tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12302952045504494462011-04-21T11:34:20.506-07:00IN MY OWN WORDSShawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.comBlogger701100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-63495059745279182472008-04-20T11:11:00.000-07:002008-04-20T11:24:51.249-07:00

Please visit ShawnHansen.com for the latest general content.Want to read FREE short stories? Visit my fiction site Scribbled Stories.

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-33227082176063030372008-02-24T09:19:00.000-08:002008-02-24T09:19:52.243-08:00

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-72858241854063199252008-02-23T07:10:00.001-08:002008-02-23T07:10:56.044-08:00

 Half past dead of night,     awakes early morning sunto inspect my words.  

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-3122948537894129092008-02-16T09:03:00.000-08:002008-02-16T09:05:02.934-08:00

I’ve made some progress regarding the number of projects I’m balancing, but it has been difficult. Ultimately, I had to sit down and list the things I’m doing before prioritizing them.It’s not as if I hadn’t already done this: in fact, I live by lists and time lines and schedules; however, things were a bit different this time.This time, I made my list, set my priorities, and then—oh god—then, I

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-64077521572962219902008-02-12T15:31:00.000-08:002008-02-12T15:32:07.076-08:00

A few days ago, oasiss stopped by my blog and left some nice remarks, so I had to take a gander at what goes on over at Zatetic.There’s some fun happenings over there: not only can you snag a recipe for ice cream, but also, you can ponder the intellect of some of our modern-day heroes.I know what you’re thinking: what do ice cream and athletes have to do with rice? Well, nothing, but the Zatetic

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-32330357942065925302008-02-10T07:15:00.001-08:002008-02-10T07:19:21.076-08:00

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-18687134465130251362008-02-09T06:43:00.000-08:002008-02-09T06:44:35.814-08:00

How can February be nearly one-third over? Who grabbed the remote control on my life and hit the fast-forward button?The last time I looked, December was meandering to a close, and the hint of New Year’s possibilities was just around the corner.Then things went dark: for four days the first time and just over one the second. Snowed in and without power, things slowed to a crawl, and while

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-81220519891282463122008-02-03T08:57:00.000-08:002008-02-03T09:01:44.382-08:00

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-32385577750597396182008-01-22T16:07:00.000-08:002008-01-22T16:08:30.520-08:00

I wonder what would happen if a few auto manufacturers decided to switch the gas and brake pedals in the cars they produced. While I’m at it, let’s rotate the side of the road on which we drive based on the stock market. I also say we forget the red-yellow-green configuration of signal lights and let homeowners in the area pick the top-to-bottom order of the colors.After all, it’s not as if

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-25033492348777099922008-01-17T08:39:00.000-08:002008-01-17T08:40:45.249-08:00

Long ago, it was known as The Mission in the Forest, and people were welcomed with open arms. This was before God’s War when the world was a different place, and the truth about God and Satan was still a mystery over which the war had begun.Now, decades later, it is known as The Devil's Towers, and few survivors of God’s War can recall when it was a place of peace and worship. To the masses,

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-60683350738842733502008-01-15T08:45:00.000-08:002008-01-15T08:50:55.512-08:00

The alphabet is a powerful thing: When written, the only thing separating the image on the left from the image on the right is one “P.”I know this, but in something I recently posted, I left out that one little “P,” and what was supposed to be a little boy using “snippers” to cut a wire became a little boy with a pair of “snipers” in his hand.(It’s now fixed, but that’s beside

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-83856478912042351092008-01-13T12:53:00.000-08:002008-01-13T12:58:41.874-08:00

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-68749837108857359452008-01-12T21:44:00.001-08:002008-01-12T21:49:24.573-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, while fighting the type of cold that allows one to do little more than watch television and sleep, I had the good fortune to run across a Planet of the Apes marathon. It was just the thing to keep me entertained between medication and naps.The original movie still holds up well, and as far as great story lines go, I think it’s fantastic. I also love Charlton Heston as

