To say that any of us have not experienced writer’s block, on a site like RPG, would either prove us to be a liar or someone who hasn’t been writing for very long. So, this article is for those of you who have suffered or are suffering from the common illness of writer’s block.

What is the source of the problem?

When you have writer’s block, there may be a pantheon of excuses to lay down on the cluttered (or organized) table in front of you. However, you must find what the root of your writer’s block is. You see, writer’s block derives from something nagging at the back of your mind. It lurks and waits until enough stress, work, or distractions have built up and then attacks when you least want it.

As tough as it may be, take a moment to reflect on yourself. Ask yourself what is bothering me the most lately. It could be bills, your financial situation in general, conflict with others, all the way down to where you are sitting. Then, once you’ve found the source, deal with it. If you cannot deal with it at the moment at least prepare in some way for it. Set aside time to write, so that way you can deal with the stress of life outside of your moment of writing.

Perhaps it is where you are. If you always do your work in the same place, maybe you have gotten too used to where you’re at and the same old stimuli no longer present themselves as appealing to you. That leads us to our next point.

Break the normal.

Our amazing brains are constantly aware of our surroundings through whatever senses we may have. Our favorite writing places can grow stagnant. The stimuli around us no longer ignites that creative spark. There are various ways you can trick your brain to kick back into gear. All you have to do is break from the normal.

I love to do all of my writing at home, in front of the glow of my monitor, on a makeshift desk, and with the best fantasy music I can get my mouse to click on. This is often the place where my plans come to fruition. However, I hardly ever get my creative spark there. Normally it is at work, when I am trying to distract myself from the troubles of the day. Something clicks in the back of my skull, and there it is a couple of mages fighting their way out of a crumbling kingdom; how and why did they get where they are? Where are they going? It’s racing in my head and I can’t write it down. This is why I keep sticky notes on me and a pen nearby at all times.

You see, at work I’m out of my writing environment. I am hearing different sounds, seeing different things. Typically when you are at home, you’re in front of your screen and ready to type. But, you’ve done nothing all day to build up to that moment.

So instead make use of the time where you cannot write. Or instead, write elsewhere. Get out of your room and go to a bookstore or coffee store where you can write un-interrupted and still have the different surroundings needed to trigger that spark that’s eluding you.

You don’t even have to leave your home. If you are unable to, just change your home environment around. Move your furniture around, listen to different music, watch other tv shows or movies, and last but not least read! Even the scent of the pages of a book will set my mind ablaze with memories of other books. They clash together and soon I’m writing without thought to it (and plenty of errors to boot)!

But, you want to keep yourself from being too distracted.

Distract yourself! Just kidding.

Sure it is great to change your work environment, but you can get too distracted. Here, the Internet is a double edged sword. Often times I will only leave open references I have noted throughout the day and music. Any messengers or social sites are off limits! This may be tough, especially when you want to share work or constantly communicate. But, it only serves as a huge distraction. Sometimes just pen, paper, and an MP3 player are enough at least to let the creative fluids through the floodgates.

This doesn’t mean don’t ask for help. Everyone is capable of creativity in some manner. By asking a fellow person about what you want to write about they may just provide the feedback necessary to spark your brain once more. Playing in another role play could be just as, if not more, helpful. They lend you an extra source of ideas to borrow from, and allow you to see writing from a different perspective. All the while, they change your stimuli!

(TL;DR) The key points to this are:

• Don’t get too distracted! It leads only to procrastination.
• Break from your normality!
• Focus on the problem causing the block. Often, solving one problem will free up another. Writer’s block doesn’t just happen, something causes it.

Inspirational pictures and music.

Otherwise I agree entirely.

Yes, questions are always your best friend. They are often the same questions a reader would have, if subconsciously. Asking yourself questions about any given writing scenario will always help out; from character creation, writing posts, to just flat out writing.

I think the take-home message for this post is that while everyone has their own process, most of them share common elements. In this case, these consist of:

-Being ready for inspiration no matter when it strikes
-A change of environment
-Focus on other things that might be preoccupying your thoughts
-Read from the perspective of the reader

This is a great help, probably something to expound upon during RPG Live if you're still doing that.