Trouble getting in the mood...

[Kid Charlemagne]

There are two things I do when I sit down and don't feel like writing the main bits of an adventure or setting. I'll sometimes work on visualizing the environment and sketch out the area - not on graph paper, but just as a drawing. Sometimes a map, sometimes a drawing of the place like a regular drawing.

The other thing is to work on the stats of NPCs in the area. Often times, while working on the stats of NPC's I'll have an inspiration of how they would work together (or oppose one another) that sends me off on a really good tangent.

 

[Siridar]

Don't laugh, but Late-Night Walking.

I don't know why it is, but I get my best thinking done on late night walks.

I carry a notepad (not the tiny computer, jut a little pad of paper) for just this reason.

Kinda funny since I do my best thinking about half an hour before I go to bed. That's why I keep a small notepad handy by my bed.

 

[Scribe Ineti]

Music is my number one inspiration tool, with watching relevant movies a close second. One good listen of the LOTR soundtrack and I'm off to the races on the keyboard.

And with the film coming to VHS and DVD in two weeks, that's gold for my personal inspiration.

Try taking a shower; that gets my creativity going. Driving around is good too, esp. if you can get out to mountains or trees or even a park.

Talk to fellow gamers and GMs. Browse the boards here.

Ultimately, when your brain is about to pop with all the cool ideas, develop the discipline to sit down at the keyboard and spill it all out and save it off. Even if it's just bullet points or stream of consciousness, you'll have it in some form to print off and look at once you've cleared your mind.

Enjoy!

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

Thank you all for the valuable ideas, I'm going to have to remember all of these! Don't stop though!

 

[Ravellion]

I go here.

Rav

 

[dreamthief]

A lot of people find there's an optimum time in which they can write. Stephen King, for example, writes in the morning and does whatever he wants to the rest of the day. A playwright I know writes between 6-9 am and another friend finds his best time between 4-6 pm, and find my best time around 11 pm - 1am. Finding the time when you're most productive would be helpful.

 

[Desdichado]

I find it hard to do before the kids go to bed, at the very least. If my wife is out of the house for whatever reason, writing is even easier. I listen to appropriate music (Braveheart, LotR soundtracks, etc.)

But mostly you just have to sit down and force yourself to start even when you're not in the mood. Like you, I have trouble starting, but once I get going, it's much easier. So sometimes, I just force myself to start. If I spend half an hour or so of just crap, I can always discard it, and at least what I do after that works for me. But in reality, I rarely write half an hour of crap. You just have to have the discipline to sit down and write and not wait for "inspiration." That's why most professional writers will tell you that writing is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration (sorry for the bad cliche, but I think it applies.)

 

[Henry]

There is one surefire method that gets my juices going...

...another DM.

I find that taking a break from DMing duties and being a player recharges me - in fact, we have been doing a "DM round-robin" of every other week for about 5 months now!

If this isn't the case, or is not feasable, then I suggest reading something that has nothing to do with D&D - a sports magazine, national geographic, a history book, gardening books, etc. No fantasy, and not RPG!

It helps tremendously to get a clear focus on something - sometimes, you just can't create on a consistent basis, and you need a brief refresher. Even professional writers can tell you that.

 

[Wolfen Priest]

Not that I have ever done such a thing, but I have heard that certain mind-altering substances of an herbal sort have been known to inspire creativity, especially in campaign and/or possibly adventure design.

Note: I am not condoning such a thing. I'm just bringing up the reality that it has been known to happen.

 

[Ruined]

I'll agree on the earlier-mentioned tactic of going to a coffee shop. It's the best environment for me. I even wrote a little about it, to give a better idea...

Coffee Shop Creativity