Goodreads asked Neil Russell:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Neil Russell The trite answer is to "just write." But if you're asking the question, you're already doing that, and those that dream about seeing their stories in print deserve a more thoughtful response. Over the years, I've been the decision-maker for thousands of pieces of writing, and again and again, new writers make the same mistake. They like science fiction, so they write science fiction, etc. That's fine if your intended audience is you and perhaps your parrot, but unless you're a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy, if you want to sell your work, write something only you know about. Right now, tens of thousands of people are sitting at their computers trying to be Bradbury... or Nick Sparks... or Grisham. But not one of them--even the famous ones--can write YOUR story because only YOU know it. So that's the one to tell. You'd be surprised at the number of unknown writers who did just that and are now household names.

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