Roleplay Breaks

[Vendethiel]

I just started on this site recently. I have characters in place, my roleplay resume filled out, and ideas on a work in progress request thread. I feel at a bit of a stump so I've decided to take a roleplay break to get some inspiration and come back strong with a complete request thread.

I'm curious about others on here. Do you often take breaks from roleplaying or is it somewhat of a rare thing? If you take breaks, how long of a period do you take? Does it help if you feel a bit stumped? What sort of inspiration helps you maintain that excitement when you do get back into it?

 

[Absyinthe_Artica]

Breaks don't help me at all. Inspiration will come if I keep writing. It doesn't even have to be about anything, either. Just start slapping words on paper and see what happens! But I do take breaks from internet/roleplaying sometimes due to my mental health issues more than just a lack of inspiration. ^.^ just my two cents.

 

[Vendethiel]

I can understand that. I agree with the break, sometimes you just need one for any number of reasons. Thank you for replying.

 

[Kagayours]

Depends on what you mean by "break". I often have no choice but to ease up on my RPing when I become too busy with life stuff. But just a lack of inspiration? Nah, that's never an issue. In fact, I always have way more RP ideas than I ever have time to do anything with. @_@

 

[Vendethiel]

Depends on what you mean by "break". I often have no choice but to ease up on my RPing when I become too busy with life stuff. But just a lack of inspiration? Nah, that's never an issue. In fact, I always have way more RP ideas than I ever have time to do anything with. @_@

A bit of hiatus or period away from roleplaying is what I mean.

 

[Kagayours]

A bit of hiatus or period away from roleplaying is what I mean.

Yeah, I get that much. I'm just saying -- there's a difference between a hiatus made by choice, when you have the time to be RPing but you're choosing not to in order to refresh your mind, and a hiatus that you're more-or-less forced to take because you have too much life stuff going on to give your RP's adequate attention.

Both fit the definition of "a period away from RPing", but I'd say the circumstances behind them are rather different. :P The former of the two never happens to me, because I'm always at a surplus of ideas. The latter happens to me a bit more frequently, because college be hectic. o_o"

 

[Vendethiel]

I'm actually asking about when you need to take a step back from roleplay to get some inspiration or fresh ideas not anything on a personal level of having no real choice but to leave roleplaying for a bit.

 

[Kagayours]

I'm actually asking about when you need to take a step back from roleplay to get some inspiration or fresh ideas not anything on a personal level of having no real choice but to leave roleplaying for a bit.

Which is why I said that it depends on what you mean by "break". :P And so, if we're speaking strictly about taking a break to get some inspiration? Then, no, that doesn't happen to me. But, it's worth noting that that might be at least partially due to the fact that I'm short on RPing in the first place. If I had all the time and energy that I wanted to RP, and if I was able to bring all my existing ideas to fruition -- it's entirely possible that I would get burnt out at some point and would then need a break.

 

[Kestrel]

Now that I'm in like, one group RP total, I can post once a week and be chill for the rest of it. Sometimes you want to write more, sure, but it's easy for that to snowball into pressure when people start expecting more and more because you got more enthusiasm/time one day than another. Thing is. While I enjoy writing, it saps more energy than it generates. If I do it every day, I won't have time to let my energy levels catch back up to the point I can enjoy it. Honestly, just the aspect of interaction is what keeps roleplaying in and of itself interesting for me. Roleplays that put more focus on exposition of individual characters versus the interaction between them get a pass from me real quick, I've found. It's also that while I've enjoyed my time GM'ing and building worlds, it's far easier on me to play in someone else's world by the virtue of it costing less energy. 'cause turns out not having that kinda break for several years is a lot like slowly sinking my brain in an acid bath. Yeah, my RP's won't die. Boohoo. Poor me. I know :/

Which I guess is a really long way of answering what helps me maintain excitement; enough of a time window to fight posting stress and a lot of interaction with other players during posts.

I generally don't plan breaks or set time limits for them. I let either my whims or circumstances decide it.

I rarely take a break from an RP and come back to it later unless I go on holiday or something, which is hardly ever inspired by a lack of interest in writing. When I do feel a burn-out of sorts coming, typically I start dropping roleplays one by one until I have very few or none of them left. When I do start to feel an itch again, it usually takes me a number of days hovering around an OOC or interest check to commit (or even post in it), so to pick back up roleplaying, I have to have retain interest for that long in the first place... And even then half the time I message the GM I won't commit anyway once the first profiles or IC posts start coming up. Typically, the first RP's I join after a break are the ones I predict to die an early death, so if I don't feel like it anymore after a week or so, I feel less like screwing everybody over.