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-28259023068228382662008-01-10T06:57:00.000-08:002008-01-15T07:14:11.769-08:00

Albert Beiman had dreamed of being a super hero all of his life. Like many young boys, he collected comic books containing tales of superpower-wielding men performing amazing acts of courage. He hid the comic from his father who was a practical man upon whom fictional feats of strength and courage were wasted.Albie’s dad was a firm believer in hard work, and when Albie had expressed early

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-21677048583933448162008-01-08T08:22:00.001-08:002008-01-08T08:25:46.453-08:00

I mentioned in my first post of this year that I had discovered two productivity tools near the end of 2007 that I tried, liked, and used to formulate much of my 2008 writing schedule.Each is a book, but both are designed to be more than reading matter: they are tools to assist in adjusting one’s attitude and time management with the end goal of producing more work that is higher quality.The Way

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-9822224773719328592008-01-06T08:13:00.000-08:002008-01-13T13:03:46.345-08:00

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-81011230810042164252008-01-05T09:37:00.000-08:002008-01-05T09:39:08.256-08:00

I know what you're thinking: it is often both dark and stormy at night, and you are quite correct. In fact, this is especially true in the winter, but last night I got an extra dose of dark: by the time the sun set, I'd been without power for several hours, and in my neighborhood, dark is dark.We have no streetlights, and when there's a blanket of clouds over everything and the power goes out,

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-20670776041768007872008-01-03T09:27:00.000-08:002008-01-03T09:30:30.230-08:00

Never make a sucker bet with a woman on the verge of an abyss. And when I say sucker bet, I don’t mean you think she’s such a sucker that betting her will line your sorry-ass pockets with whatever your personal poison happens to be. I mean don’t find yourself looking back on the moment you made the mistake of thinking her a sucker.If you find yourself there, you’ll be the sucker, and you’ll

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-53639220610019258682008-01-01T10:59:00.000-08:002008-01-01T11:01:25.595-08:00

I’ve noticed a number of people have begun shying away from resolutions citing their failure to follow through with them, and while I see the point of avoiding unnecessary frustration, I don’t see the point of failing to embrace possibility—and that’s the way I view resolutions.What’s wrong with dreaming big at the beginning of a new year? I love having the opportunity to start fresh each

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-90036406076164997322007-12-23T09:03:00.001-08:002007-12-23T09:19:39.500-08:00

Wishing you and yours the best this holiday season!

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-90291640912390679702007-12-20T12:23:00.000-08:002007-12-20T12:24:34.893-08:00

“Tell me—tell me again, Grandpa!”The old man looked lovingly at the young boy and smiled.“Okay. But remember, you can’t tell Grandma you know the true story of Lescott Brown.”The boy nodded his head, crossed his heart with a somewhat grimy index finger, then sat down on the bench beside his grandfather waiting eagerly for the story to commence.With a slow, deep breath, the boy’s grandfather

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-76973266718644588552007-12-18T09:05:00.000-08:002007-12-18T13:26:13.468-08:00

One of the things that has become relatively commonplace is for writers (and other artists) to give away some of their work in order to draw attention to themselves in hopes of building up a following. (I suppose there are also a good number of people out their sharing their creations with no other motives, too.)I have to admit to having been on both sides of the give-away fence. Initially, it

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-84672922350506154672007-12-16T17:46:00.001-08:002007-12-16T17:46:35.545-08:00

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-52226084083589615132007-12-10T09:00:00.000-08:002007-12-10T09:03:18.187-08:00

PROLOGUEDuring her last moments, she did not watch as the memories of her life slid past her mind’s eye, nor did she take the time to say goodbye to those she loved. During her last moments, nothing passed through her mind or body but the terror of dying, and that dying terror took hold of her as forcefully as she had unknowingly taken hold of the crucifix around her neck.It would have comforted

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-70939196231637991642007-12-04T11:50:00.000-08:002007-12-04T11:51:40.195-08:00

