Forums » Smalltalk » Rekindling that muse!

Okay, so as many of my RP partners know, I've been going through a series of like... awful things IRL and I've been taking roleplays slowly. Instead of several times a day I've been responding once a week in most cases, and like... I'm losing my spark. My heart is heavy and my mind is fuzz, and I really hate to do that to my partners here, because I truly and genuinely enjoy what we've created. The plotting, the execution, the storytelling, all if it is fun!

But... My heart isn't into it anymore. I'm so swamped with life at the moment, and it just seems that when one thing gets settled, three more things get thrown my way. And I'm just... I don't know.

I want to get back into it. I need it. RP is my escape, my zen. It's been a while, now, and I'm at my wits end.


So the question; how do you, you know, get back into it? How do you rediscover yourself, rekindle that flame that once drove you to produce some entertaining work alongside another? How can I find my muse again?

Give me techniques, folks. Funny cat pictures also work. I'm a lover of dad jokes and bad puns as well.

TY in advance. I love you all!

Yeah I get it. I'm in that same situation with my crappy work situation sucking me dry. I've had to scale back my RPs and have tried to focus on a few, and so far it's working. Still, my replies are erratic at best and some days when I have time I can't seem to get two sentences out of my muse. I don't really have any techniques except for focusing on a few good stories.

I've been trying that - just focusing on a few that I can easily respond to because my muse is more tickled by them - but I then feel just terrible for my other partners. I do enjoy what we have. It's just taken more focus with some RPs. And I'm having trouble forcing myself to sit down and come up with something because the desire's there but the mind is leaking out of the ears.

So that isn't really working because I'm just a blob of anxiety and feels.

Sorry to hear about your crappy work situation. That'd do it to anybody. It did it to me initially, but I left and I felt better, more able to throw myself into roleplay but now things have been escalating and I'm back where I started.

I'm struggling with it a bit too. Seems to be going around.

Something that has helped in the past is to go do something else fun. Which I really need to take my own advice and step away from the computer...

Sources of inspiration to get the brain ticking

1. Music

Fantasy or historic stories choose epic instrumental music

- Thomas Bergersen (ocean princess, starvation, icarus, colors of the sun...)
- Two Steps From Hell (heart of courage, never back down, star sky...)
- BrunuhVille (The Realm of The Fallen King, Last of his name)
- calm scenes: Sleepsong _ Lullaby from a Secret Garden or David Vitas ft. Elsie Lovelock - Lullaby of the Moon

For pirate stories and assaults go for assassin's creed or epic pirate music

For slice of life or romance choose Beautiful Piano Music compilation I and II

For a good western / cowboy story Two Steps from Hell - el dorado

among hundreds of other music sources

2. Trailers of games or just watch movies related to what you are trying to roleplay about can give you hints and ideas to spark your inspiration

3. Look at drawings, pictures and sceneries for details that you can acquire/describe

4. Best of all... ask your RP partners

Never be afraid to ask for prompts and cues on what they would like to see happen next, their hints may inspire your muse

5. Luck and chance.

If you really are unsure ... pick 4 or 6 possible random actions

- she stands up and walks away having had enough of it (gracefully quit the current RP or put it on hold... step aside and and start something fresh which can be refreshing)

- she throws herself arms open at their friends and misses them entirely .... slamming into a wall//tripping over

- she gets angry and confronts others demanding explanations

- she decides to be sensible, sit down and listen to what others might suggest or say

Then roll a dice and let luck decide what happens next...

6. Other roleplays and books --- take a step back and give your mind a small break.

You can draw a healthy amount of ideas and have a jolly good time, simply, putting the RPs you have on hold briefly (short hiatus) and spending some time reading up other players creations before you retake your own RPs

- reading back the looking for RP post can give some hints
- reading back the current RPs can let the muse spring out again
- other stories of your own
- other stories from your current partners
- other stories from random site players for a refreshing look

I'm currently doing that.. sluggish not feeling it thing right now. Let's face it, I'm just burnt out.

How do I get over it? I take time off. Like I close everything out or put it on pause and then go do something else. I like to hike and get out in nature. Walking or running tends to get things flowing again.

