The Boldest Decision I Ever Made (And How It Made Me a Writer)

Twenty years ago, I made a wild, out-of-character decision: I moved to China to teach English. I was a kid with a passport and a loose plan, stepping into a world as unfamiliar as it was exhilarating. That leap opened countless doors for me, but the one that matters most for this space is this: I might never have become a writer if I hadn’t moved there.

Strangely enough, China itself doesn’t appear in my fiction. Despite the country’s fascinating history and culture and my years of absorbing it, very little has made it into my stories. Instead, the radical shift in my lifestyle—losing the crutch of distractions—ignited my creative spark.

I grew up on the border between Gen X and Millennials, meaning computer games were a massive part of my life. By the time I was in college, they ate up nearly all my free time. I dabbled in writing—dark poetry in high school and did well with academic essays—but the discipline to write a novel always lost to the easy escape of video games.

That all changed in 2005 when I landed in China. I won’t dive too deep into that story (there’s a whole 33-part blog series that begins here), but arriving in a foreign land stripped me of my usual comforts. My old IBM Thinkpad, running Windows 95, had little more than Solitaire, which grew old fast. The promised desktop computer eventually showed up—an underwhelming machine with the Chinese version of Windows, limiting its use to internet browsing and word processing. I couldn’t understand local television, and my teaching gig didn’t start until a month after I arrived. I found myself with time—too much time—and nothing to fill it but studying Chinese (spoiler: I still haven’t mastered it).

I’d always considered myself creative, but looking back, I realize how much of that creativity was quietly smothered by the instant gratification of video games. Without them, my mind grew restless, ravenous even. Painting was out of reach—my language skills were too rough to source supplies. Drumming was a no-go, too—I wouldn’t meet anyone with a drum set for over a year. But writing? Writing needed nothing but that old Thinkpad and my imagination. So, I started. And I haven’t stopped since.

I don’t play video games anymore, and I don’t watch TV or movies either. Writing has filled that space and then some. It’s become my escape, my challenge, and my greatest joy.

Looking back, I’m so grateful that young, uncertain version of me didn’t chicken out. Moving to China transformed everything—my worldview, my love life, my career, and, of course, my creative outlet. It changed me for the better.

Sometimes, I wonder if I’ve lost that boldness over the years. Life has a way of settling you down—careers, mortgages, routines—but lately, I’ve been thinking maybe it’s time to be brave again. The last time I leaped, it led me here, and I’d say that worked out pretty well.

Cheers!