If so, head on over to the Indie Book Collective blog, where I've contributed a guest blog inspired by my alter ego, Miss Write.

With tips on how to combat the fear of falling flat, facing literary stage fright, getting over the idea that every sentence will be the literary equivalent of the punk rock power chord and info on how to rock your writing IBC style, I hope you will find some inspiration to help you make it through this crazy month.

How NaNoWriMo Can Unleash Your Inner Writing Rock Star

• never go to bed without writing down that idea you got while dozing off. You'll never remember it in the morning
• that stray thought that seemed brilliant by the light of the moon? It may not be up to snuff come daylight

I hate to be redundant, but I cannot discount the importance of the nap. Especially after that latest story idea that popped in my head just as I was dozing off last weekend. The cool thing? It happened again!

I made just a few simple notes on the story, but it wasn't quite there yet, so I left it to percolate.

Last night, as I was falling asleep, the Muse must have been kneeling by my bed, whispering more tidbits, because my eyes snapped open and I got my trusty notebook (as per tip #1 above) and jotted down the final threads of the story.

So, my plans for the weekend include a quick outline, followed by my diving into the first draft of the story. Thankfully, all it took was a little time for my brain to conjure up more creepiness, and thus my idea didn't fall prey to the horrors of tip #2 above.

Now, to write the strange little tale. Hopefully I won't blow it

I'm still freelancing, but everything else has suffered. I did manage to open up a few of my stories this past week. But I quickly felt lost, completely taken out of the flow of words and not inspired at all.

Whether the stories are just not holding my attention or I just feel like I'm staring at a big chunk of clay that needs some serious slicing and shaping (and punching), I seem to have hit a slump that I don't see any way out of yet.

So, what do I do? Use it. I've got a few articles on writer's block coming up this week (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?).

I'm trying to get some of my week's work done today so I can sit my butt at my writing desk all week and make some progress. Because there is nothing worse than feeling like everything you've written sucks and you will never have a good idea again.

Which brings me to my favorite article this week. It actually comes from last week – Develop a story idea in five minutes.

Sometimes, after working all day, I end up feeling as though it's "too late" to dive into writing. I see this as sort of a self-defeating mindset, as you have all heard my talk of being an insomniac (and there really isn't any right or wrong hour of the day to write). Why I do this to myself, I don't know. Laziness, fear of suckage, what have you. But I figure I should take my own advice, and let this method of quick writing sprints get me back into the flow of writing.

So, how do you beat writer's block? How do you conquer that nagging voice in your head that tells you that you are no good? What's the longest you've gone without writing anything new?

I do know one thing that can only help – chocolate. Email me if you need my mailing address.

If you missed 'em, my other writing articles this week include a few on travel writing (both from home and abroad), a boot camp for writers who need a little discipline (like me) and one on how using your unique writer's voice can translate into sweet book sales.

[NWC]

WIP #1 (for lack of a better title since I haven't thought of one yet)is one of the pieces to come out of my NaNo'09 short story collection project. At the time, I was a dutiful little NaNo soldier. I put my pen to paper, kept my head down and wrote.

The good news? Now I have the luxury of stepping back to take a look at the bigger picture. The bad news? I've looked at the bigger picture and it needs some tweaking.

'Tweaking' is putting it mildly, to tell you the truth. I think I need to do the grand-daddy of all revamps and switch POV characters.

Yeah…you heard me right. I said it. I'm going to axe my leading lady and make her a man.

Know how I know it's the right move? I feel nauseous. I'm nervous about it. I'm afraid of falling flat on my face. I'm afraid of doing all that work only to realize I was right the first time around.

You might think I'm a masochist but I enjoy the fear. Because it shows that I'm willing to take a chance. The fear excites me. Bring it on.

See, the Muse knows how to tempt us writers. She knows which buttons to push, and when to push them. And right now, she's got me wrapped around her little finger.

I'll let you know how it goes.

As for you – what do you do when you find yourself in this situation? Do you hold back or face your fears? What little tricks does your Muse do to torment – and titillate – you? And how do you one-up her?

[NWC]

Maybe it's my "big city" upbringing. Or the weekend road-trips we take in the summer, picking a general direction and simply driving until we end up…somewhere.

Needless to say, these jaunts are an adventure. In fact, there has been more than one Texas Chainsaw Massacre moment. You know – the long stretch of road, the weathered cobblestone streets of small town Ontario and abandoned, falling down farmhouses just oozing atmosphere.

But there's just something about those unknown places that gives me a little thrill.

And well…call me crazy, but I'm up for more!

The only problem? We've gone everywhere! Well, everywhere a full tank of gas and a small stack of CDs will take us. Luckily, I discovered Ontario Abandoned Places. I sense a "What (Creepy Things) I Did On My Summer Vacation" post in the not-so-distant future!

I also love that they have super-secret Members Only locations on the website. It gets my twisted mind turning…I just have to know where they are, what history they hold, what whispers of long-forgotten times can be heard on evening breezes.

So, I'm keeping my camera charged and now have a whole new list of places to visit this summer (and hopefully a notebook full of story ideas). Who needs Disneyland?!

Music: Solar Fields – Movements: Sol

click below to listen!

[audio:Solar Fields_01_01_Sol.mp3]