Are You Ghoul, Revenant, or Zombie? (Part I)

I wanted to write a short story, recycling the beginning of a novel idea I once played with, and realized the idea I had for the main character's disposition, I guess you'd call it, would do better with some kind of explanation or at least a reference to other monster types.

Originally, she was to be a zombie. However, my experience with zombies (and urge to do something a bit different) led me to find another species she fit into. My search led me to explore three: ghoul, revenant, and well, zombie.

The Ghoul

I considered using the ghoul based on their folkloric origin of undead creatures that feed on flesh. They actually originated from Arabian folklore as shape-shifting demons, most often appearing as hyenas, that led travelers into the desert or abandoned places to eat them.* It also eats the dead and takes the form of the person most recently eaten. I found the relation to a Jinn interesting, but while interesting, my story wouldn't take place in a desert, and I don’t require the shape-shifting.

Their depiction varies a lot in fiction, from the flesh-eating horrors of The Dresden Files (first encountered in Summer Knight. Little trivia from a fan), the slightly-stronger vampire-like creatures of Final Fantasy games, to even the unseen, ghostlike inhabitant of the Harry Potter world that lived in old homes (its name escapes me, but it lived in the Weasley's attic in book two).

It's an alternative to the mindlessness of a zombie, and possibly a bit more unique and different, however I'm not sure on a being that also shape-shifts. Not my plan.

It's back to the dictionary.

*Taken from www.wikipedia.org

photo credit: Earl - What I Saw 2.0 via photopin cc

Restless in October

Jerking, twitching.

Too restless.

Racing, spinning.

Too anxious.

Aching, burning.

Too much distraction.

Buzzing, whizzing,

Too many whispers,

And too much white page to fill.

Random, yes, but accurate. Halfway through October my trudging train of progress chugged right into a ditch that silly conductor me has been trying to trudge out of instead of stopping to reassess the cause.

I probably should have used the metaphor of an RC car with a dying battery trying to drive over a speed bump or something. Oh well.

I've still got no clue what caused it, all I know is whenever I sit to do any work on the novels or the short stories I get uncomfortable and anxious, jittery and-–well just see above. Maybe it's time for a new chair, one that actually began with cushion. Maybe I need to rearrange my desk and relocate it again.

(God I hope not. There's limited functional space in here as it is.)

Or perhaps I need to drop two projects and focus on fewer stories.

Possible, but this anxiety feels deeper somehow, and doesn't quite address the jitters (No, I don't drink coffee and haven't had a soda in over a month. Just not my thing.) Maybe I should think about breaking tasks down to amoeba-sized steps.

Step one: Divide writing tasks further to designate one day to one story until you get your head right. Must ponder this one.

So if I accept it's my workspace (it likely is; this chair was never meant to hold anyone for such long periods of time over two years of use), I must hunt out a replacement of ergonomic quality likely requiring self-assembly, not beyond $100 if that chair exists. Meanwhile, I've picked up a lap desk to work away from my flimsy assembly of kindling; it looks like it should suffice for short sessions on the couch or on my bed.

Does anyone have experience with a good ergonomic (or just very cushy) desk chair they're willing to recommend me? I think armrests might be nice, but they aren't the necessity.

Happy Halloween should you be one to celebrate it.

(I totally forgot to get myself candy pumpkins this year.)

Buckling Down

I haven't posted anything in awhile, what with me having nothing post-worthy, haven't done much writing either...well untill today that is.
I've been alternating between writing four novels and revising one (well not so much writing as wasting time staring at a blank page), but I've been doing some thinking and I think I may try to devote the majority of my writing time (which is limited now, with all the procrastination and lack of motivation) on Serpenttongue and Wanted, as they're the two I feel the strongest about completing with possibility of submitting to agents. The other two will take some definite work.
I surprised myself, it was slow work (somewhere around five hours) but I managed 1,800 words of Serpenttongue today, which is saying something for me, as I just finished spending weeks not writing a word. I'm now to 44 single spaced pages and possibly a chapter or two away from what I consider to be the middle (or close to the middle) of the novel.
I am a little worried though, 25,000 words is pretty far away from being novel length...I can't help but wonder if I have enough ideas to make it to novel length.

Trying Again

After deciding to take a much-needed break away from my first manuscript and its most reccent edit I decided to go back to one of the unfinished ones I hadn't touched in over two months. I figured, new computer, why not break it in?

I did a little editing on the one I created last (shall for the present be named "Wanted") and realized something: I like my writing better when it's in third person than when I write first person, it seems more developed. That's not to say I don't like the first person manuscript, but it feels like it probably wouldn't be very well received anyway...maybe I'll try rewriting it in third person to see how it looks.

Anyways, I spent quite some time editing what I'd written of Wanted (sadly, only 19 pages) only to still be stuck at the same point. Well, this time around I have a vague idea of what I'd like to happen next, but the specifics in getting to that point aren't there. Perhaps some sleep will bring about a revelation.