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Writer's Block and Ways to Bust It
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Most writers at some point experience writers block. It can happen to the best of us, and can strike at any time. Usually, we have no idea why we suddenly can't think of where to take a post or chapter, we just know that it feels like we have zero ideas, when before they were rampant. The problem is that most people insist there's a cure for it. That if you do this one thing, magically, all your ideas will come flowing back in a rampage until you're bursting with creativity again. The thing is, it's just not that simple. Writing is a process, and when you neglect aspects of it for too long, writers block is a sign that you need to look backwards and sideways as well as forward.
Below, you'll find some ideas that can help if you give them the time and energy required to make them work.
Re-read past work.
Your ideas didn't just stall out of nowhere. At some point, you wrote yourself into a corner, ignored your muses, or dashed ahead and skipped great options to add more depth to your work in progress. When you realize these things, you get blocked because you have no idea where to go from whatever road you've stuck yourself on. Go re-read the work you've done previously. See if there are any parts that just don't fit right, or if you could add more to some of the narrative to make it come alive. If you've ignored your muses, step back and read the piece objectively, and see if any ideas pop up that you didn't give a voice to before. Edit some of the work if you need to, anything to get excited about the writing again.
Analyze your writing partners.
For some, this is a hard step to take, but sometimes it can be necessary. Every once in a while we run into a writing partner that isn't putting as much into the work as we are. Our styles don't mesh, the idea grew stagnant. Occasionally no matter how hard we try, a partnership or thread just isn't working as needed, and it is a major reason for writing block in many of us. Forcing yourself to write on something you don't feel or doesn't fit your narrative can be the killer that causes people to give up a character or a storyline permanently, and it shouldn't be that way. If you realize some threads aren't going how you'd like, or a writing partnership isn't beneficial to both participants, it may be time to flush out the old works, have an honest talk with your writing partner, and either work together on a new idea or step away for a bit to gain a deeper understanding of our own muses without outside input.
Will this piss people off? Sometimes. Will you be considered an “asshole” for standing up for yourself and your writing? Usually. Will you end up turning down plots because the people can't flesh them out enough, want to talk OOC constantly, or don't seem to “get” your character and their motivations? When it comes to those that are just out for popularity or an ego boost, yeah, they'll be nasty about it. But guess what? Who gives a crap? Your job as a writer isn't the placate the masses, it's to honor yourself and your muses. If something isn't working, making yourself suffer just to avoid hurt feelings ends up hurting everyone.
Try something new!
Many of us get into a rut with our characters. They act a certain way. They do things like this in a situation. Blah blah blah. It's boring, repetitive, and not interesting to write or read. Toss in something new. Maybe your character comes across something they haven't before, so they have no frame of reference for it. Maybe you do a dream scene or a scene where they've accidentally (or purposely) gotten ahold of a mind-altering substance. What would you character do when the rules are tipped upside down? When there are no rules? Think of the strangest, oddest, most insane situation your character could be in... then find a way to put them there and let it play out.
Bonus, because dealing with something outside of their normal level of scope tends to change a character, you can use it to reference back to so that your character can grow and adapt better to other things. Maybe they have nightmares or flashbacks. Maybe something happened that scared the hell out of them for the future. Maybe they learned things about themselves they didn't expect, and now have to deal with the ramifications of it. Opening the boundaries to what you've set as "your character traits" can have a massive impact on getting past a block and enjoying the process again.
Search for inspiration under every nook and cranny.
At it's heart, RoleplayLives is a writing website, made by writers, for writers. We are all here because we want to create something awesome, or read something awesome. If not, well.... why exactly are you here? There is inspiration everywhere for the creative person that actually takes the time and energy to look for it. Read/watch the news and learn about current events in the world, especially things that might affect your character or their loved ones. Hop on Deviant Art and look at the fan art. Read everything you can get your hands on... after all, a great writer is a voracious reader.
Read other writing work on RPL, and remember to click “like” or comment if you enjoyed it, to inspire them as well as they've inspired you. Delve into mythology, muck about on Google looking up random things. Watch the strange shows on TV you usually just scan past. People watch when you're out and about, and make up stories about the people you see. Anything and everything in the world around you can be used for inspiration if you just open your eyes and see it. Real life events and actions can be an amazing catalyst for a storyline or thread, you just have to make the event/action fit in with your own character's life instead of yours.
