Getting in the mood to write

[Dion]

Though not exclusively linked to roleplay, I figured this was a good thing to discuss anyway. Writing to me has never been a task that I enjoy. As strange as that may sound, if I explain, perhaps you will agree.

Though the outcome of writing (namely your story, a character, or interaction between your character and others') is very enjoyable and more often than not the sole reason I enjoy roleplaying, I do not really find any enjoyment in the act of writing, and actually it can be quite tedious and boring. It depends on the roleplay itself of course, as with most things, but typically it's not that enjoyable to write out posts.

Though perhaps this has more to do with me getting older, as I remember I enjoyed writing the posts when I was younger, but it could also be the fact that my posts are getting longer (from 2-3 paragraphs in casual roleplays, to nowadays writing 6.000 to 10.000 characters per post).

Due to this I find 'getting in the mood' can be tedious and I have trouble finding inspiration, the right mood to write, or even willingness to continue RP's because of this.

So what do you do? How do you typically get in the mood and stay in the mood to write? How do you avoid getting bored, distracted?

[ArenaSnow]

I try to ignore the writing and stick to the intended destination. I'm not particularly fond of the writing part either, more the characters and plots and such that result at the end of the road. Part of the reason why I'm so big on actually completing roleplays, because it helps me convince myself I didn't waste all my time writing something. It's also the reason why I keep my posts shorter.

[cloudystar]

@Buddha
It's really more on how you felt in IRL to be honest...well in my experience.if you had a crappy day, then you won't even feel like in the mood to write. Also depends if you're really enjoying the RP and such...so yeah

[Lady Absinthia]

If I waited until I was in the mood to write to make a post I probably would make a single post once a month. For me, I have to write to get in the mood to. Sure, things like music and such can help a lot. Sometimes inspiration just hits me. But for most of the time, it just comes down to sitting down and treating it as I would any other task in life that needs to get done. As weird as it may sound I treat Rping like a chore. I gave my word to post to people, or to Gm, so I stick to that and keep trucking. Once I start writing though, after the first few lines the rest just comes forth and then I get to the point where I am enjoying what I am writing and keep churning it out.

[Dion]

@cloudystar agreed but I feel like that goes for all things, not writing exclusively.

@Lady Amalthea it is very much a chore. I suppose it depends partially on how seriously you'd take it. Though I also feel like, if I am invested in a plot/setting i.e. if I am the GM or have created my own world for something, I find it easier to get into the writing, where as otherwise I am not too inclined to get 'into' the writing itself.

I suppose that, when you GM, this is also something you experience?

[Lady Absinthia]

@Buddha Very much so. It is rare that I will join an rp instead of Gming one. A handful of them since I have been on the forum. I mostly prefer to Gm. I know the world a lot better when I do, plus I can write from various aspects. I get to Rp, develop the world, act as a narrator to drive forward ideas for the other rpers, and more.

[BrokenPromise]

I think regardless of what you do, you'll always end up hating some part of it, especially if you do it for a really long time.

I've been writing for a really long time, and it does get harder to press your craft forward. It use to be fun to discover new ways to represent ideas, better ways to write descriptions, etc. But these new discoveries use to happen on a daily basis. Then weekly,then monthly...

Like arenasnow said, thinking about the destination helps. I've stopped making characters with really cool endings and have instead started making characters that can have interesting reveals much earlier on.

I have a love hate relationship with collab. I hate how slow some of my partners are at responding, but it's really fun to write something and take turns stringing the scene along. Not so much with fights, but try having a character ask another character an awkward question. Preferably one that you don't really know how they will respond to. You'd be surprised the kind of joy that can bring you.

Lastly, I convince myself I do actually love the writing. I tend to proof my posts before submitting them, and it's so much fun for me to replace words or restructure paragraphs. I love editing, so I don't worry about writing really good the first time anymore.

[NuttsnBolts]

I'm someone that is naturally creative seeing as I grew up in a family that is pretty much into designing and building stuff (I'm a cabinetmaker, mum was an art teacher, sister is an art teacher and jewellery maker), so I tend to find that if I start the imagination ball rolling then I can get to a point where I'll begin to plot up characters, scenarios and even story plots. All that's then left is to plot them down on a page and I've got myself a written post.

So I have the character in my head, the scene I want to write, and now it's the tricky part of getting into the mood...

I cannot write unless I am in a fairly quiet room, a tricky task with a bit of a loud family. Listening to music is sometimes alright and occasionally I will write a post which is quite in tune with the current song I'm listening to but if I hear any lyrics it will tend to throw my writing out of whack (A reason as to why I listen to non-lyrical or foreign language stuff).

Playing around with words also helps get me into the mood too. I discovered the word "minacious" recently which means "menacing; threatening" and it's fun when I can create a sentence that uses such a rare word. It wasn't even in the Firefox Spellcheck so it feels like a sense of discovery, leaving me to wonder what other words I can insert into my writing.

