Category Archives: Writing

FocusWriter… whether or not you need “distraction-free”

Posted on 2014-10-09 by Stephan Sokolow

Those who know me well know that I’m a bit of a paradox when it comes to writing. On the one hand, I do have issues with distraction and I do approve of the concept of separating composition and typesetting, … Continue reading →

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Early Modern English for Authors

Posted on 2014-04-13 by Stephan Sokolow

Last Updated: August 30th, 2019 Since I seem to keep offering bits and pieces of this advice to people over and over, here’s a guide (which I’ll probably amend as things occur to me) for writing consistent, believable, and easy-to-understand … Continue reading →

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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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