Storyworks Monthly #2 by Stephen J. Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m kind of in awe of Stephen. In Storyworks Monthly 1, he set out his ambition to emulate the pulp fiction writers of old, the folks that were churning out more than a million words a year. It looks as if he’s on his way to that target.

Storyworks Monthly 2 continues on the same theme as number 1 – the writer gives you various flavours of his craft, from the short story to an ongoing novel and an end part that delves into the craft of writing. I’m a big fan of Stephen’s short stories, and that’s not a recommendation I make lightly as I don’t often choose to read short stories. Stephen uses his skills with words to craft the world that appears in front of you easily and quickly. This is particularly the case with The Shard, Gudrun’s story and The Forever Cloud. Stephen has a real gift for description, again something that isn’t easy to do.

{Note to author – you MUST do more with Gudrun.]

I’m not entirely convinced that it’s a good idea to include parts of a novel (Descent on Abuwesi) in this collection, as the new reader won’t be familiar with it from SWM part 1, and the old reader might have forgotten bits of it. Nevertheless, Stephen’s talent for writing still makes it worth pursuing.

Part 2 of the inciting incidents is very useful for all potential authors (myself included), as it gives guidance to how films work – and thus plotting. I have found Stephen’s explanations of films hugely beneficial in the past. When you understand the tipping point/inciting incidents thing, you’ll be able to write much more concisely and precisely.

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