Why I Write
Monday, 16 November 2009 03:11
Written by JFK Miller

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In this new series of Web exclusives we talk to authors writing in or about the Middle Kingdom about their literary habits, preferences and peculiarities and examine the question at the heart of being an author – why they write

Graham's first book, One Your Own in China, was published in 1984 by Century Books out of London. The Life and Death of a Dotcom in China, commissioned by Asia Law & Practice out of Hong Kong, was published in 2000. His translation of the Jin Yong kung fu novel, Book and Sword, was published in 2004 by Oxford University Press. Tales of Old Shanghai, the first in the 'Tales' series, was published in 2008.

Why I write
To express myself, to celebrate the power of words, and to prove I can. The more you write the better you get.

Do you write every day? If so, how many hours?
If e-mail and gtalk are included, and they should be, then yes, I write every day, pretty much all day. E-mail/gtalk is a different writing style, but have their own challenges and advantages. I don't twitter.

Worst source of distraction?
Right now, a little program called Logic 9.

Best source of inspiration?
China

How often do get writers' block/doubt your own ability?
I always seem to be able to write. Once you start, it will flow. Don't start, it won't. The trick is not to wait for the Muse. She won't come unless you're doing it.

Contemporary writer in any medium who you never miss?
Maureen Dowd, Cory Doctorow, Seymour Hersh, and the guy who does the Rifftides blog.

Favorite Chinese writer?
Lynn Pan.

Best book about China?
Peter Hessler's River Town has stood the test of time well.

Favorite book?
Varies from month to month, year to year. I'll go with Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford

Favorite writer?
Dave Barry... William Safire... Evelyn Waugh... impossible question
to answer.

The book you know you should have read but haven't?
The Story of the Stone. I've read parts, but not all.

You look back at the first thing you had published and think...
Wasted opportunity, could have been better in so many ways.

Does writing change anything?
Oh yes. Ideas are very powerful.

What are you working on now and when is it out?
I am doing the final proofread on the book of my walk across China, called The Great Walk of China, to be published by Blacksmith Books in Hong Kong. Then I plan to do lyrics for a while, not books. More concentrated, takes less time.

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