Well, that's what I thought until I switched on my PC last evening and found 48 emails on this address alone! Serves me right for getting mixed up with those who like spilling out words - but they are of exceptional quality, of course!

There are one or two things I'd like to add to this circular, but I'll send these out shortly, perhaps over the weekend - I want to get this info out to you on time, as I'm sure you all want to read of the first challenge voting!

Grant:
As I said in my Alpha day 2 Circular, we succeeded in gaining a grant for publishing our experiences in book form. I have circulated a first outline of what the book might containĀ - and I am awaiting comments about my suggestions. I'm aware that they may well change my outline. I am trying to ensure that everyone contributes something individually: each member will have at least something reproduced in the challenges, and will have contributed to an article. That is important in my view, because the strength of Alpha has been that all members have contributed so strongly to the activities.

I know I have suggested to some of you that you might like to summarise some discussions, but for those members, I will send you the records of the relevant discussions which I have on my PC. It still means that most of the book is already written, and needs compiling and editing for which I will ask members' assistance. In that way it won't be too onerous.

I have now actually received the money!!

Website?
One of the items in my budget for the grant was to include a sum for promotion - an advert or two in Writers Magazines, and I had in mind the setting up of an information website. I have now purchased a domain name, and Sally is using her experience in setting it up. We should decide what our policy about what we should put on it, and I am fielding your comments at the moment.

The website is: www.alphawriters.net - Have a look at it!

Writers News
I have written to Jonathan Telfer with this information (Grant and Website), and asking him to include it in the first available edition (which I think will be the January issue - sent out in the second week of December). So we should aim to get something suitable on the website for the beginning of December.

Future Alpha Day Circulars
I would like this section of circulars to start to contain contributions from members. Useful writing hints go into the Learning Curve and Writers Log, but there are other items which can be shared - interesting and widening our knowledge and appreciation of our language and literature. For instance, how about some words you've come across - or perhaps some curiously exaggerated sentences or even grotesque viewpoints!

To show you what I mean, I'll set the ball rolling with a couple of words:

Now I'm sure you all know what a farrier is: yes, he's the chap that puts shoes on horses, and living in the country as I've done all my life, I've known lots of farriers. But I've never known what to call his business! Apparently it's called farriery: It a seemingly difficult word to pronounce even reasonably well.

I have recently been reading the "Great Britain" Times - the ship's newspapers printed on the run from Melbourne to Liverpool in 1865 - and came across the word stultiloquence. To talk about someone's stultiloquence is much nicer than saying "talking drivel". I hadn't come across the word before, but I suppose in a three-month voyage it was probably second nature to describe the conversation of the passengers.

Regular challenge:
See the Challenges page for details of this month's regular challenge - and the results of the last one!

As you will all have been assessing the entries for Challenge 1, you will, I hope, agree with me that the standard of entries is encouragingly high. In fact, from comments I've received, it seems that you have found it as hard as I have to choose the best (out of the fourteen assessments I received, there were no fewer than 11 different best entries nominated! I'm sure that we ought to include one or two of these on our website. The final selection of the winners and the full list of comments is on the attachment to this circular. I am now receiving entries for Challenge 2, and by the time you get this Circular, I should have them all.

I want to maintain as high a standard as possible and so the challenges will not be easy, although usually short.

Longitudinal experiment:
Continuing under John's guidance.

Group Creative Writing:
In the last Circular, I set out the kind of group book to aim for this time. I should now be getting the gender and age of the character you intend to be the lead character in your "chapter". As soon as I get all of these, I will sort them into some sort of pattern for you to think of the next stage of writing, but I've only had six to date.

Discussion:
I want ideas for discussion, and the first that I'm throwing into the ring is:

"Inspiration - Where are you in your stories?"

My initial comments: I've now written over 50 short stories, and some longer and some shorter pieces of fiction. But everything I write has a personal experience in it as a significant (although it may be only a setting) feature. In fact, when I look back at what I've written, I think that almost always my creativity starts from a realistic personal experience, and then makes its way through a series of fictional events and occurrences. I don't believe that I could ever build on something totally imaginary.

Do other members have the same sort of approach?

Any comments, please send to everyone with Creativity on the subject box.

Best wishes to you All,

- Olaf