Let Them Speak: Author Harriet Marsden Discusses Women, Power, & What’s Holding You Back

Our June author is Harriet Marsden.

Harriet Marsden is a freelance journalist and editor. Previously a subeditor at The Times, she now works for a variety of publications, including The Independent, HuffPost, the Guardian, and Foreign Policy. Harriet can often be heard on the radio at stupid o’clock, reviewing the news and mocking politicians. She is also a feminist commentator and contributing author to DK’s The Feminism Book.

Hobbies include reading, swimming, and Broadway musicals (she can do all the raps from Hamilton). Harriet has a bachelor’s in languages from the University of Cambridge and a master’s in international journalism from City University, London. She lives in South London with a cat, two birds, and innumerable plants.

Harriet can be found tweeting at @harriet1marsden

Want to buy Harriet’s book, Don’t Lose Your Head? Get it here.

Tell us a little about your writing journey.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved to read and write. More than anything else, I love books and words and people’s stories on a page. It’s the physical embodiment of humanity. Of course, when I got a little older and realized that it paid like sh*t, I became a journalist instead. Which didn’t pay any better, in fairness, but at least it gave me an excuse to be a nosy drunken gossip.

I’ve personally always been fascinated by King Henry VIII & all his wives! But I’d never heard of a telling from the women’s perspective (I had to Google Six). How did you decide to write a book from the ladies’ perspective – was it inspired purely by the musical? Or was there other inspiration as well?

I owe a massive amount to bestselling British historical fiction writer, Philippa Gregory. I read The Other Boleyn Girl when it came out about 20 years ago and it completely opened my eyes to a whole new Tudor perspective. I’ve been hooked on the wives of Henry VIII and their stories ever since and read all her books multiple times. Add a show stopping musical like Six to 20 years of committed feminism and there you have it! I want the women of history to finally have their say. The men had the stage for long enough.

I want the women of history to finally have their say.

Each of the women has a distinct voice in the book. How did you develop those voices?

It’s partly linguistic – Catherine of Aragon was a Spanish native speaker who originally spoke to her husband in French and Latin, a child of Holy War, while Anne Boleyn was determined to be flirtatiously French and modern. Anna of Cleves barely spoke a word of English when she was brought to Henry, and Katherine Howard was an almost illiterate young girl with limited vocabulary.

Catherine Parr was a proud Northern woman who used lots of wonderful little phrases from her upbringing, alongside the high religious imagery of a deeply spiritual scholar. Jane Seymour was harder to pin down, as so little was written about her while she was alive and so much was informed by her deification after she died. And how much of her reportedly meek, placid speech was a deliberate attempt to counteract Anne’s Gallic temper?

But a lot is known about each woman’s style: her fashion choices, her religious inclination, her interests. As I got to know them a bit, I tried to imagine how they’d look at the world, and how they might tell their stories. But ultimately, there’s a lot of guesswork. You do as much research as you can to find the facts, and then you have to use your imagination.

I love the pieces throughout the book that aren’t text: the profiles, the Did You Know sections, and the sassy snippets almost like a text message! What was your process for finding and including those in the book?

I decided early on to give each queen a profile, a bit like a dating app bio, with the basic facts to guide the reader and to contextualise them in the chronology. I thought they’d be the easiest bit to write. I was horribly mistaken on that front. In many cases, historians disagreed on names, dates, even spellings – and there’s so much we’ll never know for sure. So I tried, wherever possible, to base the bullet-points on where there was most consensus. But the profiles were an absolute headache.

I tried to imagine how they’d look at the world, and how they might tell their stories.

The ‘Did You Know’ trivia sections are made up of titbits that I discovered about each woman as I researched their lives and legacies but couldn’t otherwise fit into the stories of their marriages. Those are the bits that I would text my friends about.

The snippets of interruption came later – when I realized that so many of their stories overlapped in real life. I needed to find a way of communicating that while still letting each queen have the mic in turn. Those were fun to write because I could let my inner bitch run riot.

You say in the Forward that Anna of Cleves who’s your “favorite” queen – was she also your favorite section of the book to write?

The opposite, if anything! We know relatively little about her, and what we do know is so twisted by the poisonous briefing against her by Henry’s team. Plus, from what we do know it seemed that she lived her best life out of the spotlight, after Henry. That’s great for her – not so great for historians.

Everything you need to know about Henry, what he was and what he became – and why - you can learn from the transition from Catherine to Anne.

