Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
If you following Writing Wednesdays you’ve probably read about something I call The Foolscap Method. I give credit to this to my great friend and mentor Norm Stahl.
I was in NYC, at a really low point, couldn’t get anything going, and I went to lunch with Norm, a no nonsense- call it as he sees it guy. I told him my troubles and he pulled out a yellow legal pad – a foolscap paper, as it is sometimes called. He said “Steve, God made a single sheet of yellow foolscap to be exactly the right length to hold the outline of an entire novel.”
It was like I was struck by lightning. What? No need for a Bible length outline? I can put I all on one page? Well, it worked and it’s the way I’ve worked ever since. I call it The Foolscap Method.
It’s not just for writing–if you’re building a house, planning a business–get it onto one page of foolscap. Sometimes the outlining of something can be so overwhelming that you stop before you even get started.
I’m going to do a few more videos about this. I’ll also put a link to in my bio to some things I’ve written in the blog about The Foolscap Method.
Thanks to Sys Trier Morch for the pictures of Norm. @systm
And the great illustration of the foolscap thanks to Victor Juhasz – stay tuned for more in 2023 from Vic.
And thanks to pirate republic brewery for the shirt!
If you following Writing Wednesdays you’ve probably read about something I call The Foolscap Method. I give credit to this to my great friend and mentor Norm Stahl.
I was in NYC, at a really low point, couldn’t get anything going, and I went to lunch with Norm, a no nonsense- call it as he sees it guy. I told him my troubles and he pulled out a yellow legal pad – a foolscap paper, as it is sometimes called. He said “Steve, God made a single sheet of yellow foolscap to be exactly the right length to hold the outline of an entire novel.”
It was like I was struck by lightning. What? No need for a Bible length outline? I can put I all on one page? Well, it worked and it’s the way I’ve worked ever since. I call it The Foolscap Method.
It’s not just for writing–if you’re building a house, planning a business–get it onto one page of foolscap. Sometimes the outlining of something can be so overwhelming that you stop before you even get started.
I’m going to do a few more videos about this. I’ll also put a link to in my bio to some things I’ve written in the blog about The Foolscap Method.
Thanks to Sys Trier Morch for the pictures of Norm. @systm
And the great illustration of the foolscap thanks to Victor Juhasz – stay tuned for more in 2023 from Vic.
And thanks to pirate republic brewery for the shirt!
