I sometimes think back to a story I heard in film school about storytelling and how we go about it.

The story goes that Alfred Hitchcock would get frustrated at writers who took the easy or common way out of a plot point. He'd say "that's how they do it in the movies."
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He'd make them rewrite the scene with something new that no one has seen before. It forced his writers to break out of the mold of the mundane and the expected; forced them to invent the unexpected.

In North by Northwest the protag is chased and trapped in an auction house...
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The first draft had him pushing and fighting his way out.

"No, that's how they do it in the movies."

In the final version he bids very high on multiple items. So high, the auctioneer takes him back stage to settle up, outside the reach of his pursuers.
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He then gives everyone the slip. No violence, just innovation.

I have learned to do the same in #ttrpg adventure writing. Sometimes I'll start with the obvious, then scratch my head and think,

"No, that's how they do it in RPGs."

Then I rewrite.

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I've learned a lot from film school: technical skills I'll scarcely use again, and narrative instincts that continue to serve me well. The best thing I can do is to share these lessons with other writers.

Don't be worried that this draft isn't perfect or is missing something.
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The next time you're feeling like your project is lacking, look back and ask yourself:

"Is this how they do it in RPGs?"

If so, come up with something new. Let your imagination run wild and pull from the most outrageous ideas. Your players will thank you.
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