Writing Archives | Lucienne Boyce

On Gender, Writing, and Not Being Published

I’ve just read On Gender and Writing, a selection of essays edited by Michelene Wandor published in 1983. It was a fascinating look back at the 1980s, the era of …

A Continent of Great Extent: Writing To The Fair Land

Some of you may remember Pythagoras and his theorem from maths lessons at school – and if like me you weren’t keen on maths, then I’m sure he didn’t endear …

Fiction and the Historical Female

I’m delighted to welcome Helen Hollick, author of the fabulous Sea Witch Voyages series (pirates! white witches! adventure on the high seas!) onto the blog today. Helen discusses how she …

Writing Tough Heroines in a Different Way

Author Photo Rebecca Millar Photography I’m delighted to welcome self-confessed ‘Roman Nut’ Alison Morton to my blog today. Alison is the author of the stunning Roma Nova series – you …

Dickens and Chickens

On 17 April 1860, in fields near Farnborough, Charles Dickens joined an audience amongst whom were the Prince of Wales and the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, as well as a …

To celebrate the release of the SilverWood Selection Box, Lucienne Boyce answers some “frequently asked questions” about how she came to write The Bristol Suffragettes… SilverWood Books have put together …

Harriette Wilson and John Murray: Surviving the Brutal Rejection

In July I wrote a blog about bad reviews and how they have always been an occupational hazard for writers. (July 2014, Dismal Trash: The Time-Honoured Art of the Bad …

Xena Warrior Princess v Patient Griselda: Feisty Heroines in Historical Fiction

I had a wonderful time at the Historical Novel Society Conference in London last weekend (5-7 September 2014). There were some great panels and workshops, and it was lovely to …

Dismal Trash: The Time-Honoured Art of the Bad Review

Every writer knows they run the risk of receiving a bad review. Often the temptation to answer back is strong. The accepted advice is “don’t”, and I think this is …

A Crude and Cruel Age

I’ve been reading the Newfoundland Journal of Aaron Thomas, Able Seaman in HMS Boston. The voyage, which Thomas embarked on at the age of 32, lasted from 1794 to 1795. …

Merrily Merrily

So it’s a capital offence to use adverbs? It is, according to Elmore Leonard, who lays down the law in his book 10 Rules of Writing, to be published shortly. …