With the deadlines that have passed and those that loom ahead for the writing staff of the Pathfinder line, how do you writers get motivated to write when you're feeling "stuck" or uninspired?
Are there any "cure-alls" for when you hit a wall and run out of ideas for writing the adventure paths?
As an aside, I see alot of potential for the Pathfinder series now that Paizo has been liberated to some degree from the WOTC "yoke."
I still see alot of loyalty to the familiar patterns of thought for traditional D&D campaigns brought forth by WOTC and TSR through the years, probably due to the fact that a few of the guys on the Paizo staff have been involved in D&D for decades.
I'm hoping that in some regards the Pathfinder series will break away from some of the traditions established in WOTC's current campaign settings.. Regardless, I'm really excited about Pathfinder, and truly look forward to what Paizo has in store for us in the coming months.
As has been encouraged by a few of the posters,I hope Paizo breaks into something unique and refreshing regarding campaign settings.. So far, so good, judging from the little ditties I see posted on the blogs.
Yeah I meandered here a bit, for that I apologize, and I hope somebody answers the original question.
To Erik, James, and all the rest of the folks involved with the Pathfinder line, I wish you unending moments of inspiration and of course, the best of success.
Thanks for the well-wishes, Green Grunt. It's funny that you ask this question since it took me several weeks of prodding at my assignment here and there to finally get a head of steam going. Now I'll be lucky if I don't blow way past my word count.
I started off just formatting my manuscript the way it needed to appear (Adventure Title, Adventure Background, Introduction, Part One, Part Two, etc.) and writing a brief sentence or two under each heading regarding what I needed to include there.
Then I started working on some stat blocks of interesting critters/villains I wanted to develop. Artwork always helps for inspiration. In fact, Wayne Reynolds' goblin picture that appeared early in the Pathfinder blog did wonders to inspire me. And the Goblin Song? Man, that was genius!
The other thing that helped was playtesting stuff. I've taken bits and pieces of "Sins of the Saviors" as they've been written and put my players through them to work out the bugs, but also to get feedback from them. I feed off of their enthusiasm and critiques a lot.
One other thing helps me for inspiration and that's getting out there and mingling with other gaming groups. I DM pretty much all the time, have been for years. That tends to isolate me from what other minds are concocting besides what I read on these forums. When you get see other groups in action, and specifically other DMs, it does wonders for getting the creative juices flowing.
Well, that's it for me. Thanks for the great question.
The other thing that helped was playtesting stuff. I've taken bits and pieces of "Sins of the Saviors" as they've been written and put my players through them to work out the bugs, but also to get feedback from them. I feed off of their enthusiasm and critiques a lot.
One other thing helps me for inspiration and that's getting out there and mingling with other gaming groups. I DM pretty much all the time, have been for years. That tends to isolate me from what other minds are concocting besides what I read on these forums. When you get see other groups in action, and specifically other DMs, it does wonders for getting the creative juices flowing.
Well, that's it for me. Thanks for the great question.
Thanks for the input Steve. Unfortunately, I don't have a gaming mecca where I can see what other DMs are up to.. The gamers within my area are a rather fractured group. And the most popular draws within the area are Magic and Vampire card games. I have been to a few gaming sessions hosted by the local gaming/comic store but unfortunately many of the gamers in my area fulfill "Fear of Girls" stereotypes if you know what I'm saying. It's not an easy area to find gamers to gel with. Nor are the walk-in gamers the easiest group of folks to continue gaming with on a regular basis.
That's interesting that you've had fellow gamers inspire your writing and get you back in the groove. Honestly I would've never thought of fellow gamers as a source of inspiration, aside from the excellent ideas put forth by alot of the people that post on the MBs. Thanks for the input. It is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for the input Steve. Unfortunately, I don't have a gaming mecca where I can see what other DMs are up to.. The gamers within my area are a rather fractured group.
I think it's probably the same here. I have a few contacts that I try to keep up with from past games from time to time. But the opportunities to get together with other groups is hardly what I would call a mecca here in Vegas. More like hidden little splinter cells! You gotta really look for 'em. We have one comic book store that has a message board forum that is about the best I've found for finding other gamers, but the traffic on the D&D boards there is very slow and it's usually the same people posting every few months or so when they lose a player. :(
That's interesting that you've had fellow gamers inspire your writing and get you back in the groove. Honestly I would've never thought of fellow gamers as a source of inspiration, aside from the excellent ideas put forth by alot of the people that post on the MBs. Thanks for the input. It is greatly appreciated.
Players are great inspiration for NPCs, motivation, and for bouncing ideas back at you when you throw when at them. I wouldn't say that they are BIG source of inspiration, but it all helps.
Hope this helped. I'm surprised nobody else has chimed in here. I guess I'm the only one that had a bit of writer's block lately? ::shrug::
Hope this helped. I'm surprised nobody else has chimed in here. I guess I'm the only one that had a bit of writer's block lately? ::shrug::
Obey the Slaw. You got 10000 words to come up with chop-chop! Something about a horror-city.
