Writer's Block (or: Am I Just Disinterested?)

Best Selling RPGs - Available Now @ DriveThruRPG.com

Panzerkraken

Armored Squid
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Messages
316
Reaction score
528
So I have a couple projects that I get back to now and then, tagging in on them when my interest piques. None have a chance of seeing the light of day before the end of the summer, because of an upcoming move, but I'm normally pretty productive, especially when traveling for work. Right at the moment though, I'm just stuck with them. Not for lack of knowing what to do with them (one is a sci-fi game based around Interlock, one is a megadungeon that I started for Dungeon Fantasy, but have recently decided to work with in 5th Edition, and the last is an adventure series for Hackmaster 5th using a bunch of Dyson Logos' open content maps from his blog/patreon), or from over-saturation, just whenever I sit down for any of them I'm not into it, and I wind up fiddling with them, either changing a formatting piece (through the entire document) or just rereading stuff I wrote when I was on a roll.

Is this writer's block? I'm not some kind of professional, I don't know what it's like for sure. Or am I just disinterested in working on them (which I'd find odd, considering these are the things that encompass my entire mindset when I'm not working)? I'm loathe to switch to something else, I like all these ideas, but should I?

What do you do to pull yourself out of a funk like this?
 
Are you getting in much gaming at the moment? Try a playtest of a rudimentary version of the Interlock game you are working ob. Run some friends through an early section of the megadungeon. Seeing them in action should get you motivated again.

If you are already doing that, then I don't know.
 
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one." - Mark Twain
 
What do you do to pull yourself out of a funk like this?
When I get blocked, I usually find it's because I don't really understand the purpose of the section I'm writing, and how it relates to other sections. I can generally find a way to continue if I re-examine my premise and either find the connection or drop it as unnecessary.
 
Is this writer's block? I'm not some kind of professional, I don't know what it's like for sure. Or am I just disinterested in working on them (which I'd find odd, considering these are the things that encompass my entire mindset when I'm not working)? I'm loathe to switch to something else, I like all these ideas, but should I?

What do you do to pull yourself out of a funk like this?


Writers block is one
of those things that is difficult to attribute to a single cause. For some its a simple lack of ideas, but that doesn't seem to be your issue. Most gamers have enough ideas to last them a lifetime. Some folk find they lack inspiration, and for others its something in the project they are working on that doesn't quite fit, but they are unsure of exactly what it is. Others become overwhelmed and this can lead to a 'death spiral' to use a gaming term. It can also be a sign of low mood that isn't even slightly related to the process of writing.

I used to be a night owl. I would happily sit up to 3am and write while the rest of the house slept. Then for various reasons I am no longer a night owl and my writing output has dropped significantly. Now I need to actively assign time to do my writing. So for me this is writers block. What it boils down to is there are too many distractions in the day to day and the early hours of the morning was the only time there were no distractions, but I can't sit up to that time anymore. Occasionally my own ideas are the cause of the block. Instead of just dumping them and moving on, I stubbornly work at them. Occasionally this works out, but most of the time it just results in weeks of little output.

I find my output is higher when I'm writing for someone else or as part of a team. When I write alone I often get frustrated no matter how great the idea is or how enthusiastic I am about it.

How you get out of the rut is a different question entirely. I tend to read stuff I wouldn't normally go near or join collaborative projects If I can find them.
 
So I have a couple projects that I get back to now and then, tagging in on them when my interest piques. None have a chance of seeing the light of day before the end of the summer, because of an upcoming move, but I'm normally pretty productive, especially when traveling for work. Right at the moment though, I'm just stuck with them. Not for lack of knowing what to do with them (one is a sci-fi game based around Interlock, one is a megadungeon that I started for Dungeon Fantasy, but have recently decided to work with in 5th Edition, and the last is an adventure series for Hackmaster 5th using a bunch of Dyson Logos' open content maps from his blog/patreon), or from over-saturation, just whenever I sit down for any of them I'm not into it, and I wind up fiddling with them, either changing a formatting piece (through the entire document) or just rereading stuff I wrote when I was on a roll.

Is this writer's block? I'm not some kind of professional, I don't know what it's like for sure. Or am I just disinterested in working on them (which I'd find odd, considering these are the things that encompass my entire mindset when I'm not working)? I'm loathe to switch to something else, I like all these ideas, but should I?

What do you do to pull yourself out of a funk like this?

It could be anything. My go to strategies when motivation slips are:

-Exercise regularly (I find this makes a big difference)
-Step away from social media as much as possible (this is probably the most helpful I've done)
-Mix up what I am reading/viewing/listening to
-Take a break for like a week
 
Is this writer's block?

Sounds like it, at least it sounds like what I am doing now.

What do you do to pull yourself out of a funk like this?

What I tend to do is start on something else that is fresh and new, then hope when I get bored with that I can go back to the original piece and start afresh. Sometimes it works a treat, sometimes I end up with writer's block on 3 or 4 things.
 
Banner: The best cosmic horror & Cthulhu Mythos @ DriveThruRPG.com
Back
Top