Yeah. Real nice. 10/10. Would allow to join again. But at least it's an honest answer.

 

[Vendethiel]

Now that I'm in like, one group RP total, I can post once a week and be chill for the rest of it. Sometimes you want to write more, sure, but it's easy for that to snowball into pressure when people start expecting more and more because you got more enthusiasm/time one day than another. Thing is. While I enjoy writing, it saps more energy than it generates. If I do it every day, I won't have time to let my energy levels catch back up to the point I can enjoy it. Honestly, just the aspect of interaction is what keeps roleplaying in and of itself interesting for me. Roleplays that put more focus on exposition of individual characters versus the interaction between them get a pass from me real quick, I've found. It's also that while I've enjoyed my time GM'ing and building worlds, it's far easier on me to play in someone else's world by the virtue of it costing less energy. 'cause turns out not having that kinda break for several years is a lot like slowly sinking my brain in an acid bath. Yeah, my RP's won't die. Boohoo. Poor me. I know :/

Which I guess is a really long way of answering what helps me maintain excitement; enough of a time window to fight posting stress and a lot of interaction with other players during posts.

I generally don't plan breaks or set time limits for them. I let either my whims or circumstances decide it.

I rarely take a break from an RP and come back to it later unless I go on holiday or something, which is hardly ever inspired by a lack of interest in writing. When I do feel a burn-out of sorts coming, typically I start dropping roleplays one by one until I have very few or none of them left. When I do start to feel an itch again, it usually takes me a number of days hovering around an OOC or interest check to commit (or even post in it), so to pick back up roleplaying, I have to have retain interest for that long in the first place... And even then half the time I message the GM I won't commit anyway once the first profiles or IC posts start coming up. Typically, the first RP's I join after a break are the ones I predict to die an early death, so if I don't feel like it anymore after a week or so, I feel less like screwing everybody over.

Yeah. Real nice. 10/10. Would allow to join again. But at least it's an honest answer.

I really enjoyed reading this, your honesty.

Thing is. While I enjoy writing, it saps more energy than it generates. If I do it every day, I won't have time to let my energy levels catch back up to the point I can enjoy it.

This right here hit me most of all. I realized right as I read it I feel the same way. Before, I'd respond to roleplays every day when I had time. This would go on for months and eventually I felt burnt out. Now I can say, whenever I do get back into a roleplay, there's no rush.
Thank you for sharing.

 

[Tarieles]

I will sometimes take a break over a few days just so I can get an obsession with a game or something out of the way. I can't write when all that's flying through my head is "I wish I was playing that game right now".

I'm the same with writing sapping my energy. I used to be able to crank out multiple posts a day, but now I get exhausted with just a few. Then I need to go play something or watch a movie or go on a date with my fiance to just recharge.

 

[Vendethiel]

I can agree with you about the gaming!
I don't think I can write now with a game of mine coming out soon.

 

[junebug]

I take roleplay breaks whenever I want to for whatever reason. Easier said than done.

 

[Ravenfrost]

I'm actually asking about when you need to take a step back from roleplay to get some inspiration or fresh ideas

Never. That being said, I'm a fast typist and I'm really fortunate in that when I create a RP character they pretty much exist independently of my waking mind and I just kind of "channel," and my head is always full of stories (since pre-school). I wish I were more practical-minded!

I also don't join a group RP unless I know I have the time for it (at the time that I join it). And then I take my obligation to play seriously. Because I love to play. And it's a letdown when everyone drops out, except, say, you and two other people--but due to the nature of the RP, that's just not enough.

However, all of the group RPs that I've joined here have died. There are only a small number of RPs that can appeal to me (being that I don't do fandom, zombies, schools, and some other popular types, etc.), so I'm a little discouraged regarding the possibility of finding something new that will (a) appeal to me and (b) not die an awful death.

 

[The Mood is Write]

I've taken one conscious break in all my time roleplaying, and that was the week I got on new meds and could barely concentrate well enough to alert my partners that I'd be delayed in responding. Because I like to keep RPs alive, I've got nearly 40 ongoing, and once I get more work done in my search thread and get more of my character profiles finished, I'll be able to (in good conscience) advertise for more.

Provided I don't drop current roleplays, and only half of the new partners I take on at that point drop out, I estimate it won't be long before I hit fifty and explode into a brilliant firework that will make my partners groan and yell at me to quit being dramatic. -snickers-

Technically, I'm at 40 already because I don't count casual or f-list RPs. 8D