Scribbled Stories

Frequently Asked Questions

If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, feel free to ask Shawn.

Which comes first: the picture or the story? I always start with the picture, but the choice isn’t random. I take a lot of pictures with the idea that some of them will turn out aesthetically pleasing enough for me to take a closer look. When I see a picture that sparks an idea, I go for it.

Do you alter the images? Other than cropping and minor color adjustments (for optimum Web viewing), I leave the images alone.

How do you come up with this stuff? The process is the same each time: I go through a series of images, and when one sparks an idea, I write the picture’s story. For me, the idea comes in the form of my hearing a line for the story in my head. The line varies: it might literally be the story’s first line I hear. Sometimes, I hear part of a scene. Other times, I hear a character’s name or description or action. Occasionally, I hear part of a setting.

Generally, that first idea remains in the finished product; however, it may be altered and/or relocated as the story develops. For example, the spark I heard before writing “Family Business” was the opening line When he was younger, Lescott Brown learned the value of invisibility. In essence, that line remains as the story’s opening.

How long does it take you to write each story? Generally speaking, I spend between three and five hours writing each story.

What made you start doing this? This idea has been rolling around in my head for a number of years. My father is a watercolorist, and my mother is a bookworm: I grew up with images and words around me, so the old saying of a picture’s being worth 1,000 words has long fascinated me. Admittedly, I have found that sometimes an image cannot be matched by words, and at other times, I found the reverse to be true. I feel strongly about the pictures and the words on this site!

How often do you write? I write everyday. I don’t always have the time, nor do I always feel like writing, but I always steal at least an hour out of every day to write, and on those rare days I am not in the mood to write, actually sitting down and writing seems to solve the desire problem.

Do you always write this way? No. I often write without an image; however, one of the valuable writing lessons I learned from participating in the 2006 NaNoWriMo was how effective and enjoyable it is to allow the story to happen. Working from the spark created by an image allows me to do this.

What else have you written? I have written lots of things, but the chances of your having read them is slim unless you were a classmate of mine (circa 1990), your are a friend, or a relative. (That’s a backhanded way of saying you won’t be able to visit your favorite bookstore and find any of my work. And that was a really obtuse way of admitting I’m not a published writer.)

I have a picture that would make a great story: can I send it to you? Well, yes—and no. I do what I do as a creative outlet for myself. The images and the words are mine, and they are a part of my pursuit of a career as a writer. If you have a picture, and you see a story in it, I encourage you to write it! However, I do run the occasional contest along these lines, and if you send a photo, and I pick it, I will write that picture’s story.

Who are you? My name is Shawn Hansen. I am an adjunct faculty member of the Language and Literature Department of Sacramento City College, a position I have held since 1999. Before I was a teacher, I was a police officer with the Sacramento (CA) Police Department. While I wouldn’t trade what I learned in my time as an officer, the 1980s and 1990s were a period during which things like racism, sexism, and homophobia were an integral part of my department and many of its officers. This made it a place I simply could not work. I returned to school, tried to fit in as a 30-something student, and after lots of classes, homework, and papers, I had successfully traded my badge and gun for my red pen and grade book.

I have wanted to be a writer since I was in high school; however, it wasn’t until 2005 that I began seriously pursuing a career in writing. In addition to my fiction work, I do freelance writing and editing, and I am proud to say that my 2006 tax return lists two careers: teaching and writing.