Meet Wench Guest - Helen Hollick!

Nicola here. Today it's my huge pleasure to welcome to the blog historical novelist Helen Hollick. Helen has a rich and varied writing (and life!) experience, summed up in her own words as: “I wrote pony stories as a teenager, moved to science-fiction and fantasy, and then discovered historical fiction. Published for over twenty years with my Arthurian Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy, and the 1066 era book Harold The King (UK title)/I Am the Chosen King (US title), I became a USA Today bestseller with Forever Queen.” Helen also writes the Sea Witch Voyages, pirate-based fantasy adventures, so if you enjoy the Pirates of the Caribbean films, they should be right up your street (or quayside)!

Today, Helen is going to talk about a fascinating subject, the question of what makes writers write. Maybe we all have different answers to this and it will be interesting to see in the comments what everyone thinks. She also speaks up very fervently and persuasively for the hero that was Harold Godwinson and transports us to Saxon England.

Over to Helen, who asks: Why Do We Do It?

Writing that is. What is it that makes writers write? It certainly isn’t the possible fortune (unless you’re one of the rare multi-million best sellers. Which most of us aren’t). Nor is it the fame, most of us, particularly where historical fiction is concerned, are not ‘household names’ – although that isn’t for want of trying!

The answer is somewhat similar to asking a mountaineer ‘why climb Everest?’ The answer is usually, ‘because it’s there.’ For us it is the same sort of thing but in reverse: we write because the story we want to tell isn’t there. Writing stories, books, novels (whatever you want to call it) is compulsive. We get an idea and it squats in our mind, expanding and taking shape, morphing into something so large that it cannot be ignored. The characters troop in, and then the plot (or sometimes the other way round). But once those characters have been given life, it is darn hard to be rid of them. They are inclined to nag. Persistently. The only way to exorcise them is – write their story.

For me, writing Harold The King (titled I Am The Chosen King in the USA – same book, different title) was what is commonly termed ‘a lightbulb moment’. I had completed my first trilogy, my version of the Arthurian legend, and the publisher wanted something else. But what? What could I do next? I was a relative newcomer back then in the 1990s, inexperienced, nervous, not very confident. King Arthur had not been easy to research, because there are no facts about him – let’s face it, he probably never even existed!

I based my trilogy on the period of the going of the Romans and the coming of the Anglo-Saxons, the 400-500s A.D. I researched Roman Britain and early Anglo-Saxon England as best I could, and for the rest, I made it up. For my fourth novel, however, I wanted something more concrete for historical accuracy. I searched through several academic text books and one thing struck me, over and over. English history seemed to always start with the Norman Conquest. There would be a brief mention of Alfred the Great, a little of Æthelred the Unready, then a condescending annihilation of how poor a commander Harold II was – and how wonderful William of Normandy, the founder of the equally as wonderful Plantagenets was.

Hmm. I didn’t agree with that. I was rather fond of Harold. He had, after all, built the Saxon church at Waltham Abbey, Essex, my neighbouring town back then. At around the same time I went on a day trip to Battle Abbey in Sussex. The abbey dominates  a little town called ‘Battle’ because, well, that’s where the battle was. THE battle. The Battle of Hastings between Bill and ’Arold.

That same week I had a vivid dream. It was one of those dreams that rolled out like watching a movie. The scenery was vivid, I could  see three men riding their horses beside a river, could hear the younger two arguing, the older one, their father, telling them to stop squabbling. Then the scene changed to a young woman, little more than a girl, hiding beneath the trees on the far bank, watching them. I knew, simply knew, that this was Edyth Swanneck who was to become the common-law wife of Harold Godwinson, Earl of Essex and later, King of England. Knew, just as firmly, that these men were Earl Godwin and two of his sons, Tostig and Harold. (This dream eventually became chapter two of my novel).

And that was it. The questions started flooding into my mind. Why did history start at 1066? Why was Harold so often made out to be a poor commander, a man who made mistakes and lost England to the Duke of Normandy? Why in 1066 did Harold set Edyth aside, after twenty or so years of marriage and at least six children, in order to take another as his queen? Why was he king anyway? And why – how – did Edyth have the courage to walk among the thousands of the dead to find what remained of the man she loved? For that was another myth. Harold II, our rightful King of Saxon England was not killed by an arrow in the eye, but was hacked to death by four of William’s cronies. And Edyth had to identify his remains amongst that dreadful carnage on a hill in Sussex, seven miles from the sea.

I started to research, unravelling all the Norman victory propaganda, and discovered a man who ended up as my hero, a man who cared for his country, his kingdom and for the woman he loved. A man who was overtaken by circumstances, and a man who gave his life defending his realm, and his people, from a tyrant who had no right whatsoever to invade, and as it turned out, terrorise England under his ruthless rule.

So back then in 1999, why did I write my novel about Harold Godwinson, the last English King of England? All these years later, I think it is probably still the best novel I have written, and, Harold is still, very much, my hero.

But I wrote it because his was a story that had not been told.

And I wanted to tell it.

Helen Hollick is the author of Harold the King (UK edition title) / I am the Chosen King (US edition title) the story of the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings

Available via Helen’s Amazon Author Page:

http://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick

Website: www.helenhollick.net

Newsletter Subscription: http://tinyletter.com/HelenHollick

Main Blog: www.ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com

Twitter: @HelenHollick

You can find out more about stepping back into Saxon England with authors Annie Whitehead and Helen Hollick here.