Writer's block can be managed and overcome, but we have to actually DO something about it, not just wait passively for inspiration to strike. You can learn more about the things that can cause it by checking out Tips for Dealing with RP Writer's Block. Once you've figured out the root cause of your writers block, you can find ways to effectively handle it when it crops up, and find inspiration to push past it.
Happy writing!
Below, you'll find some ideas that can help if you give them the time and energy required to make them work.
Re-read past work.
Your ideas didn't just stall out of nowhere. At some point, you wrote yourself into a corner, ignored your muses, or dashed ahead and skipped great options to add more depth to your work in progress. When you realize these things, you get blocked because you have no idea where to go from whatever road you've stuck yourself on. Go re-read the work you've done previously. See if there are any parts that just don't fit right, or if you could add more to some of the narrative to make it come alive. If you've ignored your muses, step back and read the piece objectively, and see if any ideas pop up that you didn't give a voice to before. Edit some of the work if you need to, anything to get excited about the writing again.
Analyze your writing partners.
For some, this is a hard step to take, but sometimes it can be necessary. Every once in a while we run into a writing partner that isn't putting as much into the work as we are. Our styles don't mesh, the idea grew stagnant. Occasionally no matter how hard we try, a partnership or thread just isn't working as needed, and it is a major reason for writing block in many of us. Forcing yourself to write on something you don't feel or doesn't fit your narrative can be the killer that causes people to give up a character or a storyline permanently, and it shouldn't be that way. If you realize some threads aren't going how you'd like, or a writing partnership isn't beneficial to both participants, it may be time to flush out the old works, have an honest talk with your writing partner, and either work together on a new idea or step away for a bit to gain a deeper understanding of our own muses without outside input.
Will this piss people off? Sometimes. Will you be considered an “asshole” for standing up for yourself and your writing? Usually. Will you end up turning down plots because the people can't flesh them out enough, want to talk OOC constantly, or don't seem to “get” your character and their motivations? When it comes to those that are just out for popularity or an ego boost, yeah, they'll be nasty about it. But guess what? Who gives a crap? Your job as a writer isn't the placate the masses, it's to honor yourself and your muses. If something isn't working, making yourself suffer just to avoid hurt feelings ends up hurting everyone.
Try something new!
Many of us get into a rut with our characters. They act a certain way. They do things like this in a situation. Blah blah blah. It's boring, repetitive, and not interesting to write or read. Toss in something new. Maybe your character comes across something they haven't before, so they have no frame of reference for it. Maybe you do a dream scene or a scene where they've accidentally (or purposely) gotten ahold of a mind-altering substance. What would you character do when the rules are tipped upside down? When there are no rules? Think of the strangest, oddest, most insane situation your character could be in... then find a way to put them there and let it play out.
Bonus, because dealing with something outside of their normal level of scope tends to change a character, you can use it to reference back to so that your character can grow and adapt better to other things. Maybe they have nightmares or flashbacks. Maybe something happened that scared the hell out of them for the future. Maybe they learned things about themselves they didn't expect, and now have to deal with the ramifications of it. Opening the boundaries to what you've set as "your character traits" can have a massive impact on getting past a block and enjoying the process again.
Search for inspiration under every nook and cranny.
At it's heart, RoleplayLives is a writing website, made by writers, for writers. We are all here because we want to create something awesome, or read something awesome. If not, well.... why exactly are you here? There is inspiration everywhere for the creative person that actually takes the time and energy to look for it. Read/watch the news and learn about current events in the world, especially things that might affect your character or their loved ones. Hop on Deviant Art and look at the fan art. Read everything you can get your hands on... after all, a great writer is a voracious reader.
Read other writing work on RPL, and remember to click “like” or comment if you enjoyed it, to inspire them as well as they've inspired you. Delve into mythology, muck about on Google looking up random things. Watch the strange shows on TV you usually just scan past. People watch when you're out and about, and make up stories about the people you see. Anything and everything in the world around you can be used for inspiration if you just open your eyes and see it. Real life events and actions can be an amazing catalyst for a storyline or thread, you just have to make the event/action fit in with your own character's life instead of yours.
Writer's block can be managed and overcome, but we have to actually DO something about it, not just wait passively for inspiration to strike. You can learn more about the things that can cause it by checking out Tips for Dealing with RP Writer's Block. Once you've figured out the root cause of your writers block, you can find ways to effectively handle it when it crops up, and find inspiration to push past it.
Happy writing!