I’ve never really been one to listen to audio books: primarily because I trained myself long ago to block out everything when I work so I don’t hear the darn things. The other reason I’m not fond of them is far too many stories don’t translate well to the spoken word.I am, however, a huge fan of old radio shows, and I have quite a few of these types of programs stored on my iPod. I listen to

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-10079851441632019342007-11-30T15:19:00.000-08:002007-12-01T07:56:00.231-08:00

I called my parents today to share with them the completion of my 2007 NaNoWriMo novel. They were on the phone with the wife of one of my childhood friends who was delivering the news that her husband---my childhood friend---had died yesterday. He's my age. I'll be 43 next month. His daughter is not yet six months old. Who cares about a stupid book?

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-44733297774884401182007-11-15T19:33:00.000-08:002007-11-30T15:19:07.029-08:00

Mistakes are a hell of a thing, aren’t they? Without an ample serving of mistakes, there’s no real learning that takes place in life. Of course, some mistakes are so costly, they take life and turn it on its side.I don’t remember the moment I began to understand the true nature of mistakes, but I do remember the moment I began wishing I’d handled a few of mine differently.My history with

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-62120465138407320942007-11-13T08:57:00.000-08:002007-11-13T08:59:22.729-08:00

Sans the baseball bat, this so captures the last few days of my life:I have got to remember to wipe the sucker from my forehead: there is a helpless animal network in my neighborhood, and all the signs point directly to my home.

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-27518835219512991132007-11-12T09:31:00.000-08:002007-11-12T08:38:07.888-08:00

12 amThey settle at lastMy fitful sleep returns thenThe short lived calm expires3 amSlicing through the nightA mixture of soft and sharpKitty claws my nose6 amTiny bodies hideTightly wedged beneath box springsLaughter in their eyes

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-9937253587917691682007-11-08T12:26:00.000-08:002007-11-08T12:27:45.106-08:00

He was an old man and feeble. Then one day, he awoke in a strange place feeling less old and more like the self he’d known years before. He stood in a brightly lit room with vaguely familiar objects all around him. Outside, there was more light and the distant sound of laughter.It occurred to him, as he stood looking about, that he didn't feel the aching in his knees nor was it there in his

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-90924037133322991052007-11-07T11:13:00.001-08:002007-11-07T11:15:38.577-08:00

My progress towards my Total Word Count Goal for 70 Days of Sweat (10-15-07 through 01-15-08) and NaNoWriMo (11-01-07 through 11-30-07): 15,874 / 102,000 (15.6% of Goal) Keeping things honest, this is where I should be: 24,000 / 102,000 (23.5% of Goal)

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-92164525289546578162007-11-06T08:53:00.000-08:002007-11-06T08:54:26.911-08:00

A few days ago, I didn’t write about the snack-factory next door, instead, I wrote about a little program that helps keep my fingers moving along as I write.Today, what I am not going to write about is my theme crashing on my fiction-only site. If I were going to talk about that, I’d have to mention the hours I spent trying everything I could to fix it only to repeatedly fail. I’d have to

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-49169383778026631642007-11-05T06:32:00.000-08:002007-11-05T06:33:39.364-08:00

Anyone out there who's paying attention to the blogging schedule will note today's post is supposed to be an excerpt from a work-in-progress (WIP).The title of this post, however, says it all: I am up to my neck in NaNoWriMo work, and along the way I am Sweating with Sven, so instead of sharing a part of myself, I am going to share a site you must visit.Go to Coudal and take a look at the Layer

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-41353378258602962062007-11-04T12:54:00.000-08:002007-11-04T12:55:59.329-08:00

Total Word Count Goal for 70 Days of Sweat (10-15-07 through 01-15-08) and NaNoWriMo (11-01-07 through 11-30-07): 14,118 / 102,000 (13.8%) Where I should be: 21,000 / 102,000 (20.6%) Project Goals—Contests Writers' Journal Write-to-Win (October 20, 2007): "Minty Fresh Death" 1,031 / 1,031 (100.0%) Common Ties Workplace Mistakes (October 24, 2007): "Neither

