So it's now been like more than two or three weeks since I have produced anything rp-wise besides a crappy app here and there. I'm beginning to think I'm going through one of my anti-rp phases. I don't have a muse for it, nothing seems to interest me about it anymore. Blarghy.

So what do you do to get out of a rpg rut?

To get out of a dry spot in RPG forums, I usually start some sort of BIG plot, that can involve everyone in the fourm. It's a great way to get everyone together and having fun.

Hmmm. I have been here before. Many, many times.

I suppose what I usually do is one of the following. Not sure how useful, but here they are:

1.Paint
2.Head to the track ( I think better there)
3.Write non-RP stuff so that I get the sense of writing ownership back. I think I need that and that sharing the storywriting process can sometimes suck a bit of energy out me. I love RP but it's all about letting go-- something I am not good at. I like control.
4. RP on a site I don't own/manage. I always keep a few characters around on some other people's boards and post with them. I tend to post them more when I am in slump.
5.Get out and talk to other people about what the hell is happening in their lives. And really listen. Sometimes a good dose of real life from someone else's perspective is a great way to stir the muse up, make you think about life in a bigger context.

Jeez, I'm like RyanA's stalker or something. That's a little creepy, innit? o.O

I hate when that happens. It sucks on levels I didn't even know existed. But my solution is simple. I step away from the PC all together. I don't even check my email. Nothing. Nada. Because when I'm sat there, I just feel guilty because what I should be doing, is giving people posts. So I leave the PC alone all together and do something completely unrelated. I go out into the world and, similarly to RyanA, I absorb it like a sponge. I find out what's going on, I find out what other people are doing.

Something else I do, is load myself up on movies and books up to my eyeballs. Fantasy stuff because of their creativity level. Draw. Fool around on photoshop if that's your bag.

What about talking to people on the game--maybe people you don't normally speak to and see what you can drum up? Sometimes a lack of creative impulse means you need a change of pace. Try looking for creativity in other places.

However, if you want to get back into it and not scratch it off your hobby list completely, be wary of avoiding writing for too long, or it will become easier and easier to avoid it. Write something regularly. If not every day, then every other day. Not necessarily RPG related, but something. That way you're still taking a break but you're not being tempted to run away from writing all together.

Out of all of the above, I'd say, different creative medium and reading are the ones that work for me the most.

Ah, you can stalk me anytime, Panda.

It's not really your fault. I am actually in the midst of a writing slump as we speak. So what am I doing, you ask? Well, I am posting way too much on RPG-D and will likely get myself in trouble with someone if I don't stop. And I have jumped into so many threads, I am sort of in everyone's way.

I am also painting. I did a sort of mural thing in my bathroom this entire day and came on here and posted with paint on my hands. Cant' tell you how many keyboards and mouses I destroy this way...

But, yeah, like Panda says, get out of your normal routine...but if you truly want to be a writer...get back to it as soon as possible.

Don't know if there any poets in the lot of you out there--if there are, you could try this. It's called a "Running Theif Poem". A writing professor used to give us this to do.

You get a bunch of unrelated texts--magazines, maybe a kid's book, a cookbook. a self help book, a classic lit book--you get the idea. Well then you do this fast sort of process where you open the book and pull a line or word of text. Shut the book. Move to the next book. So this for as many lines as you want.

Then you look at what you have--which of course looks entirely unrelated and disjointed. But you read through it and you let your mind start making whatever connections it wants and you rewrite it. Don't self-edit. Just start letting your mind draw some of these unrelated ideas in new directions.

I was suprised at the outcome, really and I use this a lot when I feel really stuck.

What actually helps me is to make a new character that is completely different from what I normally play, or from who I am. Or I take one of my characters in a completely different direction. It does take some brainstorming, but I've found it really effective.

Thanks for the advice all! I'll definately have to try some of your methods.

But blahh. I think my problem is that I just moved to a new town and I'm currently out of work and school ... so I have way too much free time on my hands. lol. I think I may have went overkill on the roleplay thing to keep myself entertained and from going crazy. Maybe I'll join a gym or something ... that sounds productive *shrugs*

And lol Ryan. Don't feel bad, I've been doing the same thing on RPG-D lately as well. It's a nice place to come when your muse is being non-cooperative.

RPG D is the best way to avoid posting!

My last slump I went through I actually needed someone to pep talk me out of it. I didn't believe that I was a good enough writer, underneath it all. Though it took her two hours to get that out of me, and I didn't even know it was there, sub consciously. After that I discovered that I can post without the muse. She just told me that I know enough about my character and the english language to post even when I'm not feeling anything. So I did, and it was great... And I've been posting regularly ever since. Except now, cause I'm procrastinating on RPG D!

I read. I go to the bookstore, buy a million new books and go to town. It's all kinds of wonderful. And because I run a Harry Potter RPG, I read Harry Potter when the situation gets dire.