Post by ALEX on Jan 12, 2011 23:54:06 GMT -5
GET INSPIRED.
a guide to writing and roleplaying, even when you don't feel like it.
everyone always blames writer's block (or the elusive 'muse') for not being able to crank out epic applications, respond to threads, or come up with a clever plot in order to start a post with your fellow roleplayers. i'm here to tell you that this is complete BS. there is no such thing as a muse or writer's block – it's all in your head, and there are easy ways to get around it. most of the time it's just laziness, or the fact that you 'think' you have nothing to say. if you're really serious about writing or are having a hard time getting focused or starting, I have a list of a few things that might help.
force yourself to write
honestly, if you get into the habit of writing every day, it will start to become easier and easier to get something good out, and eventually you won't be able to tell the difference between when you're struggling, or when you're motivated. but when you're feeling a bit uninspired, just sitting yourself down and FORCING words to appear on the screen or on paper will help. sometimes when I'm not feeling excited about what I have to write, I will seriously stare at the computer screen and force sentences out until they starts to flow better. i'm being completely honest - I have written the world's crappiest post, and then went back to edit it and turn it into something better. just remember that your writing doesn't have to be perfect on the first draft. also, try switching up where you write. I feel like writing on paper before transferring it to the computer works well; you don't have an intimidating, perfectly white screen in front that you might be afraid to mess up with not-so-perfect words. getting anything down on paper or the computer screen is productive.
read another author's (or roleplayers) writing
find a book, fanfiction, or even someone elses posts or application to read. while i'm not encouraging you to try to imitate another writer's style or voice, I am encouraging you to read something that might strike you as inspiring. I know after I read a certain novel (interview with the vampire, if anyone is interested
), my writing becomes a bit more polished and descriptive and I often will find words or adjectives that I would have otherwise never thought to use. when you're reading, try to pay attention to the characters, the authors words, and any interesting metaphors or figures of speech used. sometimes sitting down with a good novel or story can inspire you to work on your own writing or developing your characters. when i'm feeling unmotivated and maybe a bit bored, I will also read tips or guides on writing. this can help because I will often want to try out what I just learned. here are some
sites that I frequent:
-Classic Reader - a website with free classic books. i love it!
-Fanfiction.net - well this is a given! there are a lot of good writers here for mostly fandoms.
-FictionPress - an extension of fanfiction.net, i believe. its a collection of all kinds of writers and writing, not just fandoms.
brainstorm
this is a great thing to do when you're working on plots or stories. just list some emotions, feelings, places, or anything else that strikes your interest. I don't have much to say on this idea just because it's pretty self explanatory. here are some sites that will help you brainstorm:
-Brainstormer - no joke, i could sit here ALL DAY and play with this. don't click on the link unless you have a lot of time to waste!
drabble
so you have this AWESOME character that you want to write as, but you can't seem to reply to a thread, or you're struggling to write a good application. occasionally when i'm forced to write something specific about one of my characters, I can get stuck and I feel like I don't have a 'muse' for them anymore – especially if its a thread that i'm not too crazy about responding to. but when I need to respond and can't afford to leave someone hanging any longer, I will 'wake them up' by writing a short drabble or situation they are in that might be fun or amusing to work on. this will probably get you into the mood to post as them, and if not...well, at least you wrote something (see above “force yourself to write”)!
here are some sites with writing prompts i've used in the past:
-911 Writers Block - hands down, my FAVORITE site.
-Writing Prompts and More - this site has a MILLION resources. check it out!
-One Sentence - true stories, told in one sentence. awesome for inspiration :]
-Prompts - oh my gosh, i could spend HOURS on this site. just hover over a number and get a prompt!
-Daily Prompt Gen - not as awesome as the others, but still useful.
listen to music
this one is a given. a lot of people say that they need to have music on, or they can't write. i'm the opposite - I get distracted with music, but nonetheless, music can help you get into the mood to write. I have playlists for two of my main characters on my itunes. it can also help to make playlists for an emotion or feeling. if you're writing a post that is depressing, happy, or silly – you can have a list of songs at your disposal.
watch TV/music videos/movies
doing the above mentioned helps me tremendously with plotting. posting, not so much, but I can't tell you how many times inspiration has struck me for a plot or thread while watching a movie or television. sometimes even looking at the news and taking ideas from whats going on in the world can help inspire you for epic threads or plots. while writing subplots for my stories, I will sometimes check out CNN or whatever other news/media outlet that pops into my mind. take inspiration from the world around you – you dont have to come up with everything off the top of your head.
think throughout the day
maybe i'm the only loser that does this, but I find that plot ideas, threads, and inspiration all come to me throughout the day. if i'm bored in class (even though you should tooootallly pay attention in class) my mind will wander and I will think up ideas or start planning out a response to a thread. sometimes I even get my ideas FROM a class. i've been inspired by my history class so many times its not even funny. also, try thinking about how your character would respond to a certain situation in real life. I do this a lot, especially when i'm on the phone with a friend (who conveniently roleplays with me) – we have fun going back and forth with what our characters would and wouldn't do in silly situations. if you try thinking about characters, scenes, and scenarios in your every day life, you'll find it a lot easier to draw from that inspiration and ideas later when you try to write.
check out these useful sites
-A Guide to Stronger Writing
-How To Write Good
-Cliche Finder
-Websites for Writers
-Character "Feelings" Chart
-Writing World: General Fiction
well, thats all I got for now. I will occasionally add more links and ideas as they come to me – but I really hope this guide has helped in some way! happy writing :]
a guide to writing and roleplaying, even when you don't feel like it.