Not everyone can travel but if you can, even a one day road trip, can help seperate you out from the drain.

Take a look at the people and situations in your life and ask yourself 1) is this toxic? 2) do I need to be part of this? Or am I wrapped up in something that doesn't involve me? 3) can I do anything about it? A lot of times the answer is no. If there is nothing you can do about it see if you can put it to the side.
Sometimes it's our actual lives that slow us down even though RP is an escape. Take time to reflect on your life, you need some level of comcious balance to keep creativity flowing.

Music, books, movies, music.
Sometimes you need to just go enjoy someone else's epic creation to respark the fire.

Did you eat something? Drink enough water? Get enough sleep? Did you hug someone or a pet you love?

Go do those things. Seriously. You need to take care of yourself, otherwise nothing is inspiring .

Have you done other things you enjoy?

Go do them. If you rely on RP as your sole escape you'll be met with emptiness and disipointment. Mix things up a bit. It will help keep you refreshed. You don't need to hover RPR for that sweet sweet escape if you have multiple options.



I have had to learn a lot of this the hard way. This is what I do. It may not all work for you but I hope you get something out of it.

Something else fun?

Does not compute.

There are other fun things?

...

All of this is like, really solid advice! I've never thought about using music to find my zen again.

I might have to go on a short hiatus, get my mind together before I can tackle again.

Thanks, my dude!

The thing is, about 90% of the crap going on in my life is completely out of my control and stems from past traumas that I still haven't gotten over. I'm taking the steps I can to look forward and enjoy life but sometimes things just... hit me in the face. And then there's a snowball effect.

I rely on RP a lot, simply because I can literally fade into another person's mindset. It might seem really sad, but it's a coping mechanism, a way I can emotionally and mentally "check out" from reality. I used to use video games to do this, but I find RP to be more effective. I know that this is just avoidance, but... It helps.

There is already some wonderful advice in here that I can totally endorse, like listening to epic music mixes, or giving your brain a break (and restocking on inspiration) by reading books! I've been in that rut where I feel like I'm stuck on loop and my inspiration is low. When all of my usual motivation sources fail me, I branch out to try something completely new. I'll try a new or underused character, introduce myself to a potential partner, maybe dabble in a genre I don't usually explore. "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" can apply to roleplay, too

Hmm... Perhaps going a new route would be enough to reawaken that inspiration.

But... I need inspiration to create such a character...

I'll think on it.

Thank you!

Let's see, just to reiterate the amazing advice that's been thrown around:

Music- definitely a must if you're just lacking in creativity or in a temporary bind. I love finding Pandora/Spotify stations that really get me into my character or the scene that's going on
Trying other things outside of RP (other hobbies- another great idea to get great ideas from. There are movies/books out there for every genre of RP. They can give your mind a break from creating your own ideas while also giving some inspiration
Taking a break- seriously, the NUMBER ONE best piece of advice here. Pleaaaase take a hiatus. It sounds like you're experiencing some burnout and nothing short of taking a short break from RP can really fix it. I've experienced burnout and ended up taking a few month's break. You don't need to take that long if you don't need it, but stepping away from RP for even a few days or a week can really help.

The bottom line is you need to recharge your RP batteries. Forcing RPs when you're not into them is never a good thing for your mind. I'd let your partners know what's going on. Maybe they can even help you out of that uncreative slump as well.

Things get better! Just hang in there and ride out that burnout wave.

I guesss PenguinColada decided to check out. Hoping all goes well for them.

Tonight I'm having one of those nights. I have time and I'm relaxing and I look at the RPs I should reply to and I'm drawing blanks. Oddly enough, I sometimes find that if I have a bit of time pressure, I can crank out some decent posts. And when all is free and clear, I can't. Anyway.... worry not my RP partners... I'll have something worthy in your inboxes soon.

That is unfortunate, but I am able to relate to this. I am returning after a hiatus myself, and I am finding that I am the same. Under pressure, I can produce decent responses, but whenever I have a moment to breathe, I overthink my words.

Best of luck.