I write, or at least am trying to get in the business of it. Us English majors must keep are dreams you know.
For me writing block is simply a matter of motivation. Getting started on a new project is difficult for me. Case in point: I have recently finished two short stories that I plan on submitting by Monday to various magazines. The ideas for these stories have been stumbling the dark alleyways of mind for some time now, but due to this and that I have managed to ignore them. Once I got started on the projects, as with most projects, the writing came to me easily and morphed into some pieces of prose I am truly proud of.
Of course, motivation is also the biggest inhibitor of the next step of the writing process -- revision. These stories have been done* since April, yet I could not drag myself to touch them again until recently. During this past week I have finally edited, revised, and cleaned up my original creations.
My main point is writer's block can be, and oft times is, linked to motivation. If you want to write, or more succinctly you want to get payed for writing, it is perhaps best to treat it like a job. Do it! Forget all the excuses, set aside hours like a job, and do it. I find it rare that when I actually sit down to give writing its deserved time nothing productive happens. Sure occasionally the ideas/writing/etc. . . is pure drivel, but likely somewhere admist the trash gleans a glint of tresure. An idea, a phrase, a character . . .
Director of Narrative
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I have the problem of opening too many projects at the same time, which forces me to decide on what I'm going to work on. The one good thing about having too many projects open is that you can always find something that needs to be done to one or two of them. A little editing here, some development there and you're off to the races.
Sometimes when I don't feel like working on a specific thing I switch genres. If the words aren't coming I draw. I posted a page of doodles on the pic thread that I drew a week or so ago when I didn't feel like working on my adventure. Last night I didn't want to work on any crunch, so I did a page of fiction.
I agree that motivation is the biggest factor. It's not that ideas are not coming, or that there isn't enough things to work on, but rather I can't motivate myself to work on that specific project. When those bouts of block rear up I usually let it win and go do something else. The only time you should force yourself is when there is a short (usually neglected) deadline.
Thanks for the contributions.. Daigle and LR. : )
I suffer from motivation as well as losing inspiration too quickly.. A form of writer's ADD? For example, I gain motivation for a campaign where the PCs are all monstrous characters based on some ideas found in Savage Species.. I draw up kingdoms, histories, a city of all monstrous inhabitants.. and then I lose interest.
I pick up Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde and suddenly I'm inspired to begin writing an entire history and backdrop based around Sumberton and the Valley of the Obelisk (at least the human end of it).
I get distracted by other projects.. The only adventure where I felt there really was no need to write some flavor to spice things up was The Red Hand of Doom. Personally, I think that's the best adventure that WOTC has come up with to date.
Although I really like Shattered Gates simply because it leaves alot of room for the DMs to write some interesting subplots.
As for writing my own adventures from the ground up, I only did that once, and that was for a sci-fi RPG by another gaming company (The Mechanoids, for those that are curious). I've been trying to come up with a homebrew campaign using Paizo's Campaign Workbook, but that thing is so small.. too small I think, to inspire DMs to really keep the creative fires burning.
Ah, writer's block... My amount of writer's block is directly proportional to how much I care about the subject, and inversely proportional to how much I know about it.
Case in point, when I write about paintball I can pump out 1,000 words in less than ten minutes. I know what I'm talking about and I don't care too much about being over-analyzed by my reader. Very little block.
But gaming material? While I'm moderately familiar with the subject matter, I'm by no means a subject matter expert. And, I really care what my reader thinks and want the final product to be "perfect." Writer's constipation.
Ah, writer's block... My amount of writer's block is directly proportional to how much I care about the subject, and inversely proportional to how much I know about it.
Case in point, when I write about paintball I can pump out 1,000 words in less than ten minutes. I know what I'm talking about and I don't care too much about being over-analyzed by my reader. Very little block.
But gaming material? While I'm moderately familiar with the subject matter, I'm by no means a subject matter expert. And, I really care what my reader thinks and want the final product to be "perfect." Writer's constipation.
So is constipation partly due to feeling intimidated by your reader base and the fact that you feel readers may dislike your writing because you think your apparent lack of knowledge will shine through in the material?
Yeah... Too wordy of a question EP- sorry 'bout that.
Cheers-
GG
It's a rather surreal experience, discussing blockages and constipation with someone named "Grunt."
Obey the Slaw. You got 10000 words to come up with chop-chop! Something about a horror-city.Yes, Obey the Slaw.
Obey the Slaw!!!
You guys are cracking that whip hard! Yes, yes, obey the slaw. Jumping to it ;)
It's a rather surreal experience, discussing blockages and constipation with someone named "Grunt."
Er.. Good point... Personally, I think you know more about the game than you give yourself credit for and I say, write on good man, write on.
