The guy is one of a handful of living "masters" in the genre, so I thought I'd link this brief interview. He comments on one issues that comes up around here a lot. Originality:
Interview here: Wednesday Wordsmith Author Interview – Gene Wolfe « Stephen C. Ormsby
Q: What themes are being overused?
A: I’m not conscious of any themes being overused. On that I might be wrong; but a good writer can usually see untouched possibilities in something that now seems done to death.
Interview here: Wednesday Wordsmith Author Interview – Gene Wolfe « Stephen C. Ormsby