.

 

 

If you’re interested in H.L Rudd’s work, you can find it at hlruddauthor.com