As I begin my science fiction novel, I find myself solely focusing on that. But to give myself a break from that I will still write something on my web site.

There are two big themes that are the background of my sci-fi novel. I have named it Macho-Man for a lot of reasons, but lately I have wanted to drop that title. I’ll go into the reasons another time. But in the meantime, the two background ideas I have for this book are: Absurdism and Satire. I’ve decided that the label for my book is Parody. Below are the definitions of each word.

Absurdism
Noun
1. intentionally ridiculous or bizarre behavior or character.
2. the belief that human beings exist in a purposeless, chaotic universe.
Satire
Noun
1. The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
2. A play, novel, film, or other work which uses satire.
3. A genre of literature characterized by the use of satire.
Parody
Noun — An imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.
Verb — Produce a humorously exaggerated imitation of (a writer, artist, or genre).

I’m not certain what I will reveal as this novel grow and turns into its own thing. But one thing is for sure: I really hope to make this into a really funny joke that will do comic book superhero a real justice. And can be enjoyed by everyone.

Apologies for being cryptic and not very forthcoming. I’m at the beginning of this writing journey, which is on the coattails of another book’s journey. I can’t wait to update more, for anyone who reads this.

John Green is an emotional writer. If you are a fan of his other novels, then you may already know this. His novels range from Looking for Alaska to Turtles All the Way Down and I presume they are good young adult fiction novels. I have personally read one of them in its entirety, The Anthropocene Reviewed.

I tried reading Paper Towns almost a decade ago when I was in a Cinematography film class. A teacher’s assistant showed us the ropes with all the fancy gear at our disposal. I had absolutely no idea what was happening, but I loved just about every moment of it. This was like being taught the behind-the-scenes of magic. In fact, it was exactly that: the magic of movie-making.

The scene in question is when Quentin Jacobsen (main character) is visited by Margo Roth Spiegelman (his love interest) and they have a conversation about how fake the town in. There is a vague historical explanation within that dictates the novel’s title, but it is not a history worth getting into here.

John Green, like myself, easily gets carried away by these small details that seem to dictate our lives. He drowns his characters in them and lets them stew over them throughout. Eventually, though, these small concepts lost in the weeds, joining the background so that the central characters take stage for the rest of the novel. And I find myself writing in a similar emotional fashion as his.

But I wouldn’t know that without having read this non-fiction review book. Oh, and the podcast of the same name. In the fashion of earnest Yelp and short book reviews of yore, author Green brings you on a historical journey through places and concepts that probably haven’t been given a lot of attention before now. He adds his own humorous twist that generally include how much he loves other people and concepts with his whole being. He also, maybe without realizing it, perfectly describes his anxiety in many chapters.

I bring up his anxiety so that I may (cowardly enough) take center stage. Because I, too, have anxieties. It is through his descriptions of fears that he knows he can overcome them in spite of himself. He gives away little details of great importance. For instance, he had plans to become an Episcopalian priest and instead became a father and an author. I grew up Episcopalian, though I never had aspirations to join the priest-hood. But I can say that I’m aiming for author-hood.

All these comparisons are here to spell out one thing: this book has become a comfort book. Something I can come back to and read a chapter by itself. Or even flip to a random page and read a random excerpt. While filming the scene from Paper Towns was something new for me all those years ago, this book feels very familiar. The book is practically travel-sized and always ready to read. Green let’s me know that, fellow author or not, my anxieties are worth looking at and understanding. How do you work on yourself if you can’t look at your own anxieties?

In many ways, he helps me want to better myself. Emotionally, and in terms of writing. I have found my voice, and it’s full of emotion. Just like his. I give The Anthropocene Reviewed five stars.