I have read some comments on the Alexander’s Army website here expressing disappointment that one man (me) is behind the Twitter accounts that you see on the right hand side side-bar; as I am not a member of Alexander’s Army so am unable to comment there, I would like to address some of the issues raised here.
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Firstly, I am very sorry that anyone is disappointed or finds it ‘creepy’ that one person manages the various accounts. I am not tweeting Alexander and co’s journey across the world in order to scare anyone.
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So, why then do I write the four accounts?
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Principally, I write them because I want to see if Twitter can be used as a creative format, that is to say, as a means of writing/telling a story in the way a poem or novel can.
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Can it? Based on my own experience, I would say, yes; although, for my part, not without difficulty. It will probably not surprise you to learn that that difficulty comes from the fact that Twitter is meant to be a social media website rather than a new format for creative expression. Round pegs and square holes.
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Thus, while it feels very natural to write a conversation between two characters in a traditionally laid out short story on this blog, doing so on Twitter feels quite unnatural. This may be because Twitter is fundamentally unsuitable for use as a creative format or it may be that I am simply not very good at using it in that fashion. That’s really for the reader to decide. I am happy enough, though, to continue with the project for now (and, if all goes well, I shall continue until I reach the death of Alexander).
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Finally, the reason I have identified myself on this blog as the writer of the various accounts is for both a negative and positive reason.
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Negative: the continuing unnaturalness of the Twitter format has come to make me feel uncomfortable at the thought of anyone being forced to think that the accounts are the product of multiple people because I have totally hidden myself. I feel a responsibility to my readers to let them know who is behind what they are reading.
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Positive: I would simply like the accounts to be seen as this amateur writer’s creative effort to tell the story of Alexander and his friends. I don’t want to do that within the account, as is common with Twitter rôle playing accounts, as that would spoil the illusion, so here seemed to be the next best place.
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I have probably missed out as much from the comment thread on Alexander’s Army as I have referred to here so would be happy to answer queries in the comments below.
On Writing Alexander
Categories: Of The Moment
10 Comments
I see nothing negative about you writing all 4 accounts. Anyone who read carefully would have known that at least Alexander’s & Hephaisteon’ s accounts were written by the same person, and Ptolemy’s as someone wbo at least knew the other. I, as obvious from my tweets, thoroughly enjoy the illusion of being able to converse across time with these 3. Alexander & Hephaisteon are major influences on me. Likewise, I have never had many friends and gone through some difficulties in life, so though it may be pathetic, it is enjoyable to have a pseudo-friendship with these great men.
Was tyhere a problem? Who saw a problem? I think it is damned fine writing-interesting, informative, entertaining and evocative where history is concerned. In fact even if some things or all things had no basis is facts, to surmise what took place is as real as what did take place so fare removed. I am not a purist. I am a reader which is most important. As a writer, a poety-hell I make up my own words when I need to, much less sticking to facts. Do I care if there are multiple people writing it or not-no. I only ccare that someone has takern the time to do something interesting that I became aware of. End of story.Thanks.>KB
Jen,
I don’t think it is pathetic at all - any more than my wanting to write any of this is. If we take it in the right spirit, there is fun to be had in fiction, and truths to be found as well.
AOS
KB,
I would encourage you to read the original comments to get the full picture. I am very relaxed about the matter because at least one or two of the people who commented at Alexander’s Army are known to me from Twitter and they have been very good and kind followers of Alexander et al.
Further to the above, thank you for your comments and support. Ideally, I would like people to approach my creative writing here and on Twitter like they would a book. This may sound pompous of me but it is still true.
AOS
I found this really ridiculous. I have to admit, when I first found out this account and then Ptolemy’s and Hephaestion’s, I thought that different people were behind these accounts and I thought, well, isn’t that amazing? three or who knows how many people tweeting together, following the same history line. It is indeed a way to tell us a story- facts that actually happened or at least try to be as closest to reality as possible. And that’s what I liked the most. I’m in love with all the Alexander-related stuff and I can’t help but smiling every time these accounts reply to something that I’ve said, even if it is Ptolemy trying to sing a song or Alexander telling me how important Hephaestion is for him or they both trying to write something coherent out of drunkenness, I really feel some closeness to an era I would have loved to be part of. And the fact that it’s just one person taking control over those accounts doesn’t make it less important.
Of course with the time I found out that just one man was behind them, just one man, one king ruling all these accounts. I don’t think people need more than two eyes and a brain to realise that, do they?
Please keep doing this, it’s a fun way to learn. Thank you
Barbarie,
Thank you for your comment. I like being thought of as a king; it’s as close as I will be to one! You touch upon one of the other reasons I write all this - I’m so in love with Alexander and his times that I want other people to know about him as well. Fiction is what I am half good at so instead of writing text book style blog posts I use the narrative voice instead.
AOS
I think your blog is fun. It was nice while the mystery lasted but it’s your prerogative as an author to reveal yourself when you see fit.
I enjoy your new posts (stories) but miss the camp’s updates. I hope you’ll continue with those.
Delos13,
Thank you, you are very kind. I do intend to write more of the Camp Notices. They are long overdue a return so ‘watch this space’.
AOS
Why should you have to apologize for a work so well done ? And to a person who owns a community about Alexander and Hephaestion and who despises Hephaestion.
I was very aware that it could be the same person who wrote the 4 twitter accounts. But each was written with their own personality and as I thought the 4 of them would have written if they had expressed their feelings to a modern audience, about what happened to them in their times.
You have understood Alexander and Hephaestion’s relationship far more better than Oliver Stone and your Hephaestion is far more close to the historical one than the one portrayed in Alexander.Jared Leto is beautiful and talented but it’s not the way I imagine the real Hephaestion. Yours is more realistic.
Arethusa,
Thank you. You have paid me a big compliment. You are right about Jared Leto - he is an incredibly talented actor (and singer etc) but I think Oliver Stone could certainly have used him differently in the film. Mind you, he could have done a lot of things differently in that film.
AOS