Francesca: 21*<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suzanne: 20*<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ros: 20<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Morgen : 19<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phil : 17<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Catherine : 17<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Open Page 3<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s called Open Page <\/strong>because there is no brief, no restrictions on genre, theme. Please keep your word count reasonable. I would have thought if you can\u2019t say it in 1500 words then you may need to prune. The only requirement is that it should aim to hold the reader\u2019s attention and impress them favourably. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Novel extracts, short stories, flash\/micro\/macro\/nano fiction, fragments, recipes, drama, poetry, song writing, non-fiction, biography, memoirs, reviews, experimental pieces, rants, blogs etc. Think of something I haven\u2019t mentioned and submit it to the Open Page!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your Open Page entry should be preceded by a brief introduction<\/u><\/strong> stating the nature of the piece and the word count. This is important as otherwise we can all be a bit clueless on what you were trying to do. Add any other useful information: why and when you wrote it; any problems you\u2019d like comments on etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st place Morgen 9 votes, 2nd place Cat 6 votes, 3rd place Suzanne 5 votes<\/p>\n\n\n\n Write a thank you letter. There you go. Easy peasy. Job done. Thank you, over and out. 1st place Francesca and Cat – 11 points each, 2nd Place Phil, Suzanne and Martin – 10 points each, 3rd Place Maria – 7 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Alpha Leaderboard after challenge 8: Dear fellow Alphas, There are just two rules that should be followed please: The sentences provided are NOT included in your word count, so you have up to 300 words to fill the gap. 1st Phil and Cat 14 points each, 2nd Gloria and Suzanne 10 points each 3rd Rick 9 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Alpha Leaderboard after Challenge 7: P.S. Alert Alphabots will have noticed that 22\/02\/2022 is a numerical palindrome ! (Is that even a thing?) <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st place Ros – 12 marks, 2nd place Suzanne – 10 marks, Joint 3rd place Christine and Catherine with 9 marks each. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Alpha Leaderboard after Challenge 6:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cat: 23 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ros: 17<\/p>\n\n\n\n Francesca: 15*<\/p>\n\n\n\n Catherine: 14<\/p>\n\n\n\n Morgen: 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzanne: 12*<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christine: 12<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stephen: 11<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each month a regular challenge is set to give Alpha Writers a chance to flex their writing muscles and engage in some friendly competition. Read on for details of present and previous challenges, entries and results!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our next challenge is the 2nd<\/sup> edition the Open Page. By way of introduction I\u2019ll simply refer you to the following paragraphs from the information I sent out on our first Alphaday. You already know the idea: share some of your personal writing with us. You\u2019re free to decide what you\u2019ll treat us to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Open Page<\/strong> allows members to share their personal writing with fellow Alphas. It is a much wider \u2013 and looser \u2013 concept than the challenges as there is no brief. Novel extracts, short stories, flash\/micro\/macro\/nano fiction, fragments, recipes, drama, poetry, non-fiction, biography, memoirs, experimental pieces, rants; articles about writing, words, grammar, politics, ethics, other art forms etc. are all suitable. Find me something I haven\u2019t mentioned and submit it to the Open Page!<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no minimum word count for the Open Page, but to avoid a collated file that\u2019s too long to read and assess in the time available we advise you to show due consideration to your fellow Alphas and to limit the maximum word count to 1,500. Consider the average Alpha attention span!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n *Please, remember to supply a brief introduction to your piece plus the word count. I find that very helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st place Stephen 8 votes, 2nd place Gloria 7 votes, 3rd place Cat 5 votes<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Alpha Leaderboard after the Open Page 2nd edition: Character developed through dialogue <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In 300 words or less, present a dialogue between two people, <\/strong>talking about a third, absent<\/strong>, person<\/strong>. The third person may be anyone, dead or alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The emphasis of the challenge is to show the distinct characters of all three people primarily through spoken words, supported by actions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are no other restrictions e.g. the 2 characters can move location, time can pass, other people may speak.There is no requirement to produce a story, but obviously you may.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is advisory to make the character developing dialogue at least 2\/3 of your entry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st place Ros – 15 marks, 2nd place Francesca – 9 marks, 3rd Morgen – 8 marks<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Alpha Leaderboard after Challenge 5:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cat: 20 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n Francesca: 13*<\/p>\n\n\n\n Morgen: 12<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ros: 12<\/p>\n\n\n\n Catherine: 11<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Challenge is to tell a story with a maximum of 300 words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please follow the classical three unities of Aristotle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n AND\u2026 <\/strong>Please include in the story the words Christmas <\/strong>and Present. <\/strong>Not necessarily together or in that order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Advisory A title always helps and will not be included in the word count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st place Catherine and Cat – 13 points each, 2nd place Morgen – 8 points, 3rd place Christine, Phil and Sarah – 7 points each<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Alpha Leaderboard after Challenge 4:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cat: 19 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n Francesca: 10*<\/p>\n\n\n\n Catherine: 10<\/p>\n\n\n\n Morgen: 10<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ros: 8<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christine: 8<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzanne: 7*<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s my pleasure to issue Challenge 3 today! <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a photo prompt and very simple \u2013 just 300 words of prose inspired by this picture. No extra prize for anyone knowing where it was taken!