#was in fact the solution to my problem

[just-1other-nerd]

I don't know who needs to hear this but you don't need to beat yourself up over the fact that you're thinking about stuff like a camp Halfblood au of your ocs instead of "actually working" on your wip.

I actually encourage you to think those thoughts through!

Let them run around freely in your head because when they come to a halt you might just have learned something about your characters, their dynamics and their world, you may even find the solution to that plothole or the answer to that question that has plagued you.

Imagine your character's future to find out how they would act in a different phase of their lives so that you can write their present self in a way that leads to this future self. Think about what music your high fantasy character would listen to if they were in a coffee shop au. Figure out what Hogwarts house your ocs would be sorted in and if their relationships would change or stay the same. Create that alternate timeline where the best friends are on opposite sides and think about the consequences this would have for the world around them. Age up your characters just for fun and see where that takes you. Think about memes that a future fanbase could make about your work like a "[insert wip name] but as vines" YouTube video. Decide who of your ocs would say what if you see one of those fake quote posts or textpost memes on here.

All of that is information and context, all of this association helps you get a grip of that idea in your head, it helps you get a feeling of who your characters are, what your world is and what your story needs and wants to be. If you don't put pressure and restrictions on yourself and allow yourself to explore stuff freely without wanting results you often get them anyways, that's part of the creative process.