In the field of semiconductor production using shaped charged particle beam lithography, a method and system for fracturing or mask data preparation or proximity effect correction is disclosed, wherein a shot determined for a shaped charged particle beam writer system comprises dragging the charged particle beam across a surface during the shot, so as to form a complex pattern in a single, extended shot. The dragging may be done with either variable shaped beam (VSB) or character projection (CP) shots. Methods for specifying in the shot data the path for the dragged shot are also disclosed. Other embodiments include using dragged shots with partial projection, varying the dragging velocity during a shot, and combining dragged shots with conventional shots. A method and system for creating glyphs which contain dragged shots is also disclosed.