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blog 13 Stress Relievers to Help Your Fantasy Writing

Philip Overby

Staff
Article Team
13 Stress Relievers to Help Your Fantasy Writing
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Writing can be a stressful task for even the most experienced writers, so the occasional method of unwinding can do wonders for the creative psyche. But can these various stress relievers actually improve your fantasy writing? If utilized correctly, I think they can not only help let off some steam, but do wonders for world-building, character development, dialogue, and a litany of other skills. Let's look at some of my favorite methods of stress relief and see how many you might be able to add to your fantasy writing utility belt.

1. Doodling

A wonderful way to pass the time and ease a headache, doodling characters, monsters, maps and the sort can really help awaken some fantastic ideas. I've spent hours doodling various monsters that have ended up in my Splatter Elf stories and sometimes the doodles transform into full-blown art. This is a pretty common method of brainstorming, so nothing too mind-blowing here, but it's worth a mention.

2. Gaming

Some of the biggest names in fantasy grew up playing games, tabletop or otherwise, and those eventually awakened ideas for stories. Dungeons & Dragons is a favorite of many, but even playing board games and card games can give loads of...

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Black Dragon

Staff
Administrator
Mowing the lawn never fails to spark my creativity. I have a fairly large yard, so I ride on my tractor breathing in fresh air for an hour or so. It's a zen-like experience, and clears my mind. Some of my best ideas came to me while riding my tractor.

To quote Hank Hill, "Why would anyone do drugs when they could just mow a lawn?"
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
Zen indeed. As in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: the best way to solve a problem is not to think about it.

Lawn mowing, doodling, going for a walk, most anything will serve. Benedictine monks considered labor as a form of meditation. It's definitely a real thing, even if it's next to impossible to predict what works at the individual level.
 

Philip Overby

Staff
Article Team
Some of my favorite ways to get ideas are playing games. These days games take up most of my time, so when I need some writing inspiration that always helps.
 

Philip Overby

Staff
Article Team
I haven't driven in years now, but I do remember lots of driving time spent coming up with ideas. I used to keep a voice recorder with me even. Thanks for the suggestions!
 

Philip Overby

Staff
Article Team
Mowing the lawn never fails to spark my creativity. I have a fairly large yard, so I ride on my tractor breathing in fresh air for an hour or so. It's a zen-like experience, and clears my mind. Some of my best ideas came to me while riding my tractor.

To quote Hank Hill, "Why would anyone do drugs when they could just mow a lawn?"
Haha, I haven't mowed a lawn in years but I can see how that time would be great for inspiration. Plus, I can see how it would be a great way to relieve stress!
 

Philip Overby

Staff
Article Team
Zen indeed. As in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: the best way to solve a problem is not to think about it.

Lawn mowing, doodling, going for a walk, most anything will serve. Benedictine monks considered labor as a form of meditation. It's definitely a real thing, even if it's next to impossible to predict what works at the individual level.
It's true that so many things could work. I like to dabble in different ideas whenever I'm feeling stressed and some open up new doors I never thought of opening before. Thanks!
 
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