Research to Beat Writer's Block

Have you ever just stared at the blinking cursor and had no idea what to write next? I'm sure if you're a writer, it has happened a time or two. Sometimes it's a matter of trying to figure out where I wanted to take the plot, or maybe I was just tired that day, but there were other days when I couldn't explain my writer's block. I knew where the plot was supposed to go, and felt good and energized, but I would get stuck.

I'm finally beginning to figure out that it usually has to do with some detail that I didn't anticipate needing to know. When I wrote No Good Deed, I did a ton of research into enemy combatants and read memos and transcripts. Consequently, when I got to scenes where I needed the information, I was able to work it in effortlessly.

I had a bit of a harder time with March Into Hell, because, surprisingly, there was less information out there about cults, as far as how they really worked. I found just generic stuff, and had to dig a little.

With Deeds of Mercy, I wanted to know about various methods of attack that terrorists could use. I googled terms like, mustard gas, ricin, small planes, etc. I didn't use all the information I gathered, but  knowing more than I needed made me more confident in writing. My searches also garnered a several hits to my blog from the U.S. State Dept. a few days later. :-D

So, the other night, I was writing something in a new book and I was stuck. I couldn't figure it out because I knew where I wanted to go, but I realized I was getting stuck on the details. I headed to Amazon, and found a Kindle book written by someone who had done exactly what my main character was doing. I bought it and have begun reading it. I already know this is going to help my book immensely. It has triggered muses of all kinds, and when I get back to writing, I think the words will flow.