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-74482786601013684152007-11-03T08:44:00.000-07:002007-11-03T08:45:26.618-07:00

I could spend today discussing how upset I am at one of my neighbors allowing a pair of its cats to mate and have kittens. If I had chosen to discuss this, I’d have to point out the neighbors already have at least four (and possibly six) cats—all of whom live outdoors. I’d also have to mention we live in the wilderness: we have all manner of wildlife here including things like coyote, bear, and

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-65337020684069384992007-11-01T07:24:00.001-07:002007-11-08T12:32:10.479-08:00

Jonathon Meyers liked to tease Nancy King, and though she pretended to be bothered by his taunts, Nancy really wasn’t bothered at all. They were at the age when boys and girls begin to notice one another in different ways—the age at which teasing was really the only acceptable behavior between them.Nancy knew Jonathon didn’t mean anything by most of the silly things he said, and she wasn’t

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-51888068432797488362007-10-30T08:03:00.000-07:002007-10-30T11:39:06.443-07:00

It takes frighteningly little to make me happy; for example, getting my coffee for free will make my whole day.Once each week, on my way to the day job, I stop at the same Starbucks to treat myself to a tall latte. I haven’t paid a dime for my cup-o-joe for the past month.The reason?Trivia.My Starbucks has begun posting occasional trivia questions, and not only have I been lucky enough to

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-73820005887844232302007-10-29T11:42:00.000-07:002007-10-29T11:43:23.401-07:00

The first time I saw Sunny Glade, she was arguing with the postmaster in my father’s store. I was seven, and what my uncle, the postmaster, always called precocious. When he said that word, there was just a hint of a snarl in his voice, the outside corner of his left eye pinched up in his face, and he pronounced it with three distinct syllables: pre-CO-shuss.When you’re seven, the world passes

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-20698690688267904202007-10-28T08:38:00.001-07:002007-11-04T12:47:21.160-08:00

Total Word Count Goal for 70 Days of Sweat (10-15-07 through 01-15-08) and NaNoWriMo (11-01-07 through 11-30-07): 7,511 / 102,000 (7.4%) Where I should be: 7,511 / 12,000 (62.6%) Project Goals—Contests Writers' Journal Write-to-Win (October 20, 2007): "Minty Fresh Death" 1,031 / 1,031 (100.0%) Common Ties Workplace Mistakes (October 24, 2007): "Neither Bird

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-18305783819621546242007-10-27T07:56:00.001-07:002007-10-27T07:56:47.261-07:00

Pick up any book or magazine or journal focused on writing, and at least part of the subject matter will deal with strategies to plot a piece, but I’ve never placed a great deal of stock in many of the super-structured methods described. (I’ve never doubted their value, but I’ve never felt the need to integrate them into my work.)I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer: I get some type of idea and go

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-89105363477743243522007-10-25T09:00:00.000-07:002007-10-26T15:11:03.284-07:00

It lay on the doorstep of 54 Hulstone Place. Non-descript and brown, the package looked as if it might have been dropped accidentally or tossed aside by a passerby too lazy to find a trash can.There was no return address, and the edges of the package were worn as if it had had a long and arduous journey. Whatever its history, the package had indeed found its home, for the top of the box

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-31918603148288352012007-10-24T11:30:00.000-07:002007-11-04T12:57:08.121-08:00

My progress towards my Total Word Count Goal for 70 Days of Sweat (10-15-07 through 01-15-08) and NaNoWriMo (11-01-07 through 11-30-07): 4,768 / 102,000 (4.7%) Keeping things honest, this is where I should be: 8,000 / 102,000 (7.8%)

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-18382280862504214752007-10-23T11:34:00.000-07:002007-10-23T11:35:30.212-07:00