So yeah, if I'm on a creative spell I'm usually going well. That's why stagnant roleplays and having my crap days really take a toll as I'm not thinking, I'm not creating, and I tend to not feel like putting in the effort because I'm not designing and learning anything new.

[Mao Mao]

Often enough, I am busy with college and most of that time it requires me to be writing. For example, I just finished writing an essay that answers the question whether humans are naturally cruel or not for my English class. Now, I have to write an essay for my Art Class about a Roman artwork and what makes it Roman that's due in two weeks. I enjoy writing so much that I don't easily get distracted unless I am taking a long ass break. But, how do I get myself in mood to write? I usually would bring some coffee or water with me to my computer area. Then, I grab my headphones and listen to music on Spotify with my playlists that I made over time. Some times I listen to television when the news is airing or my favorite show is on. And finally, I start writing on my essay that are due.

While writing my essay, I would flip flop to writing a post for one of my roleplays whenever I get tried of writing my essay. It has helped me out so far during my first year in college. I guess that I could say that I treat roleplaying like a chore like what @Lady Amalthea said. But, I usually have fun while writing thanks to my songs. I often listen to different genres of music and that gets my creative mind working. I get my posts done around a few hours or a couple days, depending the roleplay and what I decide to do in the real world. And I also like to edit my posts, @BrokenPromise. I treat my posts as rough drafts and edit them up as best as I could before I post them.

[Shoryu Magami]

Music is definitely a big part of it for me, though certainly not exclusively the only factor. I actually have music that works for specific characters, scenarios, and concepts. This really does induce a sort of meditative state in me, so I'm under the impression that music possibly impacts me a bit heavier than a lot of writers in some regards; people who share this trait are not entirely unheard of to me though.

I actually don't have this issue that a lot of role-players seem to have when it comes to feeling like writing is a chore. If I have an idea that I find engaging then I will always enjoy writing it, so the only time it would ever become boring to me is if I'm writing something where the content isn't interesting to me; that's honestly not something I ever really do, which explains why I've actually not joined any role-plays here at this point and will remain unlikely to do so unless I actually decide to GM one of the handful of ideas bouncing around in my head currently.

Too many role-players are whimsical in the sense that they jump haphazardly into a role-play on the spur of a moment and then ruin it for everyone else when they get over the "phase"; this is actually the first personality trait I look for in a role-player when I consider denying them acceptance into one of my role-plays.

I'll also second the notions being given about not having a problem with editing posts, since absolutely all of the writing drafts I currently do for my main story project are (despite what some of my associates believe) only drafts and not actually the complete versions. I'm always revising things because my passion for my writing demands that I be a perfectionist.

Overall, I think genuinely being passionate about a concept is what motivates me to write, and the only thing stopping me from writing countless pages of my project daily right now is the literal thousands of notepads and documents of unsorted and potentially lost notes that I need to recover and organize; that tedium is what ruins my morale to write, nothing about the art of writing itself.

There's really no other advice I can offer beyond these observations, since I don't suffer from this problem (beyond outside factors besides writing itself getting in the way, as I've just mentioned). Inspiration is a natural thing for me that flows within me at all times, and frankly if anything my problem is that I get too much inspiration and too many ideas rather than not enough, so I don't relate to this at all.

I've seen many people who were once highly invested in stories and planning to write novels fall into writer's block and just give up, seemingly without any good reason a lot of the time (even after they explain the whole reason to me), so it's a shame when people let creativity and passion die and the soul loses its power of expression.

[Elize]

I think what helps me get in the mood to write is sticking to a level of roleplaying that I know I can commit to. I used to be a bit of an advanced roleplayer in my earlier days (I know I can write really well) but I've come to see that I join group or 1x1's roleplays that are more laid-back (but not so laid-back that grammar, punctuation, characterization, organization, all that good stuff is almost nonexistent). I know that are roleplays in the Casual sub-forum that can almost be considered a bit of what you see in Advanced section but just think of the ones that are the lowest to mid-Casual, those are the ones I like. I join these because I know I can keep up with them since I also get distracted easily too; I want to do a lot of things at once like play video games, watch movies, or videos. I find writing to be a chore sometimes but when it's with the right partners, it's very fun. I like working with people who have the blessing of being patient and easy-going; that's what makes me commit and it motivates me a lot to do what I enjoy most. There are only so few roleplaying partners like that whether it's in groups or for 1x1's.

You should aim to find that kind of person too!

If you also struggle with short-attention span, break down your activities. Dedicate some time that doesn't have to do with writing/roleplaying and do the same for the latter.

I know it's a bit corny but listening to calming instrumental music that used for studying, can help you keep grounded on one task; it does for me, at least, since my mind is always racing with thoughts and that helps to silence it and just be and think in the moment.

