What does it matter, if we tell the same old stories? ...Stories tell us who we are. What we’re capable of. When we go out looking for stories we are, I think, in many ways going in search of ourselves, trying to find understanding of our lives, and the people around us. Stories, and language tell us what’s important.

Kameron Hurley

Categorized in : Thinking People Understanding

Let’s just put it this way: if you think there’s a thing – anything – women didn’t do in the past, you’re wrong.

Kameron Hurley

way past thinking

Life was what you did with what was done to you.

Kameron Hurley

done

Shaka Zulu had an all-female force of fighters. Women have been part of every resistance movement. Women dressed as men and went to war, went to sea, and participated actively in combat for as long as there have been people.

Kameron Hurley

sea men war

It was strange how you didn’t realise how much you loved a place until you had lost it completely.

Kameron Hurley

realising strange lost

We must rewrite our story from one of fear to one of celebration.

Kameron Hurley

celebration stories

Know that you're gonna screw up, and be OK with it, and do better next time.

Kameron Hurley

better know you time

I started writing books because I couldn't find the books I wanted to read on the shelf.

Kameron Hurley

books find because writing

We don't fall in love with perfect people. We fall in love with complex ones.

Kameron Hurley

perfect love people fall

Historically, science-fiction and fantasy literature is no stranger to controversy, but it has learned how to adapt and endure.

Kameron Hurley

adapt how fantasy literature

The reality is that much of the stuff you see in film, television, comics, and children's cartoons got its start inside the inspired, disruptive halls of science-fiction and fantasy literature.

Kameron Hurley

start you children reality

I've always been interested in the politics of war. War is one of those things that, the longer I studied it, the more illogical it seemed.

Kameron Hurley

things always politics war

I started writing 'God's War' knowing that I wanted to write about real people on a resource-strapped planet at perpetual war.

Kameron Hurley

god writing war people

I can't change the preconceived notions a reader brings to a work, but I can do my best to be aware of, address, and subvert tropes and expectations that readers may have as best I can and hope I don't screw it up too much.

Kameron Hurley

best change hope work

I think anger of any kind is valuable. It's all about learning how to channel it. The worst thing we can do is get bored or complacent or worse - suppress our anger and then see it burst forth in unhealthy ways.

Kameron Hurley

see think learning anger

Short fiction isn't my natural form. It's taken a lot of work over the years to finally feel more comfortable writing stories under 80,000 words!

Kameron Hurley

short words feel work

This is the biggest trick of the sort of thing I write: creating fun, powerful stories with tons of interesting stuff going socially and culturally that doesn't overly confuse the reader.

Kameron Hurley

going powerful fun interesting

Being a writer, writing for a living, is one long persistence game. Everyone wants you to quit. Quite often, you want to quit. You get kicked down. You come up swinging. You keep going. Either you are committed to it, or you aren't.

Kameron Hurley

game you keep-going long

As for the best '80s action movie, I'm going to be predictable here and say 'Die Hard.' I watch that movie at least twice a year. Perfect script.

Kameron Hurley

die best perfect action

People interest me a lot: why we are kind, why we are cruel, how we learn the difference, what makes us act in ways contrary to those we've been socialized with.

Kameron Hurley

difference how me people

It's easier to say people are crazy than to try to figure out why.

Kameron Hurley

say try crazy people