Looking for the short and sweet on what's out there to tackle a constipated muse? Look no further as we present a few of the best tools for tackling your writer's block.

There are times when, in spite of our best efforts, the muse shies away recalcitrant and we are left facing a white haze of emptiness rather than a horizon of black Arial-type brilliance. Whether it stems from procrastination, frustration or just plain fear - here are a few tools that no writer should ever be without.

Music/Sounds

You already know what inspires you musically, but sometimes external noise can be detriment rather than help to linking your thoughts on paper. One unique tool that is highly recommended is 'Aire Freshener' by Peter Hirschberg. Yes, it's free, and sans any spyware or other notoriously nasty inessentials. Featuring more than 15 different natural sound environments (and none of them irritating loops), it can also be used as a CD player. One of the biggest draws is that you can leave it running in the background while you play music, if that's your bent. Two particular favourites: Crackling Fireplace and Thunderstorm.

And as if that were not enough - you also get a new inspirational quote from a different writer each day to further spur your juices.

Books:

A plethora of fantastic books exist with no other purpose than to recharge your creativity. Among them:

Creative Block - Over 500 Ideas to Ignite Your Imagination - Lou Harry [Running Press Book Publishers- (May 10, 2005 ]

A gem of a book - affectionately sized into an actual cube-shaped block, this nugget of inspiration features a format that allows you to dip and choose at random. Packed full of quips and quotes - it's a fantastic general tool for all types of creative pursuits where a burst of inspiration may be just the ticket to start those fires again.

Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott [Anchor; 1st Anchor Books - September 1, 1995 ]

A miscellany of wisdom and reflection; as much exercise in ethereal fluidity as inspiration, Anne Lamott uses humour and passion to help you connect with the writer within. This is a book that helps you to connect not only with your writers' voice, but every other voice within keeping that one voice muted.

A must have for any serious writer who has even occasionally found themselves uninspired.

Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg [Shambhala; Expanded edition - January 10, 2006 ]

Because connecting with yourself can be the very obstacle in releasing your passion from within. Natalie Goldberg has penned a classic which not only serves as a fantastic reference tool, but is loaded with ideas that are meant to be inspiring - not formulaic. The most recent paperback edition is pocket-sized - 3 by 4 1/2 inches - perfect for stowing away to thumb through when waiting in line or caught with a bit of extra time.

Other good (and free) bets:

Fifteen Thousand Useful Phrases - Grenville Klieser penned this extraordinarily handy tome which features such exquisite turns of creative phrasing as "amiable solicitude" and "figurative eloquence", all for your blatant abusing. Project Gutenberg , the internet's first free database of e-books (and the most valuable resource for any writer on the net), makes it free (but a donation is suggested).

The Creative Process of the Individual - Thomas Troward's classic. Pedantic but not without a few interesting thoughts to stir the embers within. Again, free via Gutenberg.

Writers BBS - Those ancient of days in earth years may harken back to the glory days of BBS (pre-pre AOL) and wistfully sigh to know that yes, there are still BBS' in existence and one in particular, the writers BBS, which has flourished since 1996. Free sign up (and a bit of nostalgia for the wee days of the internet) renders this a must-do.

Further Links and Resources

Writers.com

Archetypes - Storytelling Cards as a Writers Tool

Writers on Writing