Tag Archives: HNS Conference

A Deeply Bogus Genre

13 Tuesday Sep 2016

Posted by in History, Stories

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

tlsSo the Times Literary Supplement was in Oxford for the HNS Conference, in the person of Michael Caines, who covered “us” with a nice set of musings about what goes on behind the curtain of historical fiction.

He quotes from an essay of Toby Litt’s, affectionately calling HF a “deeply bogus” oxymoron of genre, in that its trick is done by conjoining “what was with what might have been”.  Continue reading →

Oxford Thoughts

06 Tuesday Sep 2016

Posted by in Scribbling

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

oxfordSo I’m home.

I’ve had three wonderful days at the lovely and impeccably managed HNS Conference. As I said, it was my first writing conference, so I have no term of comparison – but Richard Lee, Carol McGrath and Jenny Barden created something so very stimulating, well-thought and friendly… I loved every minute of it. I met all sorts of interesting people, attended great talks and lectures, learned a good deal… and I pitched my novel. Twice.

The feedback has been most interesting… Continue reading →