Hi Alphas,
Welcome to Alphaday 8, Season XI. Business as usual. In other words there’s plenty to keep us scribbling away as we join in the familiar routine of Alpha activities. On the surface today’s agenda may look very similar to last Alphaday’s, but, as you probably know, appearances can be deceptive and there’s a wealth of new and stimulating surprises to be discovered and relished in the following menu:
- This Bulletin from me
- The Log edited by me
- The results of the ‘anniversary’ challenge from Stephen
- The collated entries for the 2nd person + oxymoron challenge from me
- The brief for challenge 8 from Morgen
- The ongoing series of showcase pieces organised by Suzanne
We did have a little flutter about snowstorms and thunderstorms; TV nostalgia and childhood folly ditto. All good-humoured and inconsequential cosy chat.
Then I had to ask for your help when my planning came up against a number of unforeseen obstacles. Talk about spanners! They come in many disguises and moving house is one of them, though by no means the only type.
However, I’m pleased to say that all is now under control and you can look forward to a continued smooth flow of the season with a full supply of stimulating writerly activities.
I’m very grateful to the many Alphas who rallied round with advice and offers of help. We function as a group because everybody contributes to our activities. We benefit from the input from a variety of writers with such a diversity of skills that it’s a real treat to be part of it.
Let’s make the most of it!
The Alpha Decade Book is coming on nicely. I’m still waiting for a number of stories, but the material you’ve sent me so far adds up to a wonderful selection of Alpha work. If your story is nearly ready, could you please give it the final touch and let me have it.
The showcase pieces are a bonus for the group. It’s good to see members joining in with their constructive comments. We all need feedback on our writing.
Anyone who’d like to have a piece of writing showcased should get in touch with Suzanne. There’s still plenty of time.
It can be uncomfortable – even frightening – to lift your nose out of your book or interrupt the flow of the happy story you’re busy writing to have a look at what’s going on in the world. I do believe literature is not just an escape; it’s also a way to show that there are people who care about good values and their effects.
The other way to escape would be to buy a one-way ticket to Mars and set up a new, unblemished society there. Now that’s a project of some magnitude that until now only existed in science fiction. It’s mind-blowing to think of it as a concrete plan that will be carried out with real people involved.
Or, you could put it back into fiction where it belongs and write the story.
Christine