Category Archives: creativity

Nearly ready to write

Well, I’m nearly ready to begin writing my new mystery series that I created after I got too discouraged to continue on with my Pizza Delivery Mystery series. I’ve decided to go with a new setting, rather than trying to force the very differently-themed new series into my Hope, Wisconsin fictional setting. All I’ll say …

July 12, 2010 – 2:17 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in creativity | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

May go ahead without a title

Sometimes a great title comes to you in a flash. Sometimes it requires the Gulf Coast Jones Act to procure one from one’s stuck mind. Sometimes you just need to start writing and let the title reveal itself as you progress through the process of writing the novel. The latter looks like it’ll be the …

June 26, 2010 – 9:25 PM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in creativity | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Leaning toward crime-solving Messianic Rabbi series

Well, I’m back in town, well-rested after a long, fishing-centric vacation that took years to achieve. And after a lot of time out on the lake fishing, I didn’t get a chance to write anything, but I do believe that, at least for now, I’m leaning toward putting my Pizza Deliver Mystery series on hold …

June 6, 2010 – 12:23 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in creativity | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Harry inspiration

While I’m trying to decide what might be the best franchise to own, either my pizza delivery mystery series, or a slightly less supernatural series on a crime-solving Messianic rabbi, I have to confess that if I go with the latter, the mystery novels of Harry Kemelman will be a definite influence. Although Kemelman’s series …

May 28, 2010 – 2:09 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in creativity | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Still unsure of novel direction

I’m still not sure if I want to give the soon-to-be-retitled Thirty Minutes Or Less supernatural mystery series a third redo, or if I should just go in another direction entirely, trying on a different series to see if that sparks a creative burst. I’m only days away from my big, week-long fishing and quiet …

May 24, 2010 – 11:43 PM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in creativity | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

A time for reflection, creativity ahead

In a couple weeks, my wife, my father and I are going on our first real vacation in a long, long time. Considering my wife and I never really had a honeymoon, it will be our first real getaway vacation as a couple. And as for Dad, it’s been over a decade since we went …

May 16, 2010 – 2:06 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in creativity | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

When is it time to move on to a different project

When is it time to let one project that you’re wrestling with too much rest and move on to a different one? That’s a question many writers struggle with more than home re-modelers struggle with deciding on the best walk in bathtubs for a split-level north woods cabin. When I started working on Thirty Minutes …

May 16, 2010 – 1:58 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in creativity | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Music references and the generation gap

Many authors love to refer to popular music in their fiction; for novels like Bret Easton Ellis’ 80s classic, Less Than Zero, the book’s “playlist” was almost key to capturing a sense of time and place, though as the years roll on, I’m sure it just reads as dated and hard to relate to, for …

April 29, 2010 – 12:51 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in creativity | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Review writing

I’m not big on composing diet pill reviews, but I am an experienced review writing; for over a decade, I wrote videogame reviews before just burning out and running out of steam on it just over a year ago. I miss the free videogames, of course, but my life is a lot simpler since dropping …

April 17, 2010 – 11:51 PM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in creativity | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Writing for kids

One of the unique opportunities my day-job at my church has given me recently is the chance to adapt some of Stan’s messages into children’s lessons. Taking complex material on the names and titles for Yeshua is heady stuff and hard to get across to kids without a lot of thought about their developmental level. …

April 17, 2010 – 11:39 PM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in creativity, writing | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Novel version 3.0?

On their day off, some folks like to puff on those trendy new electronic cigarettes. Not me; I’m not a smoker. No, instead, I like to find time to write… or read, as inspiration to get back to writing more on my novel. Believe it or not, I’m contemplating a 3.0 start on my novel, …

March 29, 2010 – 11:29 PM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in creativity | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

A couple interesting reads…

One of the most unique authors I’ve encountered of late is Seth Grahame-Smith. While I’m not about to go out and buy custom mugs with his name on them just yet, you have to admire his creativity. His first novel caught my eye but never really compelled me to buy; Pride and Prejudice and Zombies …

March 16, 2010 – 1:21 AM | By Craig Hansen | Posted in creativity | Tagged , , | Comments (0)