1. Alts. I have lots of alts I can go to when I'm like, "Ugh, my W character wouldn't go to this event-- oh, but I have an X I can take!" or "I'm so bored of playing an X, I wanna try a Y for today!" or "the Y RP scene is really dead tonight, I wanna play a Z or something until my friends come back tomorrow!" or "So-and-so's story is pretty stagnant right now, but someone's advertising one that's perfect for Whatsisname!".
2. Knowledge of good ways to shake things up without, like, killing anyone off, lol. Any resources online that work for "unblocking writers' block" will usually work for this. I like the one where you start off by listing everything that won't happen next, and in doing so, often end up with - either by process of elimination, or hmm, actually that could happen if - your actual inspiring solution. NaNoWriMo dares might be fun, if you can find some that don't assume you're solo-writing.
3. Knowing how to recognise burnout. The best cure for burnout is to recognise it early, before the "doing thing = misery" association really begins to burn itself into your mind, and take a break. This is where having ideas for how to shelve or fridge your character without permanently taking them out of the equation can be useful. While you're taking a break, it's generally best to focus on something that's nothing to do with RP on your main character. Get that PvP mount you always wanted, or roll an alt on a new server, or something; until RP becomes something you miss and look forward to doing again, and not a dreadful chore.
Because at the end of the day, this is a hobby we do for fun.
Whatever you do, as Qwynn said, make sure you communicate OOCly with your group. Especially if your character is important to the storyline. Obviously, it's a dick move to leave them high and dry, even if it is important to your enjoyment of the game. But talk to them anyway, even if taking a break isn't on your table of considerations! Especially if you feel bored or frustrated with how the storyline is progressing! They might agree with you and want to change how things are going, or they might have no idea you weren't enjoying it and agree to redirect things, or anything. You won't know until you tell them.
2. Knowledge of good ways to shake things up without, like, killing anyone off, lol. Any resources online that work for "unblocking writers' block" will usually work for this. I like the one where you start off by listing everything that won't happen next, and in doing so, often end up with - either by process of elimination, or hmm, actually that could happen if - your actual inspiring solution. NaNoWriMo dares might be fun, if you can find some that don't assume you're solo-writing.
3. Knowing how to recognise burnout. The best cure for burnout is to recognise it early, before the "doing thing = misery" association really begins to burn itself into your mind, and take a break. This is where having ideas for how to shelve or fridge your character without permanently taking them out of the equation can be useful. While you're taking a break, it's generally best to focus on something that's nothing to do with RP on your main character. Get that PvP mount you always wanted, or roll an alt on a new server, or something; until RP becomes something you miss and look forward to doing again, and not a dreadful chore.
Because at the end of the day, this is a hobby we do for fun.
Whatever you do, as Qwynn said, make sure you communicate OOCly with your group. Especially if your character is important to the storyline. Obviously, it's a dick move to leave them high and dry, even if it is important to your enjoyment of the game. But talk to them anyway, even if taking a break isn't on your table of considerations! Especially if you feel bored or frustrated with how the storyline is progressing! They might agree with you and want to change how things are going, or they might have no idea you weren't enjoying it and agree to redirect things, or anything. You won't know until you tell them.
![[Image: tUzrT.png]](https://puu.sh/tUzrT.png)
