{"id":775,"date":"2019-09-05T15:39:51","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T14:39:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alphawriters.net\/new\/?p=775"},"modified":"2019-09-05T15:39:52","modified_gmt":"2019-09-05T14:39:52","slug":"season-xvi-alpha-day-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alphawriters.net\/new\/season-xvi-alpha-day-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Season XVI – Alpha Day 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hi\nAlphas,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welcome to\nAlphaday 1 Season XVI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve\nput a lot of Alpha seasons behind us, and we intend to add many more \u2013 and making\nthem better every time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nis my privilege to set the Alpha machinery in motion. I give it the initial\npush, and then \u2013 with the willing and enthusiastic help of all our members \u2013\nwe\u2019re off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our\naim is simple: we get together to share our common passion for writing from\nevery perspective. We try out new approaches in the challenges and we showcase\nour personal writing in the Open Page. The feedback helps us evaluate how\ncertain tricks work, and it motivates us to make the most of our writerly\nefforts. Our strength lies in the variety of approaches. With such a motley\ngroup providing stimulation we don\u2019t risk getting stuck in a rut \u2026 unlike the\nsolitary writer struggling alone in their proverbial attic.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So\nhere\u2019s to a fruitful collaboration to create a rich and enjoyable Season XVI.\nMy Alpha team consists of the entire group, and here\u2019s a brief introduction to show\nhow the tasks are distributed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olaf: <\/strong>After his 90th<\/sup> birthday our\nhonorary president and 2004 founder of Alpha has deserved the position of\nwatching our progress as a spectator. We hope he\u2019ll send us the occasional good\nvibe and a comment or two \u2013 maybe even a piece of his writing \u2013 and that he\u2019ll\napprove of how we fare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christine:<\/strong> Yours truly. Kicking off my 9th<\/sup>\nseason in a row. Relying heavily on everyone else for keeping the season going\nsmoothly. For which I\u2019m very grateful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ros:<\/strong> Our web mistress and keeper of records.\nPublisher of our Alpha books which are available from the web site. Ros also administrates\nthe forum where you can consult records and leave informal comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Our recruitment officer who sifts\nthrough applications for membership before forwarding suitable candidates to\nme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morgen:<\/strong> In charge of the Alpha Writers\u2019 Reads\nslot. We know that reading is essential for writers and Morgen will give us a\nprompt every second Alphaday to discuss our reading. Morgen, incidentally, is\nalso the Alpha Laureate<\/em> and keeper of\nthe prestigious virtual Alpha Cup; an honour she\u2019s earned for two consecutive\nseasons for her outstanding writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phil:<\/strong> Has accepted to take on the Alpha\nLog. He\u2019ll collect and send out news of your writing outside the Alpha cocoon;\nyour successes, submissions, ambitions, disappointments, work in progress and\nother relevant news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll\nhear from those in charge of these special tasks when they need your input.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris:<\/strong> As a valued founder member, Chris will continue to watch from the wings and take part in discussions when he wishes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then\nthere are our rank and file <\/strong>members.\nTheir tasks are numerous. They set challenges or take charge of an Open Page\nedition. They join in discussions and \u2013 of course \u2013 deliver dazzling challenge\nentries and feedback in plenty of time before the deadline!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\nare (in alphabetical order):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lizzie, Elke, Genya,\nGloria, Jackie, Linda, Maria, Martin, Stephen, Suzanne and Zena.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re\nall special \u2013 Zena for being a fellow founder member; Elke for writing from\ndown under in Queensland, Australia; Suzanne and Gloria for being fellow French\nexpats; Genya for her east European side \u2026 and so on \u2026 all special for lots of\nreasons!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve\ngot a new member:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rick<\/strong> lives in Blackburn which is probably\nin the part of England with the densest cluster of Alphas. A teaching\nbackground is also a fairly common Alpha trait. As a writer Rick\u2019s an\nall-rounder. He\u2019s had some success with travel pieces and short stories. He\u2019s\nalso got two novels \u2018languishing\u2019. We welcome Rick into our group and look\nforward to his input.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So\nmuch for the actors. Now for the action. Today\u2019s agenda is meant to propel you\ninto the new season and stimulate your appetite for what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alphaday 1, Season\nXVI agenda:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n