3 Random Sunday Thoughts (July 27th edition)

Once a week, I send you 3 random thoughts on my mind.

I hit everything from my books, Japan, and truly random encounters…

All so that I can move something in you.

Today, I’m going to talk about 3 books that moved something in ME.

Let’s dive in.

1. Black Leopard, Red Wolf

This dark fantasy book is written by my favorite author, Marlon James.

A Jamaican heavyweight that writes dialogue so authentic, you see the characters in the room.

His books are long. This one is no different. The paperback I have is 620 pages.

The only thing I’ve written that long is my Ultimate Japan Book Bundle, which is an anthology of 12 books clocking in just under 800 pages.

He did that with ONE book, my dear readers.

I gotta up my game.

But we all know length isn’t everything.

Sure, The Three Kingdoms, Lord of the Rings, and all of Brandon Sanderson & Sarah J. Maas books are massive tomes…

But Marlon James does something different with his.

His books read like audio dramas (probably why the audiobooks are so good).

The action, the tension, and the world-building all come alive on the page.

His words sing. Even when he brings you to unchartered territory like psychedelic fantasy worlds.

Anyway, I’m not going to talk about the plot. Don’t want to ruin the fun ;)

But all you should know is that it’s a dark fantasy book based on African mythology that has readers on Amazon split because it’s so divisive.

That’s the type of writer I aim to be.

Not divisive.

Original.

2. Parable of the Sower

This next one is by Octavia Butler, a science fiction giant who not only won a number of prestigious awards like the Hugo and Nebula but was also inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

In this book, she tells the story of a post-apocalyptic USA in 2024.

Despite writing it back in 1993 (when I was 2), she paints a picture that isn’t too far off from what we might see in the USA in the coming years.

A civil-war-ravaged environment…

A daily battle of fighting off gangs every time you step out of your local fort of friendly neighbors to find food for your hungry & thirsty family…

Mental problems turned physical (psycho-somatic) problems tearing apart your loved ones in the worst of times…

I got the graphic novel version, and the first time I read it a couple years back I was blown away…

The key scenes the artists pick to illustrate her story are illuminating. They show a probable version of what my home country could become when politics turn into violence.

Especially during an election year…

Despite all this, Octavia Butler finds a way to provide hope through the main character, who creates a religion at the age of 15. Her scripture is quoted by readers IRL to this day:

All that you touch

You Change.

All that you Change

Changes you.

The only lasting truth

is Change.

Change is God.

I’m not religious, but that quote hit me hard the first time I read it.

And it’s why I continued to revisit this book over the years.

Check it out on Amazon.

3. Novelist as a Vocation

And what would I be doing writing a newsletter from Japan without mentioning a Japanese author?

Haruki Murakami. Most people know of him.

Started a jazz club.

Wrote his first novel while burning the candle at both ends.

And then promptly became an international bestseller, once-in-a-lifetime-sensation author.

Now that we got that out of the way, he writes good nonfiction too.

This book being one of them.

He talks about what it takes to be a novelist full-time.

Funny thing is, I bought the Japanese version and tried reading it when I wasn’t conversationally fluent.

A common symptom of twenty-something arrogance.

Now, I have the English version and have read it multiple times, skipping around to the chapters that matter to me in the moment.

He talks about being a novelist in the most direct and practical manner I’ve ever encountered.

And who better to listen to than an author that’s done it professionally for decades in the modern era?

One nugget I’ve kept in the back drawers of my brains is how he describes the physical aspect of writing.

He talks about it like it’s a sport. Because it is.

You have to keep your body fit and strong if you want to do creative work long-term.

Can’t be trying to think up fictional worlds and people and situations when your muscles are tight and sagging off the bone.

Which is why I stretch, lift occasionally, and do bodyweight exercises often.

In the last 6 months or so, I’ve noticed a decline in my cardio despite daily walks.

I used to play soccer and run around for hours. Now I can barely sprint.

Luckily in the last 6 months or so, I found Norwegian 4×4 Interval Training to increase my V02 Max (how much oxygen our bodies can process).

More oxygen > > More bloodflow > > More creativity

Sounds easy, but it’s tough. 4 minutes of high-intensity exercises to get your heart rate way up. Then rest for 3 minutes. Repeat 4 times.

It’ll have you dripping sweat like kakigori in the summer sun.

Anyway, thanks Murakami for the kick in the ass all those years ago in the mountains of Nagano reading during my off-time while working at a ski lift.

Hope one of these random thoughts did something for you, my readers.

Talk soon,

Brandon “I heard kakigori is all the same flavoring“ Chin