The Alpha Collection is the first of a series of short stories (and one poem) I have written. They show the development of writing from my early works, and the development of some of my favourite themes and techniques. Essentially, the stories illustrate my early and continuing affinity towards characters vastly different from myself, as in The Streetwalker and "D.D., This Is Your Wake Up Call", or to use a an irregular style (as in the poem Monosyllables In Must) or point of view (as in Working Woman). The Project and Clouded Vision are perhaps more conventional, and are more about telling a story than experimentating with form.
In the first impression, the works are printed in the order given in the list below. However, below this list, I have given a chronological summary so that the development can be mapped and established.
(The Streetwalker, Monosyllables In Must and Working Woman all contain sexually explicit descriptions, and may cause offence to some readers.)
The Streetwalker was started in 1992 mainly as a character development improvisation. For a long time, it had no direction, until I resumed the piece in 1993. Again the story went in to hibernaton until October 1994, when the story was finally given an ending and published. Its development was purely from start to finish, and as such the style at the beginning perhaps a little unrefined, although I still think it sets the scene quite well. The story begins in a rather dark and sinister way, collapses into hopelessness, and twists towards the end, in a way representing the three phases of writing which created it.
The Project was written in one sitting in August 1993, and developed quickly into its final form. Essentially, it came from an idea I had been tossing around for a while, and was laid down as part of my English portfolio in Year 12. The story questions the philosophy of existence, and where artificial life should fit into the scheme of things.
Clouded Vision was also written in one sitting, immediately after the inspiration had hit. For if you don't at least sketch out the things that appear to you in a dream immediately, you are doomed to forget. The story was then polished and entered as part of the Judah Waten national story contest in September 1994, and was included as part of the Make-Believe storybook. Its exact meaning still eludes me, but its theme is the same as that of Make-Believe- unrequited love.
Monosyllables In Must came from an idea for an improvisation I found in a writer's manual, and was written on a summer's night in January 1995. Also, it is told from the point of view of a character I had been developing as an extended excercise dating back to 1991. However, she is not writing about herself, but reflecting on a fantasy she has.
"D.D., This Is Your Wake Up Call" was developed during 1995 and finalized in October 1996 after a long break. It is an extension of the character who wrote the poem Monosyllables In Must (not the chatacter in that poem), and describes her in a prosaic form.
Working Woman is a recent attempt at writing strong erotica. However, I was unable to resist a humourous ending. The story was written in January 1996.
This work is a part of the Kasoft Typesetting storybook The Alpha Collection
Kasoft is a registered trademark of Kasoft Software, owned by Kade Hansson.
Copyright 1993,1994,1995,1996,1997 Kade "Archer" Hansson; e-mail: archer@kaserver5.org
