Writers Block:

This is the bane of any storyteller-  Writers block.  When I first starting running a game in earnest, I had three great sessions and then hit writers block, and hit it hard.  My game became crap and died pretty quickly.  So I sat back and developed some techniques to help me through it.  I haven't really suffered writers block since, and now I think I am closer to "getting it" as I ever have been. 

The cure for writers block is different for all people, this are things that helped me.

1: Read-  Pick up your favorite book, or a book in the genre your playing and start to read.  Soon you'll find that brain sludge turning into gold.  Try not to steal things outright (you can, people do it all the time), but take thoughts and make them your own.

2:  Play a game-- Play a card game, play a video game, play a board game.  Trust me, there is nothing better than playing a game of magic the gathering and seeing a story unfold in front of you.  Suddenly you've worked goblin sled riding a giant earth elemental holding an alchemical grenade, and its the game your players still talk about five years later.  If you can, play in a roleplaying game as a player between games, it will take some stress away and you'll see story again from the other side.

3:  Look at art- This one is huge.  Go on pinterest, type in the genre you're running and look at imagery.  Your brain won't help but churn out some ideas.  Link ideas together in your brain stew, and start writing.  Movies also count. 

4: Write!  You have to keep writing.  Keep putting those ideas down, even if they are craptastic and give you eye scabs to look at.  You're going to have crappy games, I still do, and I've been doing this for close to thirty years.  Take the nuggets of gold you love and Jackson Pollock them on the page, see what forms.

5: Go for a walk- Seriously, get outside, go breathe some unprocessed air, leave your game at home and clear your head.  

6: Find a friend to bounce ideas off of.  This one is great, if you think an idea is garbage but you want a second opinion, get someone honest in your life and say, hey would you think a game involving jumping from one flaming zeppelin to another with queen Xarna's crown jewels strapped to your own crown jewels would be exciting?  If they say yes, give it a try.

7: Remember its a game!  You're playing, so play.  Test ideas in your head.  See things from a players perspective.  See if you encountered the same thing as a player if it would feel awful or fun.  You may end up answering your own questions.

8:  Make a cup of tea-  Seriously, how can three trillion English people be wrong?  Also, I'm not a census taker, I have no idea how many English people there are in the world.  According to doctor who, most people will be English in the future, so bite me.  Tea is calming, and helps you relax, and there is a neuro-chemical exchange in the brain that makes you a better person with amazing pecks and fabulous ideas...don't quote me on that...just drink a cup of tea.

9: Prepare to scrap the game- If the game isn't working, its ok to scrap it, really.  If your heart isn't in it, you're wasting your time, and your players time.  Do this only if you've given it your all.  You owe yourself that much, and your players.

10: Be social- Go out into the real world.  There are a billion characters out there to observe, they will say terrible, amazing, heart curdling things.  Just be there to write it down in your head.  Also profanity is always acceptable....In general....unless you're at a funeral, then its just amazing.