Hello everyone,

General:
This is the first time that Betty – our new member – has been able to join in something actually on time, instead of catching up. I’ve sent her all the back circulars from this year, and I hope it has not overwhelmed her. As she has also received all the ‘chat’ email as well, she is certainly kept informed.

Tara and her husband market a range of fragrant products, and she has asked me if she may send you all an email regarding them. As we don’t want to turn commercial, but it’s also nice to know what our members do, I have suggested that she circulate in a few days from now an email with FRAGRANCES in the subject box. That will enable those of you who are definitely not interested to delete the email before reading it. On the other hand, if you are interested, even if only out of curiosity, it is there for you to read.

Courses:
Now that my email address is on the website, I have received a note about courses that are being offered. I have no doubt that you’ll see many courses, but you can check out the details offered by going to her website. (There’s one in Croatia, which sounds nice, but I have to ask does a beautiful location actually help writers?)

--------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Writers

Below please find a sampling of some of the creative writing courses I am offering in 2008 which may be of interest to you and your writers' group. They include a "So You Want to Write a Novel" course, a "From Novel to Play" weekend workshop and a "Creative Writing for Fact and Fiction" in London. In June there will be an 8-day course in Croatia on the Isle of Mljet. If you need further information, click/paste on the web link below each workshop.

If you have any questions, feel free to ring to see which course might best suit you.

Best wishes

Anne

Anne Aylor's Creative Writing Courses
46 Beversbrook Road
London N19 4QH
tel: 0207 263 0669
email: anne@anneaylor.co.uk
web: www.anneaylor.co.uk

Challenges:
The response to Challenges has been good. Sue is now sending round the results of Challenge 2, and John will be sending round the next batch of judging for Challenge 3, while Geoff’s Challenge 4 looks a great challenge!

The judging system is interesting, and I am writing a short article about it. As soon as I get a further batch of judging (for Challenge 3) I’ll complete it and submit it to Writers News. However, I’ll send it to one of you for comments before I do: If I send it to all of you, I’ll get overwhelmed, and not be able to fit them, all in!

Anthology:
I have just 6 contributions for the anthology. Now please can you either let me have a contribution, or promise me one by the next ALPHA Day (December 6th) or write and tell me that you won’t have one.

I feel that I must close the list of contributions, and not let it drag on indefinitely. I’d still like to put them in book form and send them out by conventional post.

Writers' Log:
It’s good to see that members are active in general writing activity. I’m trying to increase my output this winter, but there isn’t enough time to do everything. I’m sure most of you feel the same. As far as I’m concerned, this dry autumn spell has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that it means I can get all the garden work as far advanced as possible (I think I’ve done that – I’m just burning leaves now, having cut the bamboo), but it means that inside work such as writing gets left. I usually do that when the weather’s unfit to work outside.

Discussion topic:
Still no comments on the idea of a novella stories, so I guess there isn’t much interest.

However, never daunted, I’ll throw something else for comment and discussion. Has anyone ever tried computer software for novel writing? I’ve got a copy of one particular brand (I’ve had it a year) but I can’t summon up enthusiasm to try it, mainly because I don’t really see what it can really offer. As I’m not in the throes of writing a novel at the moment, I’ve not got any impetus from that direction either.

Finally:
I was going to send you a copy of the story on telephone boxes that I wrote some 15 years ago – you can tell that by the description of the boxes and the fact that they contained telephone directories. Sadly, though, it’s on a floppy disk which appears to have corrupted – so until I can solve that, it’ll have to wait. You might get it at any time.

There is no Alpha Day 4.4c this time: has anyone got any story or writing they’d like to circulate?.

- Olaf