You know the saying, right?The check’s in the mail.Well, there are times this isn’t a brush off, and one of those times happened to me yesterday.Mixed in with the junk I retrieved from my mailbox yesterday was an envelope that held the money I made for selling something I wrote.I’ve done many things in my life to earn money—all legal, I might add—but this certainly beats them all.I wish I could

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-6016648655958959962007-10-21T10:38:00.001-07:002007-10-21T10:41:20.927-07:00

The starting gun fired October 25, 2007 for the Seventy Days of Sweat—Round 2. I'll be posting updates here on Sundays and Wednesdays to coincide with Sven's check-in schedule. Here goes: Total Word Count Goal for 70 Days of Sweat (10-15-07 through 01-15-08) and NaNoWriMo (11-01-07 through 11-30-07): 3,311 / 102,000 (3.2%) Where I should be: 3,311 / 6,000 (55.2%)

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-19943081823845997282007-10-16T09:01:00.000-07:002007-10-16T11:42:28.852-07:00

My world lost a bit of its beauty yesterday.Roxi--April 28, 1995, to October 15, 2007Thank you for all of your love and companionship and for fighting the good fight.

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-33907563795950487462007-10-15T07:22:00.000-07:002007-10-15T07:22:33.952-07:00

Welcome to my contribution to Blog Action Day! What’s it about?On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.In honor of the day, I decided to look into some things I

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-8038763057351470752007-10-13T13:42:00.001-07:002007-10-13T13:44:28.045-07:00

I recently purchased a number of Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) to replace the bulbs in a variety of locations in my home. I admit I didn’t do a ton of research regarding CFLs, but I haven’t been living under a rock, either. Based on the information readily available via the news, few of us can argue the advantages of moving from traditional lighting to CFLs.But there’s a bit more to this

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-31174018833012469532007-10-11T10:36:00.000-07:002007-10-26T15:11:34.278-07:00

“Wow—is that?”“I think so.”“Is it real?”“Well, it looks real, I guess. Doncha think it looks real?”“I dunno. I’ve never seen a real one—only pictures. Have you ever seen a real one?”“I’d say we both have, now.”“What’ll we do?”“Maybe we should hide it.”“Hide it? Hide it where—and how?”“I don’t know. But I think we should.”“What if it’s the last one?”The boys looked at one another, thinking

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-19540054392641767282007-10-09T10:14:00.001-07:002007-10-10T08:40:14.798-07:00

Blog Action Day is just around the corner (Monday, October 15, 2007), and I’d like to encourage every blogger who stumbles upon my site to consider participating.The challenge is for bloggers worldwide to blog about the same topic on that day, and for those bloggers who are generating income from their sites to donate their day’s earnings to a related charity of their own choosing.The topic for

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-24885566434633142772007-10-08T13:20:00.001-07:002007-10-08T13:20:51.428-07:00

I was looking at myself in the mirror and assessing the damage when the doorbell rang. Startled, I dropped the bloody towel I’d been holding to my lip into the sink and stood for a moment frozen and unsure what to do. Picking up the towel, I started for the front door when I heard a steady and persistent knocking. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and my neighborhood wasn’t the

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-58670940936940389932007-10-03T14:04:00.000-07:002007-10-23T11:36:24.853-07:00

I am proud to announce the publication of my first piece “Running in Circles.” The story is a short-short (under 200 words), but it is a milestone for me on several levels.This marks the first time I’ve sold something I’ve written, and at the same time, it marks the first actual bylined publication I’ve secured. (It’s not uncommon for writers to make a sale only to wait an indefinite period of

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-51173219864521700872007-10-02T14:47:00.000-07:002007-10-09T10:20:01.991-07:00

I’ve got two rose bushes I’m terribly attached to, and each has been kind enough to bloom a glorious last-hurrah for me before winter really arrives.I doubt I could take a picture to do justice to this Tiger Rose, and even if the image were a fair rendition, without the aroma, well, it’s just not the same. (Really, stop scratching your monitor: there are no smells embedded in this post.)I’ve