My favourite section to write was Catherine of Aragon’s; that’s where the meat of the story is. Everything you need to know about Henry, what he was and what he became – and why - you can learn from the transition from Catherine to Anne. Remember they were married for the best part of a quarter century – and Catherine was a great ruler and queen in her own right.

Describe your writing and/or creative process.

I read a lot, I think a lot about what I’ve read, I draft sentences and phrases in my head while I’m doing something that physically stops me from writing, like running or swimming or taking a shower. I make notes on my phone while on the Tube.

Then after I’ve procrastinated beyond all possible comprehension, I sit down and bash bits out in long, intense stretches of coffee haze and biscuit crumbs. For the last bit, my best friend moved in with me and made sure I ate and washed. He has requested that I do not write a book again.

As you note, this isn’t a history book, but there is A LOT of history involved! What was the research process like & how did you translate that into so many (funny & witty) voices?

There are several modern historians, for example Lady Antonia Fraser and Alison Weir, who have basically read everything in existence about the Tudors and have written impeccable, meticulous anthologies. I leaned very heavily on those. So, they did all the work. That’s my research tip – identify the best authors and the best texts, and then read those.

That’s my research tip – identify the best authors and the best texts, and then read those.

I also had to read quite a lot of the male historians with a pinch of salt the size of Texas – particularly David Starkey. But ultimately, I just tried to immerse myself in the whole Tudor world – lot of historical fiction, lots of Philippa Gregory, lots of looking at paintings and royal palaces and thinking about stomachers. What did people eat? What did they wear? What were their day-to-day lives actually like? Most importantly, who was shagging who?

What was your biggest writing obstacle and how did you overcome it?

It’s almost… fear of the computer. Like genuinely, the fear of sitting down at my desk or laptop and actually cracking on. Procrastination verging on phobia. I get around that by easing myself into the writing process, with notes and texts and tweets – anything that I can do without opening my laptop.

Also, reading! The more you read, the more your brain wakes up. I also don’t try to impose much structure – if I feel like writing late at night, or first thing in the morning, or on the train, that’s when I do it. Go with your gut. Plus, coffee. I’ve rarely met a writer who wasn’t basically a caffeinated wreck.

What is the part of your published work or writing process you are most proud of?

When my friends and family received their copy of the book and read the acknowledgment section. When I could put down in print, for posterity, how much they mean to me and how much of what I do is entirely down to them. That I wouldn’t write a word without them. That was the best moment.

When my friends and family received their copy of the book and read the acknowledgment section.

I would write ten more books just for that feeling. Also, when I read reviews from people who I’ve never met, sometimes thousands of miles away, who say they enjoyed the book and that it gave them a whole new perspective or interest. Getting messages from readers is a total delight.

Do you have any new writing projects in the works? If so, would you tell us a little about them?

Yes, but you’ll have to wait and see because my editor will go bananas.

What’s the biggest piece of advice you would give to aspiring writers?

This might sound counterintuitive, but you do not have to be a so-called “good writer” – whatever that means – to be a published one. Sometimes all you need is a good story and an open-mind – and a shit-hot editor.

You do not have to be a so-called “good writer” – whatever that means – to be a published one.

Good writing is very subjective, and there are all sorts of different styles and tastes and audiences. Also, writing can be a solitary hellscape, so surround yourself with good people and ask them for help. You don’t have to do it alone.

What would you say to someone who’s thinking about writing a book, but isn’t quite sure if they can?

Anyone can write a book. Absolutely anyone. Even if you’re illiterate, you can dictate one. There is nothing stopping you – except yourself. Think you don’t have time? Write a sentence a day on the commute. Don’t have an idea? Write about something that interested you, or something you dreamt about, or saw in the street.

Don’t think anyone will want to read it? Self-publish – your family will read any old crap if it has your name on it. And every time you think you can’t, just remember the worst book you ever read. That absolutely steaming pile of baloney that should never have been published. If that prick can get an advance, so can you.

Every time you think you can’t, just remember the worst book you ever read. That absolutely steaming pile of baloney that should never have been published. If that prick can get an advance, so can you.

If you would like to purchase Harriet Marsden’s Book, Don’t Lose Your Head , you can find a copy here.

If you know an author (or of an author) you would love to read an interview with, email me at rachel@capturingyourconfidence.com or submit a suggestion through the contact page!