An Interview with C. J. Cherryh
Interview conducted c. early 2010s
Introduction
C. J. Cherryh is one of the most influential voices in modern science fiction and fantasy, author of more than sixty novels and a four-time recipient of the Hugo Award. Her work is widely recognized for its deep political complexity, rigorous worldbuilding, and uncompromising focus on character relationships and cultural systems.
This interview was conducted during a period when Cherryh was actively expanding several of her long-running fictional universes, including the Foreigner series. Rather than addressing publication or career milestones, the conversation centers on fundamental craft principles—character tension, narrative focus, the nature of plot, and the discipline required to sustain long-form storytelling.
Cherryh’s responses are concise, incisive, and often provocative. She rejects romantic notions of inspiration in favor of clarity, focus, and lived experience, offering a rare glimpse into the working philosophy of a writer whose influence extends across generations of speculative fiction.
This interview is preserved as part of the Better Storytelling Archive, documenting the voices and working methods of creators who reshaped the possibilities of genre storytelling.
The Interview
Life as a Writer
How did you get into writing?
I ran out of stories to read, and they took Flash Gordon off the air: I was 10.
When did you first realize that you have what it takes to be a writer?
I never asked myself that. I just have always done it; it cost me a social life as a teen, but I couldn’t stop doing it. And college was a pain because I didn’t have time to do it. When I got a career and a life, I started it again. Writing isn’t a calling, it’s an addiction, closely related to reading.
Premise
Where do you get your ideas from?
Living, traveling, studying history, studying the future, and just sitting by the pond thinking.
How do you develop your ideas into a story?
Put two characters who won’t get along into the same room and lock the door.
Genre
What kind of stories do you enjoy working with?
Science fiction and fantasy.
What genres would you like to explore in the future?
(No response given.)
Structure
Do you work from an outline?
I make an outline only because I have an actual life and get interrupted so often I have to outline so I remember what I was going to do. Methodology varies wildly from book to book—any time you ask me “how,” I’ll say “On which book?” But I’ve even just added dialogue into one outline and had a novel, once I changed the tenses.
Plot
How do you build your story?
Plot isn’t events. It’s tension between the characters. You can move events around quite easily. What triggers what when isn’t it—eminently replaceable and reorganizable. It’s all in the constellation of characters and the lines of tension and obligation between them.
Character
For you, what makes a great hero?
I’m not sure “hero” describes all my protagonists, or that they’d be happy with the title: some have a bit of a dark side. But if you want to know what makes a good lead, it’s the person whose thoughts and actions make the best story to follow. It’s the one that makes things happen.
If one of your characters were to describe you, what would he or she say?
Bitch.
Setting
How much time do you spend researching the setting for your stories?
I make it up. I collect things. I study history. I can make one up as I sit here. That’s easy.
What settings would you like to explore in the future?
Dunno. Jane and I have talked about using an ancient Egyptian in one of her vampire novels, which is set in Seattle. We might collaborate.
Theme
Do you like to know the purpose of your story before you sit down to write it?
Something important to remember is “What is this story ABOUT, anyway?” If you don’t know, you’re in trouble.
Dialogue
Do you have any favorite lines from your stories?
“Ignorance killed the cat. Curiosity was framed.”
Writing Process
Do you have a routine?
I write full-time, mostly in the morning and early afternoon, and I watch the science channels.
How do you deal with writer’s block?
It’s not an external problem: it’s a writer letting the external world into that area a writer needs to keep private. My advice is—back the world off. Do what you have to do, then reclaim your time, your mind, your attention, and calm down so you feel the idea flow happen.
Story Development
How do you go about fixing a story?
As if it’s broke? I slice off the part with the problem, go back before the problem, and write forward, avoiding that incident and creating a new one. Incidents are replaceable.
How do you know when to stop?
At 110,000 words, if you don’t remotely have an end in sight, you’d better find one and call it a trilogy.
Words of Advice
What words of advice would you give to new writers?
Write. Classes are not as good as practice. Theory will do you no good. I never had a writer’s course, but ended up teaching one, and I still don’t know what they needed. Experience, mostly. If they were looking for me to supply the drive, clear their time, keep their kids out of their writing space, or deal with their social life, I couldn’t help.
Final Thoughts
What’s the best thing you’ve ever written?
Whatever I’m working on at the moment. One of the works I like best is my first, Gate of Ivrel, and one that I’m really proud of is Cyteen. But I’m fond of every one of my universes.
What were you working on at the time of this interview?
A Foreigner book—which is also very good.
Closing
This interview preserves the voice of a writer whose influence on science fiction and fantasy extends far beyond individual works. It is presented here as part of the Better Storytelling Archive, honoring the discipline, clarity, and uncompromising craft of one of genre fiction’s defining figures.