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-46078424796283525042007-10-01T14:36:00.001-07:002007-10-01T14:42:33.895-07:00

It wasn’t a best thing—it was far from it, but it certainly had come in a small package. That afternoon, Hate came wrapped in a spring dress topped with bouncing blond curls and a pugish little nose that on an adult wouldn’t have been nearly as cute as it was on the little girl.The bouncing bundle of Hate had pulled away from her mother and clop-clop-clopped her way across the nondescript tile

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-38059947580009612992007-09-29T09:46:00.000-07:002007-09-29T09:47:28.466-07:00

I received some exciting news yesterday: on the heels of my recent rejection, the second piece I submitted to the same publication was purchased and will be appearing in the next few weeks.When it’s released, I’ll post details here. For now, keep your fingers crossed for me to get the opportunity to read the story as well: the publisher combines written work with podcasts, and it would be a real

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-54852953964332936862007-09-27T14:41:00.001-07:002007-10-26T15:11:50.569-07:00

I can tell just by looking at you that you think the whole kiss-a-frog and it-becomes-a-prince thing is right up there with the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. I’ll bet you’ve never even heard of the Order of the Royal Guardians. That's just great—you’re all I’ve got to count on for help.Well, I suppose we need to get you squared away on the basics: a few centuries back, when countries were a

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-6975971284992453022007-09-25T10:34:00.000-07:002007-09-25T10:35:24.236-07:00

Once in awhile, I run across a site that just captivates me. I stumbled onto Centripetal Notion recently, and if you hurry, you can spend the time you were going to take being here over there. The place defies description, but if you are breathing, you’ll find something interesting. Why are you still here? Get going!

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-6977379074115060292007-09-23T14:24:00.000-07:002007-09-24T06:28:25.278-07:00

The fat one held one of the two babies close to her as she looked through the fence at me. The other baby lay on the blanket beside the fat one. It was crying and twisting back and forth while reaching upward with its two chubby little hands. The fat one kept clutching at the baby in her arms and staring at me. She paid no attention to the other child. I couldn’t really make out the fat one’

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-48875413310873501982007-09-22T08:58:00.000-07:002007-09-22T09:06:43.816-07:00

I’ve had a lifelong love affair with books.It began in my childhood with lots of the caretakers of my youth reading to me and with me. I was lucky enough to have parents who took me on adventures to the library and bookstores. My folks also ensured I was one of the kids who got to order from the super cool book magazines at school, and my memory of delivery day is my box was always the

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-58801197079966871002007-09-20T07:46:00.000-07:002007-10-26T15:12:03.957-07:00

Sarah Simpleton was not the least bit pleased by her name, and who could blame her? No matter how often her well-meaning parents (Sally and Sam Simpleton) tried to convince her of the things that could and could not break bones, Sarah was not appeased.The schoolmate insults leveled at Sarah began as basic chants of her name, but as she grew, the range of her peers’ creative name-calling grew as

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-11708641172273217602007-09-18T15:23:00.000-07:002007-09-18T15:25:30.539-07:00

It dawned on me early this morning that this year’s NaNoWriMo is drawing near. That realization filled me with a mixture of terror and excitement, and anyone who’s participated in the event understands the reason.If you have no idea what I’m talking about, NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. It’s an annual event that takes place each November, and participants are challenged to

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-39953365991733321922007-09-17T07:06:00.002-07:002007-09-23T14:27:26.549-07:00

Neither the steady hum of the overhead fluorescents, nor their rhythmic flickering had an effect on Detective Wilson as he sat alone, bent over, and intently studying the hand-written words in front of him. His surroundings were as familiar as his own home, and like the unique noises of the detective’s house, the idiosyncrasies of Interview Room #3 were ingrained in his subconscious.Wilson

