D20 Writers: How do you stay inspired?

[RSKennan]

Thanks Larry. You're quite right about the editor. He's great. He's given me the freedom to express my ideas the way I see fit, and points out things I hadn't thought of. I have a lot of power over the development of this project. But with great power comes great responsibility... (sorry ).

Thanks for the tip on avoiding extraneous information, I think that statement cut to the heart of my anxiety! I might have a lot of great and interesting ideas, but if some of them don't further my thesis, they're out of place.

Since I started this thread, I've been writing like mad. everyone's help has really set me back on track.

 

[Darrin Drader]

Well I can certainly identify with you on this. I run into the same issues despite the fact that its beginning to become a chore listing all of the projects I've had published. I would say not to worry too much about how people will receive the work you do. Of course I'm going to back this up with an anecdote.

I wrote a lengthy article for Dragon 295 called Every Home a Castle. This was an article where Jesse Decker came to me after I'd completed an article for issue 294 and asked me if I'd looked at the Stronghold Builders Guidebook. At the time I hadn't even heard of it and mistook it for the 2nd edition book with the same theme. He got me a manuscript of the project, and then I spent a few weeks researching and coming up with ideas for the article.

About midway through I met with Jesse and covered my ideas. Most of them were greenlighted without a problem, even though I felt like I was reaching a bit when I came up with them. I them mapped out my castles and wrote the articles. I honestly didn't feel all that inspired while I was writing the majority of it, and I actually felt like the article was pretty lame by the time I was done with it. I handed it in then busied myself working on other things, hoping that the castle article wouldn't be the first nail in my freelancing coffin.

The the article was published and it actually received lots of praise. Most feedback I got was from people that had read it and thought it was wonderful. There were a few that thought it was just another marketting ploy by WotC, but most people stated that the material was useful even without having the Stronghold Builders Guidebook. I even found out later that Chris Perkins (former editor of Dungeon and RPG R&D manager) liked one of the castles enough to use it in one of his games.

Now I'm a writer that usually feels like my own stuff is crap until a few months (or years) later when I come back to it and read it again. I think most writers feel that way. My best advice is to not let that fear of how other people will receive it get in the way of giving it your best effort. And of course, like everyone else has said, keep writing or you will lose your way and the project will be late. Unfortunately I am speaking from experience here. I'm a bit late on something I'm working on right now, but not horribly so.

 

[Snoweel]

And now for my politically incorrect technique...

I go outside and smoke a cigarette; sometimes I'll come up with as many as three ideas that way.

Not only tobacco. Alcohol and chocolate are great for suppressing the rational mind (the boring man) and releasing the emotional mind (the fun/creative man).

And burn your modem. Places like this have enabled me to procrastinate for hours on end... Which might be partly responsible for why I'm not a professional writer.

That and alcoholism. (shrugs)

 

[MEG Hal]

All of the above and then some, also I do take a break and do something else--if you have a deadline Erik is right, the internet is NOT your friend. I watch movies or something or walk around and music helps as well-classical or movie soundtracks. I just watched "Band of Brother" from HBO and the last episode a guy said " I was not a hero but I was in the company of heroes..." I was hit by a bolt an adventure called "In the Company of Heroes" will it ever happen? But always jot down notes, ideas etc...and use them later. Also what helps me sometimes is to define the people in what I am doing first and sometimes they tell me based on what I feel they would do how to finish an item.

Ok, back to family for a bit!

 

[FraserRonald]

I’m going to jump on the bandwagon and tell you to f&*% inspiration. It’s great when you can get it, but don’t rely on it. I set a time (say, 7 PM) and I start working at that time. If you are doing this for fun, then you can wait for inspiration, but if it’s work, treat it like work. I find that sometimes you have to go back and junk some of what you wrote, but most of the time, the quality remains. Besides, it’s not a problem to go back and rewrite as long as the project is done.

And I also tend to have a glass or two of red wine when I’m having problems writing. Not beer or scotch, but red wine. I don’t know why, but it always puts me in the right place. (ack! A pun! Kill it!)