Forums » Smalltalk » Been dying to write but....

My brain is just locking me up!

Okay, okay, so this has been an on going issue for such a long time now. Like several months now. There are so many story ideas bouncing around in my head that have been wanting to come out. I have been dying to write and rp with people, but when I do get a little breather and I go to write... nothing. My brain is quiet.

Been fighting this horrible writer's block for such a long time I don't know what to do. I feel bad sometimes about knowing that with how my full time job is right now that my response time is going to be super slow. Can't reply like I used to. I live in Japan as an English teacher and we are seriously short staffed due to the pandemic. I feel so drained everyday. Which I feel is also apart of the problem. Rp used to be my outlet for recharging.

Been needing to vent this somewhere. I have OCs I have been dying to use but haven't had the chance to.

Don't feel too badly, ClockworkDragon. I think it happens to a lot of us at some point. Last time I changed jobs into my current gig, I felt so mentally exhausted every day that I took an entire year off from RPing. So maybe give your hiatus a few more months?

If your job is mentally taxing, maybe you need a more physical outlet for recharging rather than another mental exercise.

I would say, put your OC out there. Even if the RP doesn't happen right away it is always good to have others see it even if it's just to have some fun in the forum games section. I do understand where you are coming from being an English teacher in a mainly French environment. We are not being spared.

I think the important thing is to discuss your situation and how you are feeling with others. I hope or choose to believe that most people are understanding in these difficult times. Even if you just write a little bit for yourself and perhaps publish it to get feedback, I think it is worth while.

Even though I am at times feeling exhausted, writing and RP still helps me get through tough days. I really hope you find your muse again.

Thanks for the responses. Sorry it took so long to reply back... Again, its my whole burnt feeling I have been experiencing.

I feel that in my bones. I love my job and and my kids but with so few teachers its really exhausting. I have been going out a bit but there has been a cluster of new cases really close to where I live recently so I've been trying to stay home as much as I can.

I have been off and on doing really short rps, that are what I would call "shit posting". They are fun sometimes but really wanting something more. Maybe I should post an ad just to get things out of my head a bit. I miss building and creating a story with another person. Think I need inspiration to kick my brain back into writing.

I get what you're saying ClockworkDragon. I tend to get what I call 'jumble-brain' where I can look at RPs I need to respond to and I draw a blank. I call it 'white page syndrome'. I also in the other side of the spectrum will write up a whole novella of a reply and realize it's rubbish and or I'm overthinking it all, hense, no reply. I found that if I take a day or two off and 'shit-post' as you say, it clears my mind to properly read and write my RP replies. I'm actually having one of those days today...

I've also been feeling this lately, especially the 'white page syndrome' as Rogue-Scribe puts it!

There are a lot of rp's I've set up that are interesting for a variety of reasons, great characters and partners, and I am genuinely excited and interested in them. For me, I think it is the encroaching pressure of things in real life that I am dealing with that makes my mind get jumbled. Almost like my subconscious is being over-protective of me getting too off-track from things I need to get done!

But, as you said ClockworkDragon, I think posting an rp ad couldn't hurt. I also love brainstorming and collaborating with others, and getting the chance to do that again can be very rewarding, indeed!