Author Archives: Craig Hansen

ROW80 2012 Round 2 Goals

I’ve given this some deep thought. Pondered my options. Mulled things over in my mind. And come up with a concise set of goals. 1) Write 1,500 words a day. 2) Write at least four days a week. 3) Therefore, write a minimum of 6,000 words a week. That is all I’m going to hold …

April 3, 2012 – 4:30 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in ROW80 | Tagged | Comments (1)

Time off almost over

I’ve been enjoying the time off since ROW 80 Round 1 2012 ended. It’s allowed me to really consider what I want my goals to be for the next round, and how to get back to using ROW 80 for accountability on my productivity. It’s no secret I was an infrequent contributor in this last …

April 1, 2012 – 4:32 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in ROW80 | Tagged , | Comments (1)

Writing Tips: Overpunctuation and Capitalization

Possibly my biggest pet peeve occurs when writers of fiction overuse punctuation and capitalization. In a vain attempt to make a scene seem dramatic and possess impact, they do everything they can visually on the page to get their point across. Whether it’s the use of bold text, italic text, underlined text, and capitalization, or …

April 1, 2012 – 4:13 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in writing | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Writing Tips: When “OK” isn’t okay

This might be a bit controversial, because not all dictionaries and style manuals agree, so some folks might think I’m a diabolo (or an el diablo) for taking a stance, but someone has to field these issues and questions. When is OK not okay? There are at least three ways I know of to represent …

March 30, 2012 – 7:05 PM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in writing | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Writing tip: Visual shortcuts

Too many writers today are using what I call “visual shortcuts” in their writing. What’s a visual shortcut? Largely, it’s what happens when a writer inserts numerals into the text, instead of the words they represent. For example: “$289? Are you crazy?” (Incorrect) That’s a “visual shortcut.” This example violates good writing standards in every …

March 30, 2012 – 6:35 PM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in writing | Tagged | Comments (0)

Much midweek update ado about nothing … or not much

In a few ways, I feel blessed. I am prone to some allergies, but not too many and usually not too severe. I do have a few that are particularly nasty… mosquito bites is one, which can sometimes bring me to the brink of going anaphylactic, for example. And a slightly-less-severe one to mushrooms. But …

March 15, 2012 – 2:28 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in Reviews, writing | Tagged , | Comments (1)

It’s not Sunday anymore, but…

I realize as I post this, it’s not Sunday anymore, but I found some wee-hours time to post, so here I am. It’s time to just come out and admit this much: I haven’t been a very faithful participant in ROW 80 Round 1-2012. I’ve posted an update in less than half of the posting …

March 12, 2012 – 4:32 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in ROW80, writing | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

Checking in on a Sunday

Hey there. My headline probably won’t end up on any funny shirts, but I’m checking in on a Sunday, which has been rare for me lately. Actually, I just haven’t been checking in as often, period, this round. I’m not sure why. I know a lot of it has to do with being so busy. …

March 4, 2012 – 3:41 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in ROW80 | Tagged | Comments (6)

Slowly out of the muck

Slowly, I have begun pulling my writing efforts out of the muck. Progress has been halting, in fits and starts, for a while now. It seems like every time I finally get a chance to sit down and do some real significant writing, I’m either too tired, feeling ill, or too distracted and unfocused to …

February 20, 2012 – 1:39 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in ROW80, writing | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Writing hard on long projects

One of the upsides of being a novelist is the satisfaction that comes from telling a long story well. In long form, fiction can take readers on a ride, exploring a range of worlds and human experience. It can be fun. (Not to mention you don’t need to wear a welding helmet to write safely… …

February 12, 2012 – 4:19 PM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in ROW80 | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

ScriptSuperhero.com Interviews: Cidney Swanson

Bio: Cidney Swanson is the author of The Ripple Series. She began writing at age seven; her first novel began with “Ouch,” and her characters have been suffering ever since. Cidney lives in Eugene, Oregon with her husband, three kids, two cats, one dog, and entirely too much rain. ScriptSuperhero.com: Cidney, welcome to ScriptSuperhero.com as …

February 5, 2012 – 2:55 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in Cidney Swanson | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

A rare check-in

I haven’t been checking in very regularly this round, so far, but it’s not due to lack of interest or lack of writing progress. It’s just more general than that: I’ve kinda been busy. Dad is back home and healthy and in his routine again. And I’ve reset and gotten back to writing. No need …

February 5, 2012 – 12:46 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in ROW80 | Tagged , , | Comments (3)