[January]

I'm never in the mood to write, if I'm being perfectly honest.

Actually, I find myself flat out suffering 99% of the time while writing--diction, syntax, style, flow, grammar, etc. Just kill me and throw my body somewhere for the vultures. So many things to consider even without factoring in how best to convey the events to the readers/fellow RPers, and even after I've rewritten a bothersome sentence 35465468 times in my head, it still doesn't feel right and I'm wasting too much time on it, so I jam it in like the clunky mess it is and move on.

I hate the process.

I don't really like my results.

But I love what I can contribute to a group in a forum RP setting. I love anticipating what fairly unpredictable results will come from my actions. So I feel you there, Buddha.

I wouldn't say this balances out the sheer hell that is actually composing a passable post. Hell no, haha. But like most things I find compelling, I'm content to suffer through it repeatedly if it generates something meaningful in the RP, even if just a little.

So to stop rambling and directly answer your question

So what do you do? How do you typically get in the mood and stay in the mood to write? How do you avoid getting bored, distracted?

Buddha

I just grit my teeth and knuckle down.

"If I don't write a post right now, I will die."

It doesn't really matter if I believe it. I just think it. Maybe type it somewhere and have to delete it before submitting the final post.

On my worst days, when I can't find the determination to start a post--even in the face of pseudo-death--I start handwriting my train of thought on a piece of paper nearby. Because I like the tactile sensations of pen and paper. Not sure if it'll work for you. I don't stop writing until I've eeked something--anything--out that I can use (mold, bend, reshape, break a piece from, stab, roll, throw, etc.).

And I mean I don't stop. If I have to write the words "banana clown" for 10 lines straight until another thought comes to mind, I'll do it. And sometimes my brain will throw in random words I've only ever seen in passing and have completely forgotten how to spell like "digitigrade" which I've written down before as "digit grade something something with standing on toes" while just making sure I kept up with my thoughts.

Greasing the mental wheels, I suppose? It'll be multiple sheets of utter bullshit, probably. And maybe somewhere in there you'll find a thought you'd like to use and that'll get the adjacent sets of wheels rolling for some more thoughts.

[UrbanEvolution]

Though not exclusively linked to roleplay, I figured this was a good thing to discuss anyway. Writing to me has never been a task that I enjoy. As strange as that may sound, if I explain, perhaps you will agree.

So what do you do? How do you typically get in the mood and stay in the mood to write? How do you avoid getting bored, distracted?

@Buddha

I don't do a lot of my serious writing on this forum. I don't participate in the writing contests because I'm here to mess around with my friends and have fun.

A lot of my actual good work is on a different RPG account. But I feel as though I should comment anyways. Ever since my friend died and I started my first book it's just kinda felt different. There's something really special about being alone under lamplight and just... going. I've been doing it for way too long to be doing it for fun or because I enjoy it though, at least when I'm writing seriously.

To me, writing in the zone is the best feeling ever.

If Stalin or Hitler threw me into one of those concentration camps or gulags, I'd carve words into wood with my nails. If they took my fingers, I'd use my teeth. If they pulled my teeth, I'd blink morse code to any passing bird or unfortunate soul who understands morse and has to spend time interpreting my shitty words. If they cut off my eyelids, I'd fart words into the troposphere. Ozone layer be damned by my poetic methane.

They'd probably have to kill me to stop me from writing.

It's basically how I breathe.

All I do is set aside some time. When I start on a subject, it sits in my head and ferments. I'd suggest writing about things that you have a lot of ideas for, and expanding upon them.

[Shoryu Magami]

I don't do a lot of my serious writing on this forum. I don't participate in the writing contests because I'm here to mess around with my friends and have fun.

A lot of my actual good work is on a different RPG account.

@UrbanEvolution

This first comment is exactly how I've always felt about every role-play that I've ever participated in. I'm a writer (and a few other things) before a role-player. Honestly, the only time I find it difficult to write (other than when I can't write due to needing to sort notes; my current dilemma over the last years) is when I'm role-playing outside of the setting of my main story project (which I role-play with for countless reasons that I won't go into here).

Role-playing outside of my own setting is more of a hobby than it is something I could see myself doing competitively, and I haven't technically role-played outside of my setting for several years due to simply not being able to find a role-play that I'm passionate about (I dislike getting into a role-play I don't believe I'll commit to), and I'm far more interested in getting closer to other writers through it than I am participating in it. I wouldn't say I have difficulty role-playing outside of my setting; I don't usually enjoy it and, like you, I'd want to role-play to have fun with friends.

On the other hand, I don't use multiple accounts, so that bit I don't relate to or understand the appeal of. The only times I've ever had multiple accounts was when something made it into a requirement, such as a role-playing forum actually forcing you to make an alternate account if you want to have a second character; this was the case on the first role-playing forum I joined.