Thank you very much, Helen, for visiting the Wenches today, for sharing your thoughts on why writers write, and for making such a compulsive case for King Harold II. Our question for Wench readers today:

If you are a writer, why do you write? And if you are a reader, which historical stories would you like to see told, either for the first time or in a different way?

Comments

[Nicola Cornick]

I'm posting on behalf of Helen, who isn't able to access the comments via Chrome but was keen to say:

"Thank you Nicola and The Word Wenches for hosting my article for Stepping Back Into Saxon England on this joint tour that I am adventuring on with author Annie Whitehead - do join us for the ongoing tour. I'm looking forward to reading the answers to your question!"

[Quantum]

I think that I would like to see more stories covering conceptual advancement. The replacement of the earth centered religious view of the universe with models developed by Copernicus, Kepler and Newton. Or perhaps the development of communication starting with cave drawings and rudimentary language. Also on the understanding of disease, perhaps development of vaccines with Jenner and cowpox. There seems to me to be a large area, loosely science based, which has hardly been covered in historical fiction which I for one would voraciously devour .... especially if audio versions were available!

I enjoyed Helen's discussion. Aren't most novels of Arthurian Britain largely based on Geoffrey of Monmouth's account, which many seem to dismiss as largely fictional anyway? The concept of writing something because it doesn't exist is very appealing .... it also drives scientific research where one tries to create understanding where it is currently lacking. Seems to be a nice unifying concept.😊

[Christina Courtenay]

Great post, Helen and Nicola! I totally agree that William the Conqueror had a very tenuous claim to the throne and I would have preferred Harold to win. On the other hand, he had just beaten my own favourites - the last of the Vikings led by Harald Hardrada - at Stamford Bridge so my allegiance is torn :-) I don't think there are any particular eras I would like more written about. My favourites are all well represented. But I very much enjoy it when historical novelists find some obscure character or fact that I didn't know about and weave a story out of that.

[Nicola Cornick]

Hello Christina, thank you for dropping by! I often wonder that there would not have been a conflict between Harold II and Harald Hardrada if it hadn't been for that traitorous Tostig - who undoubtedly stirred things up, possibly goading Hardrada into action. That man had a lot to answer for!
I agree with you about the obscure characters!
Helen

[Nicola Cornick]

Hello Quantum, thank you for dropping by and reading my article. That's a good suggestion, I'd be interested in reading a novel about Copernicus or Jenner ... or anyone along these lines, they would make fascinating novels!

Monmouth is thought to be one of the first writers to elaborately 'fictionalise' the Arthurian stories. I based my trilogy on the early Welsh Legends, which do not portray Arthur in such a Christian-based, chivalric, light but more as a 'Dark Age' warlord.
Helen

[Sue McCormick]

I am unable to think of stories that are "unknown" or misrepresented. But I am very, VERY glad that authors like Helen ARE able to do so!

[Kareni]

Welcome, Helen, and thank you for a thought provoking post! I have no ready reply for your question but will add a healthy ditto to Sue's reply above.

[Anne Gracie]

Nice interview, Helen and Nicola — thanks. I've just bought Harold — it sounds fascinating. I love alternative interpretations of history. I once saw a marvellous documentary about the Roman invasion of Wales, and it was a debate between two historians, one taking a pro-Roman view and the other the Welsh. The Roman historian would present his view of what happened, along with gorgeous reenactments, and then the Welsh historian would say "Absolute rubbish! This is what really happened." And it too would be reenacted. It was a brilliant illustration of how the same sources could be interpreted so differently.

It's interesting how some periods become popular and others don't. When I was a kid I devoured books by Henry Treece, who set his novels in all kinds of — I won't say unknown periods, but certainly they were much less visited in fiction. Some of his books have been republished as e-books and I've bought them and am planning to reread them.

[Nicola Cornick]

Oh thank you Sue, what a nice thing to say! Helen.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you Kareni - and ditto my reply :-) Helen

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you Anne Gracie - for replying and purchasing my book! (so a double thank you!) The book you mentioned sounds fascinating (thinks: take note it could be a good idea to 'borrow.'..) I too read Henry Treece - but my favourite was Rosemary Sutcliff: Eagle Of The Ninth, of course, but even better (I think) is Frontier Wolf and Mark Of The Horse Lord. Helen.

[Teresa Broderick]

Nicola, I'm glad to see it isn't just me. I've been using Chrome since it came out and now suddenly I can't access the comments section. I have to view this blog on Firefox now to be able to take part in the conversation.

[Janice]

I had the same problem accessing the comments using Chrome, but somebody must have done something, because tonight I can see them and catch up with all of you :)

[Nicola Cornick]

Hi Teresa, no it's definitely not you. I use Chrome too and couldn't access comments so we reported it to TypePad. Unfortunately they haven't been able to come up with a viable solution yet so I'm using a different browser for the Wenches now. I'm really sorry that there's a problem - I hope it doesn't put you off posting comments!

[Nicola Cornick]

Oh, that's so good to know, Janice! I will go in via Chrome and see if it's fixed now. I know they were working on a solution and we were hoping it wouldn't put people off commenting.

[Helen Hollick]

Thank you everyone for commenting - and again, thank you Nicola for being such a super host!