I play with my fingers (lots of Travis picking), and usually just find a melody (or a part long enough to be recognizable) and comp over the chord shapes. It helps to know several chord inversions so the instrumental break doesn't sound exactly (or close enough) like the accompaniment when singing.
Whatever, it's important that I never lose the "groove". I often see solo players who go into a single note lead and lose the underlying rhythm and even the chord progression. It's uncomfortable to watch, even if the player is doing OK on the lead, the song falls apart.
Much of what you CAN do is reliant on the key, and how you've learned to navigate in that key.
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