Let's face it.
We write, we tear it up.  We write some more and it still sucks. The only time it doesn't suck to you is well...when you don't write it.  That sucks even worse because you CAN'T write it.
You're blocked...
You're unmotivated...
You are spending WAY too much time on Facebook, playing angry birds, or googling yourself.
As writers we have all been there before and more than likely will probably be there again.  Be honest, if you are reading this right now, you are probably already there.
It's ok though! You push on and you get through it! Everyone has their own little tricks-of-the-trade to help "BEAT THE BLOCK" (as I say in my Jay-Z voice). Reading helps my blockage (that didn't sound quite right).  ironic? Yes. Really works? Well, that's what I tell myself. It's probably me just being lazy and procrastinating. In any case, some people hit a hot streak and the ideas always hit them like Kenny on South Park or a dumb ass idea to Jay and Silent Bob (Oh yeah, I am THAT girl).
Amanda R. Browning is one of those people.
You say "Red" and the girl can lay you out an inspired idea and have you believe it was the Holy Grail. That's why I gave her this week's guest topic of "Are You There Muse?" She is a contributing author to Morbid Seraphic anthology (The Demons Playground) as well as Dark Light both now available via Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing. Without further Adieu the lovely and talented Amanda R. Browning.

"Hello Muse? Are you There?: How to Get Your Creative Juices Flowing" (unblocking that writers block)
Writer’s block, it’s gotten to all of us at some point or another.  How do you find inspiration to write  when your muse seems to have abandoned you?  There is no surefire method that will work for everyone, but I have come up with several things that help me, and hopefully, one of them will help you too. To me, there are two kinds of writer’s block: one when you are thinking of ideas to start a story and the other when you are already writing and your muse goes silent.  I will address the new story writer’s block first.  There are almost limitless ways to get inspirations for new stories.  My preferred method is to browse the fantasy and gothic art pages on facebook.  There are some fabulously talented artists there and several of the pictures just beg for you to tell the story behind them.  A single picture can inspire a setting, character, or even a whole storyline. Movies, T.V., and books are wonderful sources of inspiration.  You should never outright take an idea, but rather let them inspire you.  Recently a weekend of reading The Hunger Games trilogy and watch the first season of American Horror Story inspired me to write a short story about a demon that possessed a house and sold tickets in Hell for the right to drive each family into insanity and death.  Find and idea that speaks to you, and then make it your own. For those of you who dream, keep a notebook beside your bed and jot down the dreams that could potentially be stories.  Our subconscious minds are very creative, and if you get the main idea of the dream down before it fades away, that notebook could be a goldmine of potential story ideas.  It’s also handy when you think of things right before you fall asleep, and don’t want to forget them.  Your daily life is another possible idea jackpot.  Everything that has happened to you is most likely not book idea worthy, but there could easily be elements of your life that would add to a story.  People you know could become characters and places you have seen your entire life could be exotic and strange to someone else if properly described.  Local history and legend is a wealth of potential story ideas, and because it is local, much easier to research.  Almost every city has at least one place that is the “creepy old house”, and if the legend doesn’t already include the ‘why’, then you have a great angle to explore.  I personally get a lot of inspiration from world history.  I enjoy finding some piece of history and explaining it, or some aspect of it, with the paranormal.  In my novel, the Roman Emperor Caligula is my first vampire.  The demon story I mentioned earlier takes place in a real house in New Orleans.  The original owners of the house were reported to be truly evil people and have been documented as doing horrible things.  I wanted to explore the ‘why’ behind the horrible things that had happened in the house, and I thought demonic possession worked nicely. Now I will address the second type of writer’s block.  Almost every author has experienced this kind.  You’re moving along in your story when you hit a wall.  Your muse deserts you and you feel your creativity has dried up faster than water in the desert.  You’re stuck and either you hate what you’re writing, or you aren’t writing anything at all.  Again, my methods may not work for everyone, but hopefully, there will be something that works for you.  My preferred method of getting past this kind of writer’s block is the “talk it out” buddy.  EVERY author should have one of these!  I have several.  “Talk it out” buddies are people, usually friends, who are familiar with your work and characters.  When you get stuck on something, this person can help you find a way to make it work.  If you’re unsure how something reads or if it is confusing, they can help.  They can also give you a reader’s opinion on your work.  The “talk it out” buddy is an extremely valuable resource and I recommend at least one to every author! When you sit down to write a chapter or scene, if possible, take five minutes to jot down an outline with the major points you want to address.  Instead of trying to think of everything as you go, you can ‘connect the dots’ and fill in the spaces between events.  The characters may, and frequently do, take you elsewhere, but it will serve as a guide to help if you get stuck. Many times when I get stuck, I do research.  I had a scene recently where my characters were fighting hellhounds and I was lost as to what abilities I wanted the hounds to have or how to kill a hellhound.  I turned to the internet and scoured google for anything hellhound related.  In the end, I chose to make up a new kind of hellhound because the available mythology didn’t work for what I wanted.  Readers want to read something new, so don’t be afraid to stray from popular mythology. If nothing else works, the best thing I have found to do is get away from the story for a little while.  Take a walk, watch a movie, read a book- just do something to occupy your mind and relax.  When you are relaxed and happy, then sit down and try again.  Sometimes all you need is a break. Inspiration is all around us.  You can find it anywhere if you know how to look.  Our muses, or at least mine, tend to be temperamental and sometimes lazy.  Occasionally they need a little push to get that inner voice talking again.  Hopefully one, or all, of these methods will speak to your muse and get the creative juices flowing.

 Amanda R. Browning is an author of paranormal fiction, primarily horror and romance.  She has been married to her loving husband for the last eight years and they have four children together.  Amanda and her family live in the country in southern Indiana and one of her favorite things to do is stargaze on a clear night. Amanda has several short stories published and can be found on facebook, Amazon, and goodreads.  She is a proud and active member of the Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing family.  Her full length novel, The Immortal Choice, will be released in May and she just started writing for a horror/paranormal magazine that should also debut in May called Horror Underground Magazine.
http://www.facebook.com/AmandaRBrowni...
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