A Belgian author, who completed a novel within 24 hours in Vietnam late last month, has shared his writing experience in a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper article.

Nicolas Ancion, 43, wrote and shared online half of his novel, “Leger Vent de Panique” (roughly translated as “A Breeze of Panic”) from Hanoi on September 25.

He continued with the other half within another 12 hours non-stop in Ho Chi Minh City on September 30.

Several parts of the work were immediately translated into Vietnamese and published on the website of Nha Nam Publisher – the co-organizer of Ancion’s trip – while he was still writing it, so his fans could read them and send in their comments.

Ancion said that he plans to write five books within 24 hours on five different continents.

He decided to perform the literary challenge during his trip to Vietnam to introduce his book “Quatrieme Etage” (Fourth Floor), which had been translated and published by Nha Nam.

The author expressed delight that his book had been chosen by the Vietnamese publisher, even though it was published 14 years ago.

“The book, which highlights love at first sight between a man and a woman when they meet in a bathroom, depicts Brussels in a way that is quite different from how it is promoted in tourism brochures. My characters are average people with their own intricate problems,” Ancion shared.

His novel-writing marathon in Vietnam last month drew a large number of readers.

Though written in a mere 24 hours, the 21,452-word novel includes details typical of Vietnamese life, including trying to ride the wrong way, gulping down 333 beer, and tasting durian with its unpleasant smell.

Ancion said that he had noticed these things during his first trip to Vietnam two years ago, when he stayed for about a month and visited the south, Hue City in the central region, and Hanoi in the north.

He traveled by bus, observing life and the differences between large cities and the countryside.

“However, in my novel, I just described some places in Vietnam without specifying their names. I think local readers will surely recognize the places and themselves in there. It’s great that the writer and his readers can interact like this,” Ancion noted.

The author said that during his writing marathon in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, he received many comments and great encouragement from Francophone readers from Vietnam, France, Canada, and Switzerland.

A Vietnamese woman told him that it is not accurate for him to write that, “I have never seen Hanoi with such few people,” explaining that the city is typically quiet after 11:00 pm.

“Writing a book in 24 hours is quite different from writing it in two years. During the writing marathon, I expected my readers to keep track of what I was writing and look forward to the next part. An incomprehensible, unappealing passage could easily put the readers off,” the author stressed.

Ancion said after leaving Vietnam on October 1, he will read books written in, or translated into, French by emerging Vietnamese authors, including Ho Anh Thai, Thuan, and Nguyen Viet Ha.

Such books are part of a Vietnamese literary collection released by France’s Riveneuve Publisher last year.

The Belgian writer also observed from the exchanges with students he attended in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City that young people are remarkably eager to learn.

He added that thanks to the Internet boom, youths worldwide are reading and writing more, though not in a conventional way.

They read and write emails, texts, and chat messages; give status lines and comments on social networks; and write their own blog entries.

Ancion wrote a novel in public for over 24 hours during the Brussels Book Fair in 2010, and in New York in 2013.

The book he wrote in New York, titled “New York 24h,” was later made into a textbook for American students learning French.

Ancion has won several prizes during his career as a playwright and writer.

He regularly uses the Internet to share his writing live.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!