Hello Alphas,<\/p>\n
Welcome to Alphaday 5. The season gets busier and busier and very exciting as we try to keep up with it all. Here\u2019s another Alphaday with a lot of treats coming your way which I hope, and believe, you\u2019ll all enjoy.<\/p>\n
Outline of today\u2019s menu:<\/p>\n
Alpha news:<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve all got the Alpha Calendar which I sent out at the beginning of the season, and there\u2019s therefore no need for me to remind you that we\u2019re having an extended break over the festive period. But just in case some of you had forgotten, I\u2019d better mention here that Alphaday 6 is on Thursday the 9th of January 2014. That, in theory, should give you plenty of time to get over that hangover and boot out staying guests, plus \u2013 more importantly \u2013 get ready with your contributions in plenty of time for next Alphaday.<\/p>\n
Over the five-week break you can of course air any point of interest to the group. The door to communication is wide open as usual.<\/p>\n
Olaf\u2019s Christmas quiz might also help while away a huge chunk of idle moments!<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve discussed a couple of things since last Alphaday, in particular the interesting subject of setting as a character suggested by Rose.<\/p>\n
The Showcasing pieces are definitely an Alpha hit. The variety is impressive and the interest shown by members in the featured Showcasing pieces speaks for itself. We enjoy being introduced to examples of our members\u2019 writing that illustrate our talents in an individual way, as opposed to our skills in writing to a set theme for a challenge.<\/p>\n
The Log serves a similar purpose, although here we\u2019re interested in discussing our aims and how we organise our writing and how we go about preparing our work for a wider audience. We\u2019re all talented writers and most of us aspire to see our work appreciated for what it\u2019s worth. The Log is invaluable for sharing successes and disappointments, and for giving us ideas about how to move on from \u2018here\u2019. It\u2019s motivating and inspiring.<\/p>\n
Personally I\u2019m delighted to have writing friends who understand. A lonely writer battling along in isolation is in dire danger of losing the courage to go on.<\/p>\n
General news:<\/p>\n
Doris Lessing\u2019s death made me think about what she\u2019s left behind. I discovered her by accident; i.e. I picked up some of her books at Amnesty International sales because the name had that familiar ring. After that I blamed everything for not having trumpeted her genius more loudly. As a writer she covers an amazingly wide range of genres, themes and styles. I first read Love, Again and then The Cleft and you couldn\u2019t imagine two novels more different in every respect. But both novels had that \u2018wow\u2019 factor. They were striking; they were different; they made me sit up. I\u2019ve just started Briefing for a Descent into Hell and am sure it\u2019ll be just as powerful as the other two. Which Doris Lessing books have you read?<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s the Tate Turner Prize, this time held in Ireland and always a good conversation stirrer. This year\u2019s winner was a Frenchwoman, Laure Prouvost, for an installation showing something to do with a tea party full of unpredictable misunderstandings. Wonderful, I say. An artist with a very idiosyncratic view of art can be admired and appreciated by discerning people and given the chance to communicate their perception of art and life to a wide public. Some snort, some laugh, some admire, some even understand. That\u2019s art for you, I s\u2019pose!<\/p>\n
Christine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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