Category Archives: Writing

Frozen: Musical Cinema ≠ Musical Theatre

Posted on 2014-02-07 by Stephan Sokolow

Well, I finally saw Frozen and my brother and I pretty much agreed that, while it’s nice, it does have significant flaws. What’s really interesting, though, is the kinds of problems it has: They all fundamentally stem from Frozen being … Continue reading →

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Trifles Make Perfection

Posted on 2013-05-10 by Stephan Sokolow

TL;DR: When you’re doing something creative, look for details which, with only minimal change, could greatly broaden your work’s appeal and staying power. (Also includes examples.) Every now and then, I run across a creative work which frustrates me, not … Continue reading →

Posted in Otaku Stuff, Writing | 2 Comments

Good Villain, Bad Villain

Posted on 2012-01-26 by Stephan Sokolow

The difference between a well-done villain like Ursula in Disney’s The Little Mermaid and a poorly done one like Rasputin in Don Bluth’s Anastasia is actually pretty simple. With a well-done villain, you can understand and sympathize with whatever made … Continue reading →

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Freeman’s Mind, Humor, And Themes As A Writing Aid

Posted on 2012-01-16 by Stephan Sokolow

From a structural standpoint, one of the biggest reasons Freeman’s Mind works so well as humor is that, in the Half-Life story, Ross Scott’s version of Gordon Freeman embodies not one or even two, but three humorous juxtapositions which can … Continue reading →

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Learning French: Qui vs. Que As Relative Pronouns

Posted on 2011-11-02 by Stephan Sokolow

Since I’ve been learning French recently, I’ve decided to start a series of blog posts to share insights I’ve had which helped me to grasp things more quickly. Let’s start with “qui” and “que” in their roles as relative pronouns … Continue reading →

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Fanon And The Hazards of Source Amnesia

Posted on 2011-10-26 by Stephan Sokolow

a guest post by weebee Fanon is a rather odd entity. It’s often looked down on entirely, with those who think themselves the ‘best authors’ sneering at any use of it and claiming that you should never resort to such … Continue reading →

Posted in Otaku Stuff, Writing | 1 Comment

“Tangled” and Disney’s Big Weakness

Posted on 2011-08-14 by Stephan Sokolow

Since rediscovering and posting my little essay on the problem with having a big bad, I’ve been thinking on how this relates to the problems in Disney “cheapquels” and their more modern animated works like The Princess and the Frog … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | 8 Comments