Breaking through a block.

[Ponderthought]

So, im in something of a slump. I cant write, my art has slowed to an agonizing crawl, and work on my upcoming campaign has completely ceased. Im in the worst kind of rut, where every thought of work on my various projects brings an overwhelming sigh. Witch is bad for me. Creative efforts keep me from brooding.

So,I ask all of you out of you creatively inclined folk out there... how do you break out of a rut?

[Danne]

I try a variety of things. Switching media often works for me -- if I've been typing a story, I'll switch to writing it by hand (and then type it up later). There's a truckload of tips you can find online for jump starting your writing projects. Introduce a new character, take the scene you're stuck on and work it from a different POV, scrap it entirely and have your characters do something else instead -- or just take a break. Sit back and play some video games. Read a book. Listen to some music. Maybe try working on something else to see if that gets the creativity flowing, then come back to the one that's troubling you.

Can't help much with your art, but those might help for writing (and perhaps even your campaign). Hope that helps!

[Zom B]

Try to remember what made you want to write the story in the first place and go back and do it again.

[TDB Lady]

This is one of the toughest things for me to deal with. I tend to make excuses not to work on stuff, and will even do things like pull weeds instead, even when I know I need to work on my art.

I find it best to just pick up the pencil and write or doodle - in other words, make myself do something. I'm a fiber artist (mostly poster sized art quilts), so sometimes I will pull out my leftover bits and start to just put things together and make a crib quilt for a charity.:smallsmile:

Mostly it seems like the best thing to do is to just plug away at it even if you don't feel like you are getting anywhere. Most people I know that make their living at say you have to work at art just as much as anything.

TDB LAdy

[Cobalt]

I've not been in a rut lately, but last year, it happened to me all the time. Every other day, inspiration for projects would just cease to come to me. Something that I did to try and get the writing part of my mind flowing again was to dedicate a page or two of a notebook to writing what was going on around me. Sometimes, something would come to me, and I'd stop to write something else. Sometimes it didn't help at all. T'was a coin toss, but it got me doing something.

And though I'm no drawer, something similar may help with the visual art; looking around and sketching whatever is still enough to get a good look at, just to have some progress being made on paper.

[Ponderthought]

All good suggestions, I may try some tomorrow. For now, I think ill just have a smoke and a bath, as im starting to think this block might be a symptom of some greater malaise.

[Xyk]

When I get those, I take a snack break. In fact, I do all my homework in 20 minute increments for maximum efficiency. 20 minutes of work, 40 of break, repeat.

[Pyrian]

A really good night's sleep, a long hike somewhere beautiful, and some ice cream. :smallcool: Take care of your muse!

[thubby]

i always go off and get involved in something new. whether its just a game or some subject that peaks my interest.
it gets progressively harder to actually get into a rut with more and wider areas of interest :smallbiggrin:

[Drakevarg]

Music and cinema, I says. Just pick up little snippits, toss in an unrelated snippet, and let it snowball until you have an idea.

Personally, my biggest problem is that I almost always have a ridiculous ammount of ideas, right up until the minute I start typing. Then all of a sudden I can't think of a thing. I currently have... *counts* ...at least six stories I could be working on, but the river dries up the second the document opens.

[thubby]

Music and cinema, I says. Just pick up little snippits, toss in an unrelated snippet, and let it snowball until you have an idea.

Personally, my biggest problem is that I almost always have a ridiculous ammount of ideas, right up until the minute I start typing. Then all of a sudden I can't think of a thing. I currently have... *counts* ...at least six stories I could be working on, but the river dries up the second the document opens.

ever tried hand writing them?

[Drakevarg]

ever tried hand writing them?

Pencil hits paper, same result. Suddenly I'm at a loss for words.

[Ponderthought]

Funny, I have a similar problem, but it has an alternate ending: I open the document, write a paragraph, get a new idea, close document, never return.

[Drakevarg]

Funny, I have a similar problem, but it has an alternate ending: I open the document, write a paragraph, get a new idea, close document, never return.

Often I can get the first paragraph of the story in, but only because I was scripting it in my head before actually sitting down. Once the pre-scripted parts are down, suddenly I hit a wall.

[Fifty-Eyed Fred]

Usually I know what I'm doing from the start, and I just work on it whenever I'm at my height of relaxation and eloquence (bizarrely enough, often my best writing is done when I'm tired) - emotion, wit and concinnity are perhaps the aspects most profoundly affected by my mental state when I start writing. If I'm not in the right frame of mind, I have other things to do in the meantime.

[Form]

You could just take a break for a couple of days or maybe even a week from it. Maybe you'll feel motivated/inspired again afterwards.

[Dr.Epic]

I for a while made Rorschach ink blot tests and based off of what I saw I'd let the creative process flow. Might be worth a try.

[Danne]

I for a while made Rorschach ink blot tests and based off of what I saw I'd let the creative process flow. Might be worth a try.

I like this idea. :smallbiggrin:

It's also a good idea to set a certain goal for yourself for each day. Write, say, 500 words each day. Even if they're crap, write them. Heck, write 50 words if you have to, but pick a number and don't stop writing until you've reached your goal. Sometimes you'll find that forcing yourself through that first bit was all it took to get the creative juices flowing -- your muse apparently just needed you to wake it up, and the 50 words you set out to write somehow turns into 5,000 without much effort. Sometimes you'll hit 50, grimace, set things aside for the day, and open it tomorrow to delete everything ("Because what was I thinking?! This is horrible!" :smallmad:) and rewrite it.

Alternatively, just wait until finals. My muse always decides to give me a story that I have to write NOWNOWNOW when "now" is 2:30am the morning of a huge exam.

[Dr.Epic]

I like this idea. :smallbiggrin:

I got the idea from reading too much Watchmen.

[Ponderthought]

Good news, im apparently cured, at least in the artistic department. No writings have surfaced, but im satisfied.