📝 Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Writing Routine

Welcome to Famous Writing Routines, where we explore the daily habits, writing process, and work routines of some of the most renowned authors throughout history.

Viet Thanh Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American novelist, best-known for his 2016 debut novel, The Sympathizer, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

For a writer, having all the time in the world to work on your project sounds like the ultimate dream. No full-time job to juggle, no waking up extra early in the mornings or staying up past midnight to get down your thoughts; you could dedicate the whole day to writing. Unfortunately for Viet Thanh Nguyen, he learnt the hard way that sometimes having too much time on your hands can be a bad thing for your writing routine.

While the Vietnamese-American author has become a household name over the past several years, thanks to the acclaim for his 2015 debut novel The Sympathizer — which later won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — Nguyen had been working on his craft for over 20 years.

Born in Vietnam in 1971, Nguyen and his family escaped to the United States after the fall of Saigon when he was just 4 years old. The family first arrived in Pennsylvania, then later settled in San Jose, California, where Nguyen grew up and completed a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in English and Ethnic Studies Berkeley. In 1997, he moved to Los Angeles to become an assistant professor at the University of Southern California in both the English Department, and in the American Studies and Ethnicity Department.

“I started writing fiction semi-seriously when I was in college,” Nguyen told Electric Literature. “But I felt I was a better scholar than a fiction writer, so I decided to pursue academia and graduate school. I thought that I would write fiction on the side and when I got tenure, I’d concentrate on the fiction more fully.”

Nguyen continued to juggle teaching and writing until 2004, when he accepted a fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It was during this time that Nguyen learnt having eight hours a day to dedicate to writing wasn’t the dream that it sounded like.

“That was really my first sustained opportunity to devote myself purely to writing,” he recalled in an interview. “I thought: I’m going to write eight hours a day. And it was a disaster because I would exhaust myself.”

After his learning lesson at the Fine Arts Work Center, Nguyen switched up his approach, from writing eight hours a day to only four. “There’s something about writing that, to me, is much more exhausting than office work, for example, or academic work, which I can do eight hours a day or more,” he admitted. “For me, four hours seems to be the right amount.”

***

To read the rest of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s writing routine, become a member today!

📚 Unlock the Writing Routines of Literary Legends 📚

Ever wondered about the daily rituals that powered Hemingway's prose or Maya Angelou's verses? With Famous Writing Routines Premium, for just $50 USD/year, delve into the intimate writing habits of legends like Neil Gaiman and Gillian Flynn. Get unparalleled insights, from Stephen King's rituals to the inspirations behind Kazuo Ishiguro's award-winning tales. Join us, and let their routines pave your path to literary success. Secure your premium access today!