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st place Cat – 14 points, 2nd place – Suzanne – 12 points, 3rd place Martin – 11 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Alpha Leaderboard after Challenge 3:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cat: 15 points Francesca: 9* Morgen: 7 Ros: 7 Suzanne: 6* Catherine: 6 Christine: 6<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n The Brief: Open Page 1st edition, Season XVIII<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The reason why it\u2019s called \u2018Open Page\u2019 is that there is no brief<\/strong>. In our regular challenges we have to adhere strictly to the given brief; it may ask us to leave our comfort zone, and for that very reason it\u2019s a useful exercise \u2013 even when it feels like constraint. The Open Page on the other hand, gives us free rein. It\u2019s open to any piece of writing that we\u2019d like to share with the group and get some feedback on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The only requirement is that it should aim to hold the readers\u2019 attention and impress them favourably (the \u2018wow\u2019 factor). There are no genre restrictions. Novel extracts, short stories, flash\/micro\/macro\/nano fiction, fragments, recipes, drama, poetry, non-fiction, biography, memoirs, reviews, experimental pieces, rants; articles about writing, words, grammar, politics, ethics, other arts etc. Think of something I haven\u2019t mentioned and submit it to the Open Page! <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Open Page entry should be preceded by a brief introduction<\/strong> stating the nature of the piece and the word count. Add any other useful information: why and when you wrote it; any problems you\u2019d like comments on etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Write a new piece, polish up one that should have won that comp or flesh out the idea you jotted down somewhere etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st place with 6 votes each Cat and Ros. 2nd place with 5 votes each Christine and Francesca. 3rd place with 4 votes Morgen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Alpha Leaderboard after the Open Page ed. 1, Season XVIII:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cat: 11 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n Francesca: 8*<\/p>\n\n\n\n Morgen: 6<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ros: 6<\/p>\n\n\n\n Catherine: 5<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christine: 5<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dear Alphas, Use up to 300 words to tell a story using reverse chronology. How strict we are with time shifts is up to us, but the piece should start at the end and finish with the beginning of the action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To help you get the idea, I’ve included three examples of reverse chronology flash fiction below: 1st place Francesca 18 points, 2nd place Cat 15 points, 3rd place Morgen 12 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Alpha Leaderboard after Ch. 2, Season XVIII:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cat: 7 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n Francesca: 5*<\/p>\n\n\n\n Catherine: 4<\/p>\n\n\n\n Morgen: 4<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzanne: 2*<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m sure we have all experienced being in queues, especially in these socially distanced times. So this challenge is: –<\/p>\n\n\n\n Write an internal monologue of a person stuck in a queue.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As usual, the word limit is 300 words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st place Cat 18points, 2nd place Catherine 11 ponts, 3rd place Morgen 9 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Alpha Leaderboard after Challenge 1, Season XVIII: Final Result for the season Cat: 34 points Francesca: 21* Suzanne: 20* Ros: 20 Morgen : 19 Phil : 17 Catherine : 17 Open Page 3 It\u2019s called Open Page because there is no brief, no restrictions on genre, theme. Please keep…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":138,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1130","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alphawriters.net\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alphawriters.net\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alphawriters.net\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alphawriters.net\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alphawriters.net\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alphawriters.net\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1130\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alphawriters.net\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alphawriters.net\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n\n\nChallenge 8 – An apology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Oh wait\u2026a tad too easy peasy.
Here\u2019s the thing. You must write a thank you letter to someone you\u2019ve never met. A total stranger, in fact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cat: 31 points
Francesca: 20*
Ros: 19
Suzanne: 18*
Catherine : 16
Phil : 16
Morgen : 15<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nChallenge 7 – Fill the Gap<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It is with great pleasure, I share my first Alpha Challenge. I’m naming it, Fill the Gap.
<\/strong>
The challenge is relatively straightforward, and should allow for lots of creativity and the ability to write in whatever genre you decide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Your entry must begin with this sentence: <\/strong>THE LETTER ARRIVED ON A TUESDAY.<\/strong>
2. Your entry must end with this sentence: <\/strong>THAT IS A STORY FOR ANOTHER DAY.<\/strong>(no need to use all CAPS, but the wording of these opening and closing sentences must open and close your submission exactly<\/strong> as written above).
Use up to 300 words to fill the gap <\/strong>between any way you wish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A title is always helpful, and is NOT counted in your word count either.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cat: 27 points
Ros: 18
Francesca: 16*
Suzanne: 15*
Catherine : 15
Morgen : 14<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nChallenge 6 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The outline for your latest challenge is to write up to 300 words from the point of view of a hitherto unknown, or little-known, person connected in some way with a well-known character or event. Napoleon’s hairdresser? The porter at Macbeth’s castle? One of the other pupils at Hogwarts? We must be able to at least deduce<\/em> the identity of the famous thing, even if you don’t actually tell us.Please send your response to me by Tuesday 22nd. February, 12.00 pm at the latest.
Yours in brotherly writingness, Rick<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nOpen Page 2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cat: 22 points
Francesca: 14*
Ros: 13
Catherine: 12
Morgen: 12
Stephen: 10
Christine: 10<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nChallenge 5 <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nChallenge 4<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nChallenge 3<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/alphawriters.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/photo-prompt-challenge-3.jpg\")
<\/figure>
\n\n\n\nOpen Page 1<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nChallenge 2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Here is your brief for challenge 2: write a story backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currents<\/a> by Hannah Bottomy
Goodbye Piano <\/a>by Megan GiddinsKeys<\/a> by Anne Elizabeth Weisgerber<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nChallenge 1:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cat: 4 points
Catherine: 3
Morgen: 2
Francesca: 1*
Suzanne: 1*<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"