This is the last regular Circular for this season, but you will probably get others from time to time, as and when there is any news to impart: I hope others will also do the same. This circular gives me the opportunity to reflect a little on the year as well.

Book:
We achieved only 1 sale as a result of the Jonathan Telfer's piece and the advert in Writers News. We've just had another advert in the June issue, and we also have my article and an advert in The Link - NAWG's magazine. That, at least, should produce a few more sales. I am planning to go to Winchester for the Annual Writers Conference on the weekend of June 23/25, and have a desk where I can sell direct, but I don't think I will attend any talks this time.

Website
The website, as a spinoff from the book grant, is a great asset. Sally has done a great job, not least in keeping it updated which is the failing of so many websites. I think using it as a window for our work is the right approach, and I do not really want to use it to initiate dialogue with other writers or groups.

Regular Challenges
We have had a good year again for entries, and all challenges had at least 12 entries: I didn't always participate but I like to do so when I can without any great advantage, and some of you had problems which prevented you from entering, but out of 14 active members, that is quite an achievement, and shows that this does engender not only creative thinking but also enthusiasm. The quality of the writing was always high with some outstanding entries. I think we also learnt a lot from reading the other entries and the judging and the various comments on our entries. What was particularly noticeable was the very wide spread of opinion, showing that judging contains such a strong subjective factor. I think we have all realised that judging is an onerous and time-consuming task, and whilst our well intentioned idea of involving everyone was theoretically sound, it was a little unsound practically.

See the Challenges page for details and results of all this year's challenges.

Cliffhanger:
At the moment, David's cliffhanger idea is the longitudinal exercise, and until that has got to the end, I don't think we should start another. This, of course, is an ongoing exercise through the summer months for those who have indicated their interest to David.

Longitudinal experiment:
Click here for further details of the experiment and its conclusion.

Group Creative Writing:
I haven't got all the entries for the book yet, but when I do, I'll send the whole lot around. It should be between 20,000 and 25,000 words in total. I won't use this circular as another prompt - I'll write to those members whose contributions are outstanding individually. Once I get everyone's entry, I'll distribute, even if some of them are in draft form. Click here for more details.

Discussion:
We've had less in the way of discussions this last year, but there have been other factors which have claimed our attention. I hope we will go back to taking specific themes again next year.

Chelsea:
I urge you all to watch the BBC website about Chelsea - and to see what Sally is writing about for the gardeners of the world.

General:
I'd like to say how much I have enjoyed this last year again, and I look forward to enjoying next year, too. I have made preliminary plans which I am sending to you as an attachment. One of the things I want to do more is pitting my writing against you all over a full year.

Membership:
I am hoping that you will all be able to continue next season, but I do understand if things transpire to make it impossible. I will be sorry to lose any of you. When I started Alpha, I believed that the interchange of thoughts through words could be divorced from any real social feelings towards each other. In that I have been proved totally wrong, and I know that should we ever meet, we would certainly enjoy each other's company.

New members: I am prepared to increase membership to a maximum of 18, so there is room for 2 or 3 more members: I'll see if I can recruit them through Writers News: Clare, Catherine and Ann, who joined last year, have contributed a great deal to our activiies.

Summer Break (Ann - read Winter Break):
In last year's break, we still communicated occasionally, particularly by circulating reviews of books we've read, and other suitable comments. I suggest that we do the same this year, but with no specific requirement to do anything. The next routine communication from me will be on Thursday, August 31st, when I will be asking you to confirm your membership for next year. The working year will start on Thursday, September 21st.

Book Reviews:
Last year, during the summer, we circulated book reviews, and I found them interesting, and it is a useful exercise to write a review. So please continue doing this when you read a book (it doesn't have to be a new one).

Festivals and Conferences:
If any of you go to festivals, conferences or individual lectures, it's also a good idea to write down any points which you think are worth noting - even if you say that going to hear so-and-so is a complete waste of time!

On the other hand, you might hear a good talk. I did that on Monday, at a visit to the du Maurier Festival, when I heard Kathrym Heyman talk about her new book "Captain Starlight's Apprentice". She talked about how she came to write it, and how she went about it. It must be a thought-provoking book, reflecting on those who had emigrated to Australia and their thoughts about the country they'd left. It will probably more likely to be appreciated by women, as it would appear to be written from a woman's point of view, although the subject matter itself is more general. But it was a very good talk indeed, and there is not doubt that the author knew precisely what she was doing when she wrote the book. There was no waffling and no ducking of questions.

Me:
Later today, I'll send an email which will reveal a few details about me. It's been difficult to know what to include - but I'll decide today!! I'll put ME in the subject box, so if you don't want to read it, you can delete it immediately.

Best wishes to you all

- Olaf