My name is James. I've already introduced myself under someone else's introductory thread, but I thought I would try again with my own.
I've been writing since I was a teenager, but haven't really tried to do anything serious with it until now, in my mid-thirties. I've been haveily influenced by JG Ballard, Philip K. Dick, William S, Burroughs, Franz Kafka, and many others, and thought my tastes were all over the place until recently when I started getting into Weird Fiction (via Jeff VanderMeer) and I was introduced to this site through Richard Thomas' anthology, The New Black.
I always thought that writing would just come to me if I read a lot and studied the classics, but I'm learning more about craft and trying to hone my basic skills while at the same time trying to get all my ideas down on paper, with the plan of organizing them into something more later. The biggest problem I have, though, is just finding the time and energy to write. I'm currently working 40 hours a week teaching English in Taiwan and am just so drained by the end of the day to do anything but just rest. I have tried getting up early to write before work, but often find myself waking up exhausted as well. But I have a plan to work less and move somewhere more conducive to creative pursuits (Prague) and hope that by joining this community, I can find the support and encouragement I need -- not to mention so many resources on craft -- to finally buckle down and get something substantial written.