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-76689547145114932872007-09-15T09:57:00.001-07:002007-09-23T14:28:32.384-07:00

This morning I read a post at Paperback Writer, a site I’ve been following for the last six weeks or so, and it made me laugh out loud—really. And then, it made me very, very depressed because I am so at the-idiot-who-misses/ignores-the-cannibal-signs stage it hurts.You can read the whole post here, but the gist is this: writing is as big a tangled mess as almost any profession worth pursuing,

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-31748593269532746522007-09-11T12:16:00.001-07:002007-09-11T12:17:42.195-07:00

While at my local Safeway a few days ago, I narrowly escaped my demise on three separate occasions.Setting aside the irony of multiple near-death experiences at a store with “Safe” in its name, I feel it’s my moral obligation to warn the general public about the dangers I recently faced. Shopper, beware!It began in the produce section, and as is the case with many a produce section, the aisles

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-87342910688105285242007-09-09T12:27:00.000-07:002007-09-11T12:16:00.781-07:00

I was seventeen years old when my father murdered Rose Acres, and while I haven't yet decided if the term murder fits, that's the word my father used. A week after he'd done it, he'd driven his car off a cliff and was dead also. I was left alone to face a town that was still reeling from the events and divided over what was truth and what was fiction. Since the fire destroyed almost everything I

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-84531871831392651222007-09-08T08:23:00.000-07:002007-09-08T08:25:58.794-07:00

Several days ago, a new phenomenon began to occur in my neighborhood. Normally, the early morning hours are filled with a variety of nature’s sounds including wild birds singing, deer walking their well-worn paths while crunching the occasional leaf, and dogs barking here and there. Aside from the dogs, it’s a great way to begin a day. Last week, while the various forest creatures were beginning

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-66783888951707288692007-09-06T13:26:00.001-07:002007-10-26T15:12:28.972-07:00

Small towns have a certain allure. It might be the landscape or the architecture. It might be the people. It might even be a combination of things, and Fallover was no different. It was just another small town with its share of lore and mystique—two qualities which seemed to rise and fall in proportion to the number of tourists who were in town—but all-in-all, Fallover could have been

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-48385269422667587632007-09-04T10:18:00.000-07:002007-09-07T15:15:06.305-07:00

. . .you remember typing papers on a typewriter, and you went to the doctor if you had a virus.Those were the good old days, you know, before the words personal and computer became associated with one another.According to several articles, this marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the very first personal computer virus.Written by then ninth-grader Rich Skrenta (now 40) who called it “some dumb

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-14344407442351657402007-09-03T19:09:00.000-07:002007-09-07T15:15:25.258-07:00

My name is Karen Deerborne. I am a prosecuting attorney, and as such, I am used to establishing things. I tell you this because I want to be clear: I am not a promiscuous woman. I am not a risk-taker. I have never been picked up by a stranger in a bar, and until last night, I had never had anonymous sex. * * * The digital clock on my desk flashed as 11:59 pm turned into 12:00 am. Exhausted and

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-60260310904515415632007-09-01T09:13:00.000-07:002007-09-07T15:16:42.773-07:00

I commute to work, and when I say commute, I don’t mean drive: I mean commute, as in I live over 60 miles from the campus at which I teach. In terms of driving time, it takes me nearly 90 minutes to get from my home to school, and that’s if there are no unforeseen events. The first thirty minutes of my commute is on a winding mountain road, and any other driver who’s ahead of me has the potential

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1230295204550449446.post-14309003588858477902007-08-30T08:07:00.000-07:002007-10-26T15:12:43.162-07:00

The daily events of our lives can be plotted on the various points of a line that stretches from the mundane to the exciting. Most of us have a variety of peaks and valleys on our life’s line: it is the evidence of the highs and lows we have experienced.A few people live not so much along this line as they do at one edge or the other, and it’s these people we most discount or admire.Professional

Shawn Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082510455223060530noreply@blogger.com0