It’s been such an eventful last few weeks I’m having difficulty getting everything down to share with you.
The deadline for the December issue has come and gone now and submissions are now open until December 31, 2013 for the March issue. The stories for the December issue have been culled down to 25 and and are now in the hands of the story selection committee. As always, this wasn’t an easy process. For those that won’t be published, please know that your efforts are appreciated.
Both the Apple and the Android apps are now available and it never ceases to surprise me where people hear about us. The app has been downloaded in several Asian countries as well as North America, South Africa, Australia, UK and Western Europe.
You can find our Android app by clicking on this link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.yudu.ReaderAIR3922302 and our Apple app can be found by searching for Ficta Fabula in their app store.
While in England I was fortunate enough to visit some fairly stunning places. Going to see Phantom of the Opera in London had been a dream of mine for decades and to see it realized on Monday September 9th at Her Majesty’s Theatre - well, I had to pinch myself several times to ensure I wasn’t dreaming. I fell in love with London – the beautiful buildings, the availability of shops, the activity and the ease with which you can walk around. I’m looking forward to exploring it more in the future.
A little bit of Old London
Besides spending time in my Dad’s home town of Grimsby / Cleethorpes (the two are separated by a line on the road) I also went to Durham and York and of course Harrogate where I met with some members of the Harrogate Writers’ Circle.
The Pier at Cleethorpes
Durham is an ancient city that I’ve been fortunate enough to climb the Cathedral steps (325 up and 325 down) twice with my cousin Lynn. When climbing the steps you appreciate the workmanship that it took all those hundreds of years ago to achieve. The steps were actually carved and as you go higher and higher, the narrower the staircase gets. I can assure you though that the view from the top is worth the effort of climbing up 217 ft . The countryside is beautiful with so much going on in such a small place. Durham town centre was also wonderful with all the market stalls and tiny little alleys - you can definitely see why this country is the backdrop to so many fabulous stories.
Durham Cathedral
The city of York has got to be one of the most ancient and storied cities of north England. Going back to medieval times, many a British monarch felt the best way to hold on to their reign was to forge an alliance in some way with the leaders of York. York was also quite often the first city that Scottish kings and queens looked to conquer when planning an invasion of their southern neighbour. In this wonderful and highly historic place there is the magnificent York Minster. York Minster, while massive in size, doesn’t overwhelm the city but sits there like a steady beam of support. Of course sitting in behind the fabled Shambles, one can see why it’s not as imposing as it might have been.
The Shambles in York
Harrogate is one of the most enchanting places I’ve ever seen. It oozes the English charm that I’ve always imagined and was incredibly picturesque. It wasn’t that difficult to navigate either as I only got a little lost a couple of times.
A lovely street in Harrogate
I had a very enjoyable evening with the Writer’s Circle where I had an opportunity to speak face to face with authors. The Writers’ Circle has been around for over 60 years and has much to boast about. They have many published authors in their midst and a strong and supportive environment for budding authors. Their website is: http://harrogatewriters.weebly.com/index.html.
Some members of the Harrogate Writers' Circle. L to R: Joan Reed, Rodney Noon, Me, John Chilton
Having the opportunity to meet with some of the group face to face, I was able to hear about some of the trials and tribulations that authors face when trying to either hone their craft or promote their work. I’m not sure that I could offer much by way of suggestions but could only talk to what I see as a publisher for this magazine. Authors, rightfully so, want to to know why their work wasn’t accepted by a publisher and I can honestly tell you that’s a difficult question to answer. In the case of Pages Of Stories Publishing and Ficta Fabula, if the story doesn’t meet the criteria (word count, essays instead of fiction stories, etc.) then I will give that feedback. I believe every story has the potential to be published and there can be a myriad of reasons why it hasn’t been picked up. The story may not be complete and have left some unanswered questions, there may not have been enough character development, and in the case of a short story - perhaps the characters went through a change too quickly. Keep in mind that publisher’s make mistakes too - J.K. Rowling went to 13 or 14 different publishers before she found one wise enough to see the potential in Harry Potter.
The publishing business is particularly tricky right now. We have major publishers struggling to stay afloat, we have small independent publishers trying to make a go of it and in amongst it all we have a new way of distributing stories through electronic media. We’re all trying to find our way through this new environment and for authors and publishers alike there are some commonalities to be successful.
1) Believe in yourself and your product.
2) Be persistent.
3) Be open minded when you get feedback.
Actually, I think that applies to many areas of life. There are so many talented authors out there and so much need for highly imaginative and creative work, my goal is to link the readers of the work with the people that create it.
Getting back to the challenges that some authors face, all I can suggest is to get feedback from fellow authors, editors, family and friends. Every story has potential with the enough work and the right environment, they’ll all find their place in the sun.
Please feel free to send an email or comment on our blog or Facebook page (Pages Of Stories FB page) about what you love to read or write.
Take care and happy reading!
Darlene Poier
Publisher, Ficta Fabula
Inspiring Creativity and Imagination
A wholly owned subsidiary of Pages Of Stories, Inc.
www.fictafabula.com
www.pagesofstories.com
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