Grunt is also a slang reference to a soldier.. I wasn't referring to the other definition you were thinking of when I came up with the sig.
Explain please, this "Slaw" personage and the fear/obedience he/she/it inspires among the writers.
Explain please, this "Slaw" personage and the fear/obedience he/she/it inspires among the writers.
You shall find the answers in the Archives...
Explain please, this "Slaw" personage and the fear/obedience he/she/it inspires among the writers.You shall find the answers in the Archives...
The computer locks up with this link you provide.. El crappus maximus.. From Greer's profile.. I imagine it has something to do with Werecabbages... Mind dominating, maniacal, controlling, fascist.. Werecabbages.
Otherwise,archives search within the boards yielded little regarding the mystery.
Yep, GG. Werecabbage references. I happen to owe about 10,000 words of material to a group project and... uh... haven't really even started on it yet.
Of course, in my defense my offering is already mostly written, but needs to be adapted to the project.
Yep, GG. Werecabbage references. I happen to owe about 10,000 words of material to a group project and... uh... haven't really even started on it yet.
Of course, in my defense my offering is already mostly written, but needs to be adapted to the project.
*cracks the whip again*
Repeat after me, seedling! Obey *crack* the *crack* Slaw! :P
After reading the afore mentioned link and getting scared at the thought of so many people claiming to be were-cabbages . . I'm still lost as to what the Slaw is . . . .
I really think that it needs to be explained. I mean what happens if I'm also a were-cabbage and just don't know. I could be dis-obeying the slaw and not know it.
Yep, GG. Werecabbage references. I happen to owe about 10,000 words of material to a group project and... uh... haven't really even started on it yet.
Of course, in my defense my offering is already mostly written, but needs to be adapted to the project.
Nice. That's a huge undertaking. I imagine the adaptation to the project will take some tweeking, tinkering, and many hours of paper throwing?
Mayhaps we could have an anti-Slaw movement? No more obedience to the Slaw, how about a quest for motivation to move onwards and upwards.. I hear the word Slaw, and I think of... a cruel hobgoblin warlord... or a half-ogre warleader... or more rather unpleasant personalities. I think you should come up with an NPC overlord named Slaw for Pathfinder, or a demi-god of oppression, who has a whip, since many posters associate Slaw with a whip.
Refuse to obey the Slaw, seek the drive that moves you, and type or pen forth!
Except... for the fellow Were-Cabbages.. Since they are your peers... Solidarity for the Slaw instead of Obey the Slaw!?
Again, I digress... : (
I could spill the beans on the Werecabbages and the Slaw...but that would be no fun! :D Let's just say, to get back on topic, that it really helps to have a group of like-minded creative folk to bounce ideas off of and get feedback from, particularly if any of those folk have experience in the biz.
Isn't the slaw from Ghostbusters? Didn't Rick Moranis(sp) spout some dribble about people drowning in the slaw? Or was that slorg?
Of course slaw could be short for coleslaw? You see were-cabbage/slaw? Am I right?
I should really see about joining one of these groups. I think I was invited once, but in my self-loathing isolation I rejected (or neglected) the offer and now sit here alone and shivering.
I could spill the beans on the Werecabbages and the Slaw...but that would be no fun! :D Let's just say, to get back on topic, that it really helps to have a group of like-minded creative folk to bounce ideas off of and get feedback from, particularly if any of those folk have experience in the biz.
Thanks lass.
Experience is quintessential I reckon. Different perspectives and what not, being around those who have slogged it out in the trenches. Not much you can squeeze out of us green meemies.
Experience is the best teacher at times... Particularly in fulfilling the word quota requirements. Do you find that most of the writing projects need to be scaled back because of too many words and they have to be condensed to fulfill the word requirements?
Experience is the best teacher at times... Particularly in fulfilling the word quota requirements. Do you find that most of the writing projects need to be scaled back because of too many words and they have to be condensed to fulfill the word requirements?
From what the other cabbages have said...yes! Word-cutting is painful, yet essential.
heh word cutting; that kind of text is called deadwood by trained editors; I find it both interesting and appropriate that you call it word cutting, editors are told that authors get very anxious about getting rid of deadwood, but none of us really understand why this is so, after all, it is dead and is only going to sit around and stink up your article. I cannot imagine having writer's block and would think my issue would be condensing material to fit yet still carry the impact and message I want to relay.
that bouncing off thing Lilith was talking about is called brainstorming in the bis which is where you just have a bunch of people write every idea they can think of down on a meduim to be sorted through for use and relavence at a later time.
Really, writing is not hard; you just have to have something to say; decide what the main points of that message is, use paragraphs to clarify the idea and leave them with someplace to go after your article. Afterward, an editor applies one of the five levels of edit to the material and ensures it fits the target audience. If your having trouble writing; check out some material on what tools might be useful to you; brainstorming is a tool for example. There are many other tools that may to useful to produce a nice finish product.