I haven’t listened to anything by Michael Jackson for many years, and I don’t think I’ve ever considered myself a fan. In that vein my only memories of Farrah Fawcett are watching Charlie’s Angels re-runs. However during a moment of silence a local radio host had for both for them this morning, a problem I was having with writing chapter three of The Shadow Library got solved.

In my case, the major problem with writer’s block is the sudden loss of momentum. I don’t feel intimidated by the blank page, we just sit there and stare at each other like bad dates with nothing to say until I make up something else to do. The moment of silence on the radio gave me a little reminder to just relax, close my eyes and think of nothing.

Then the idea’s began flowing again.

I had gotten myself wound up about starting the book to far into the action, and I thought I needed to go back and insert some back-story. This would have been a horrendous mistake. The writing I was doing was not good, because I felt I had to do it, rather than wanted to. It would also have stolen a lot of the momentum the book has at the start. I trust that my readers are smart enough to infer back story from the clues I’ve put in. Some more foreshadowing probably isn’t a bad plan, but that’s a tiny thing, not a whole new chapter.

I wrote 2000 words before I had my my moment’s epiphany and all because a radio host was conscientious enough to call a moments silence. You don’t need an icon to die to  generate this within your own brain. Just switch everything off, radio, phone, everything that makes noise* and take thirty seconds to a minute for your brain to unclench.

You’ll be amazed just how good your brain is if you let it alone for a minute.

Tags: advice, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Kackson, momentum, writer's block