9x author: 'If you want to be a writer, you must first support yourself'

Duc Anh - author of detective novels "Firewall" and "Sick Island" - believes that writers need to ensure their livelihood before pursuing writing.

Duc Anh received the Young Author Award from the Vietnam Writers Association at the end of last year with his novel Double Life: Living Two Lives. He talked about his career perspective and thoughts on the detective fiction genre he is pursuing.

- What inspired you to create the work "Double Life: Living Two Lives"?

- That is when witnessing different situations in life. We are all human but we have different personalities and lives, some are smart and gentle, some are stupid, living in the lower class of society. However, I do not want to express it too harshly. I try to hypothesize what if nature gives each person two identities. Actually, there is still a lot of room to develop the idea of this fantasy story, I will save it for the next part.

I came up with the idea in June 2021 and wrote from late August to the end of October of the same year. This is a novel completed in a short time, without much research because it is not based on reality. I had to completely use my imagination and storytelling techniques to build the work. The difficulty is how to develop and take the original idea further. I almost did not send any message, if any, it was simply that each person has their own life, please understand and sympathize with all situations in the world.

The book, published by Linh Lan Books and Vietnam Women's Publishing House in early 2023, is about the world of people with two bodies but one soul. Photo: Provided by the publisher — The book, published by Linh Lan Books and Vietnam Women's Publishing House in early 2023, is about the world of people with two bodies but one soul. Photo: *Provided by the publisher*

- Pursuing detective fiction is not new to Vietnamese readers, how do you create your own mark?

- This genre is engaging, suspenseful and intellectually entertaining. Speaking of signatures, I only use detective storytelling techniques. I want to write my story and lead readers to questions for them to contemplate.

To keep my creativity going, I live with it every day. I always wonder if the interesting things I encounter every day can be written into stories. And if so, what ideas they carry.

- What do you think about the current Vietnamese detective book market?

- In my opinion, domestic detective literature has developed significantly compared to before. The works have the ability to recreate and reflect the real life and society of modern Vietnam, often presenting stories related to a series of issues, thereby helping readers understand more deeply about the world around them. However, the Vietnamese detective genre has not grown strongly, because there are no writers of real stature, who have a deep understanding of the nature of life. They need to be more ambitious in finding topics that contain the paradoxes of contemporary society. If it were simply denouncing crimes, the books would not "live" for too long.

Author Duc Anh. Photo: Character provided — Author Duc Anh. Photo: *Character provided*

- Many young writers have left the literary world because they cannot make a living. What is your opinion?

- For me, if a person does not pursue a career in writing, it is not a bad thing. If you stop loving, you stop being interested, right? I think that if you want to be a writer, you must first support yourself. You must have another job or the writing profession itself, and have a place to observe society.

So in addition to writing, I chose to work in the publishing industry. I can meet fellow writers and readers every day, get out of my comfort zone, and immerse myself in the breath of society. The job helps me understand people and myself better, and realize that life does not work the way I think. I think this is more important than money.

Our young generation is lucky to grow up in peace, to have the right to choose literature to freely dream and fly. There is also a lot of pressure, because in a society with a lot of information, anyone can be a creator. To become a writer, you have to overcome all levels of creativity, work seriously, and require physical and mental health. In addition, you also need to learn to ignore objections from your family and escape the great shadow of other famous authors.

- In the process of pursuing a writing career, when did you find it most difficult?

- When I first started writing, I faced challenges in finding a topic. I wanted to choose a thorny topic, but at that time I was young and had an immature perspective on life. But I think the hardest thing was always seeing my own incompetence present. I consider literature as a mystical thing, helping us see things that cannot be seen with the naked eye. I am really not satisfied if I cannot find some angle that is different from what I know, on familiar events and people. Besides, publishing my work is also a difficulty that I have to face. Books selling slowly or not selling at all means my career is at a standstill.

- After "Double Life: Living Two Lives", what are your plans?

- I think I have not yet fully developed my inner strength, so I will write a more serious, ambitious and complex novel. At the same time, I am cherishing a really interesting detective story, based on my practical understanding of the legal subject.

Duc Anh, 31 years old, born in Russia, currently lives and works in Hanoi. He has published three detective novels: Firewall, Misty Angel (2019), and Island of Violence (2020) - the work won the award for the Campaign for Writing for National Security and Peaceful Life (2017-2020) organized by the Ministry of Public Security and the Vietnam Writers Association.

Phuong Linh

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