Literary may be the wrong word. I'm heavily influenced by works of science fiction and low fantasy, not just in books but on TV. I've studied the Twilight Zone collection -- all four versions -- and I love finding prompts inside stories. Then, when the right prompt comes along, it's all about finding the strange angle no one else has.

TT and FMF are great practice for that because it's taking a start that's more open and working with it. I will say that's one issue I have with some prompts -- a lot of beginner prompts tell the story in the prompt. I want more open-ended stuff, and when I find it, I want to find the right angle to make for a story no one's thought of.

But some writers I like include Twain, Orwell, Bradbury, Dave Barry for when I'm feeling amused, and Asimov. If anyone spots any others, though, let me know. :)

What an honor. Thank you all so much. Sure, let's answer a few:

1. I enjoy writing because I enjoy creating different situations. There's a huge escapism element to it, and I'm not afraid to admit there's a bit of Walter Mitty in me. But I've always loved to write. Senior year in high school I was taking a writing course for my English class, and considering my cough-coughth reunion is this summer, that's a lot of time.
2. I think the biggest theme is trying to do something different. That's been a commonality in the TT and FMF I've written; I tend to consider the theme but try to take it in a direction that is non-intuitive. It doesn't always work, but some of my favorite stories take the theme word of TT or the beginning of FMF and go in a way that is unique. (For example: when "Feast" for TT was proposed on Thanksgiving weekend, I looked at invoking a saint's guidance on their feast day.)
3. Oh, this one's easy. It's about being in a new world and becoming someone you're not. In this case, practically literally. I can't explain why, but that is the one that stands out. As part of NaNoWriMo, I built half a novel (the other half will come soon) out of a writing prompt along these lines. Working title was Two for One, but I'll probably change that. But it, to tie it in to the trope, is about a life that isn't yours, but you have to adjust to. Call it escapism at its best or worst, but that's where I stand.

Hopefully I can live up to the honor!

Ah, I missed this the first time.

1. I have two favorite environments. Either at my work pc during a break, or at home on my laptop resting on my mattress. I'm kind of simple that way.
2. If I was stuck with one thing, it would be finishing the novel, definitely.

Asimov and Bradbury are the most famous building blocks of the genre, of course; if you're writing anything involving a robot, Asimov's the place to start as he basically codified robot behavior in science fiction. One name I don't hear tossed around enough is Ursula LeGuin, who was a master at world-building and species-building (if that last part makes sense) in her novels and especially short stories.

Space travel is something I think will be restricted to fantasy for a very, very long time. As it stands, it's more likely an alien species visits us than we visit them, and the odds of this species being from a terrestrial-type planet are pretty low. That said, Star Trek is tons of fun to watch, so as a writer the idea of visiting a very very foreign land still intrigues me. I admit it's not my strength, though.