Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
First of all I have some sad news. My dear friend Norm Stahl, who taught me The Foolscap Method passed away last week at the age of 91. Norm never missed a beat. He never just talked about thing, but did them.
A little of Norm’s background. Norm’s moved from junior copywriter to the senior executive of BBDO and Ted Bates Worldwide Advertising, where for many years he guided creative direction companies like Colgate Palmolive and Pepsi Cola. Along the line he managed to earn a private pilot’s license and author or co-author several fiction and non-fiction books, His loved golf, art, and travel. He was a great friend and a great man. I will miss him.
So in honor of Norm let’s dive into The Foolscap Method and move onto the next entry on our Foolscap Page – SETTING.
The setting establishes the world of your story. What place in time? Where does it makes sense. I think about “Game of Thrones” and George R.R. Martin coming up with the setting. The Wall, Winterfell, Kings Landing, etc. In addition to all these lands he had to think about what period in time. Could it be something we know, if so how would that work. Could these kingdoms exist during the time of the Roman Empire?
The setting is also more than just place – it’s an overall aesthetic of how the place feels. If you think of movies – what is the color palette, is it dark and shadowy, bright and cheerful, how do you include this in writing? It’s the clothes, the surrounding, the trees and flowers, are they right for the place you’ve chosen? It’s important and keeps you on track as you make your way through your story.
If The Foolscap Method has brought you any kind of knowledge or helped, give a nod to Norm, wherever he is.
First of all I have some sad news. My dear friend Norm Stahl, who taught me The Foolscap Method passed away last week at the age of 91. Norm never missed a beat. He never just talked about thing, but did them.
A little of Norm’s background. Norm’s moved from junior copywriter to the senior executive of BBDO and Ted Bates Worldwide Advertising, where for many years he guided creative direction companies like Colgate Palmolive and Pepsi Cola. Along the line he managed to earn a private pilot’s license and author or co-author several fiction and non-fiction books, His loved golf, art, and travel. He was a great friend and a great man. I will miss him.
So in honor of Norm let’s dive into The Foolscap Method and move onto the next entry on our Foolscap Page – SETTING.
The setting establishes the world of your story. What place in time? Where does it makes sense. I think about “Game of Thrones” and George R.R. Martin coming up with the setting. The Wall, Winterfell, Kings Landing, etc. In addition to all these lands he had to think about what period in time. Could it be something we know, if so how would that work. Could these kingdoms exist during the time of the Roman Empire?
The setting is also more than just place – it’s an overall aesthetic of how the place feels. If you think of movies – what is the color palette, is it dark and shadowy, bright and cheerful, how do you include this in writing? It’s the clothes, the surrounding, the trees and flowers, are they right for the place you’ve chosen? It’s important and keeps you on track as you make your way through your story.
If The Foolscap Method has brought you any kind of knowledge or helped, give a nod to Norm, wherever he is.