everyone always blames writer's block (or the elusive 'muse') for not being able to crank out epic applications, respond to threads, or come up with a clever plot in order to start a post with your fellow roleplayers. i'm here to tell you that this is complete BS. there is no such thing as a muse or writer's block – it's all in your head, and there are easy ways to get around it. most of the time it's just laziness, or the fact that you 'think' you have nothing to say. if you're really serious about writing or are having a hard time getting focused or starting, I have a list of a few things that might help.
force yourself to write
honestly, if you get into the habit of writing every day, it will start to become easier and easier to get something good out, and eventually you won't be able to tell the difference between when you're struggling, or when you're motivated. but when you're feeling a bit uninspired, just sitting yourself down and FORCING words to appear on the screen or on paper will help. sometimes when I'm not feeling excited about what I have to write, I will seriously stare at the computer screen and force sentences out until they starts to flow better. i'm being completely honest - I have written the world's crappiest post, and then went back to edit it and turn it into something better. just remember that your writing doesn't have to be perfect on the first draft. also, try switching up where you write. I feel like writing on paper before transferring it to the computer works well; you don't have an intimidating, perfectly white screen in front that you might be afraid to mess up with not-so-perfect words. getting anything down on paper or the computer screen is productive.
read another author's (or roleplayers) writing
find a book, fanfiction, or even someone elses posts or application to read. while i'm not encouraging you to try to imitate another writer's style or voice, I am encouraging you to read something that might strike you as inspiring. I know after I read a certain novel (interview with the vampire, if anyone is interested
), my writing becomes a bit more polished and descriptive and I often will find words or adjectives that I would have otherwise never thought to use. when you're reading, try to pay attention to the characters, the authors words, and any interesting metaphors or figures of speech used. sometimes sitting down with a good novel or story can inspire you to work on your own writing or developing your characters. when i'm feeling unmotivated and maybe a bit bored, I will also read tips or guides on writing. this can help because I will often want to try out what I just learned. here are some sites that I frequent:
-Classic Reader - a website with free classic books. i love it!
-Fanfiction.net - well this is a given! there are a lot of good writers here for mostly fandoms.
-FictionPress - an extension of fanfiction.net, i believe. its a collection of all kinds of writers and writing, not just fandoms.
brainstorm
this is a great thing to do when you're working on plots or stories. just list some emotions, feelings, places, or anything else that strikes your interest. I don't have much to say on this idea just because it's pretty self explanatory. here are some sites that will help you brainstorm:
-Brainstormer - no joke, i could sit here ALL DAY and play with this. don't click on the link unless you have a lot of time to waste!
drabble
so you have this AWESOME character that you want to write as, but you can't seem to reply to a thread, or you're struggling to write a good application. occasionally when i'm forced to write something specific about one of my characters, I can get stuck and I feel like I don't have a 'muse' for them anymore – especially if its a thread that i'm not too crazy about responding to. but when I need to respond and can't afford to leave someone hanging any longer, I will 'wake them up' by writing a short drabble or situation they are in that might be fun or amusing to work on. this will probably get you into the mood to post as them, and if not...well, at least you wrote something (see above “force yourself to write”)!
here are some sites with writing prompts i've used in the past:
-911 Writers Block - hands down, my FAVORITE site.
-Writing Prompts and More - this site has a MILLION resources. check it out!
-One Sentence - true stories, told in one sentence. awesome for inspiration :]
-Prompts - oh my gosh, i could spend HOURS on this site. just hover over a number and get a prompt!
-Daily Prompt Gen - not as awesome as the others, but still useful.
listen to music
this one is a given. a lot of people say that they need to have music on, or they can't write. i'm the opposite - I get distracted with music, but nonetheless, music can help you get into the mood to write. I have playlists for two of my main characters on my itunes. it can also help to make playlists for an emotion or feeling. if you're writing a post that is depressing, happy, or silly – you can have a list of songs at your disposal.
watch TV/music videos/movies
doing the above mentioned helps me tremendously with plotting. posting, not so much, but I can't tell you how many times inspiration has struck me for a plot or thread while watching a movie or television. sometimes even looking at the news and taking ideas from whats going on in the world can help inspire you for epic threads or plots. while writing subplots for my stories, I will sometimes check out CNN or whatever other news/media outlet that pops into my mind. take inspiration from the world around you – you dont have to come up with everything off the top of your head.
think throughout the day
maybe i'm the only loser that does this, but I find that plot ideas, threads, and inspiration all come to me throughout the day. if i'm bored in class (even though you should tooootallly pay attention in class
) my mind will wander and I will think up ideas or start planning out a response to a thread. sometimes I even get my ideas FROM a class. i've been inspired by my history class so many times its not even funny. also, try thinking about how your character would respond to a certain situation in real life. I do this a lot, especially when i'm on the phone with a friend (who conveniently roleplays with me) – we have fun going back and forth with what our characters would and wouldn't do in silly situations. if you try thinking about characters, scenes, and scenarios in your every day life, you'll find it a lot easier to draw from that inspiration and ideas later when you try to write.check out these useful sites
-A Guide to Stronger Writing
-How To Write Good
-Cliche Finder
-Websites for Writers
-Character "Feelings" Chart
-Writing World: General Fiction
well, thats all I got for now. I will occasionally add more links and ideas as they come to me – but I really hope this guide has helped in some way! happy writing :]
