Fluent Fantasy
The World of Video Games:
Don your suit of armor, grab your shield, and wield your magic sword as you slash your way through monsters and dungeons on your journey to save the world.
The World of Language Learning:
Go to class. Memorize. Repeat. Take tests.
Which is the game you’d rather play? Do you really have to ask?
What if you could transform your language learning into the video game quest of your life? Fluent Fantasy is your strategy guide to crafting your foreign language study into the most thrilling game you’ll ever play.
So which is it? Sleepy student? Or the hero of your own language odyssey?
All you have to do is press start.
A few more details:
Fluent Fantasy takes the entire Jalup site and organizes it into one easy to understand video game analogy. The major ideas and posts found here are completely reordered, combined, rearranged, and reinvented to create one thorough and flowing video game progression that will read like an RPG strategy guide. It is filled with many never told before personal language stories and experiences to bring life to the content, and give you a further peek into my own Japanese journey.
Fluent Fantasy is targeted to all foreign language learners. While my stories are about my experience with Japanese, it is written to appeal to anyone who is studying a language, as the advice helps you turn yourself into the “hero of your own language quest.”
The book’s core is drawn from Jalup. If you have thoroughly read through this site, you will recognize a lot in this book. However, due to all the changes and new additional content, there should still be plenty of value to any of the hardcore readers here.
Buy now on Amazon Kindle.
*Depending on reception, it will also be released on other platforms and in print through Amazon.
Founder of Jalup. iOS Software Engineer. Former attorney, translator, and interpreter. Still watching 月曜から夜ふかし weekly since 2013.
Adam,
Congrats on getting the book completed – I imagine its immensely satisfying.
I will be checking it out, and I’ll let my (not learning Japanese but learning a second language) friends know about it.
Great stuff.
Thanks!
Yes, it feels ridiculously good. I spent most of the past year putting this together, so I’m hoping people get some value out of it.
I went from finishing this post to buying the book faster than Usain Bolt can run 100 meters. Congratulations on finally finishing it!
Thanks for the support as always Daniel.
Congratulations on finishing your book!!
ありがとうございます!
Arhrhhhdhdhhsshhsjsjsjsjsj I want itjtittttjtjt
Doooooo the paperback!
Paperbacks make better gifts anyway. You can wrap them, they take up physical space and so are less easily forgotten, and the recipient will eventually be sucked into reading it and thus become trapped.
The paperback is next!
Sweet, gonna start reading tonight <3
Hope you enjoy it :P
Epic cover. I hope the book reaches an audience far beyond this site!
That’s Yumeno Yo for you. He did a great job this time as always. And I also hope for the widest of widest reaches of audience!
That’s amazing! I would totally buy a hardcover version of this haha love the cover!
ありがとう!Maybe hardcover in the future.
Haha until then Paperback will do
So excited to read this! Congrats on getting it done!
Thanks Jeff. I hope you enjoy it.
I don’t know … Dungeons and monsters sounds dangerous, while sleepy student sounds safe and warm.
Noooooooooooooo
Oh snap! Bought immediately.
Thanks David!
I’d also buy a hardcover version. For now though, gonna start reading the ebook~
A hardcover version is a bit further away if I decide to go down that route, but the paperback should be released in somewhat reasonable time frame.
Thanks!
Ah I wanted to read the whole book in one sitting but a wise man said not to ”greedily down too many (potions) at once”….so I’ll put it away for today…
Yes. Resist the urge :P
Best thing that happened to me today! JALUP products always give me a good motivation boost.
Please write a post on how to incorporate this into the Habitica website (a habit tracker, RPG style)
Here’s my personal setup: https://imgur.com/BgFodaN I’ve put the minimum of the things related to japanese that I want to do, and then I’ve put extra in the habit section because right now my goal is just to do the minimum, so every extra is worth some sort of bonus. I’ve set them up as actual video game monsters, with the task description saying what I have to do for them. That way, it feels like I’m hunting monsters, instead of doing a to-do list.
Thanks. I’ll give Habitica another shot sometime.
You did it. You actually did it. Kudos!
Any advertising beyond word of mouth and this JALUP article?
Thanks! For now just the two.
I read the book and thought that the video game analogy is a fun way to organize the book. For someone into video games it might be an appealing way to get them to focus on language learning.
I felt that it didn’t have as much specific information as on your website and if someone only reads the book they won’t understand how to use your method. Perhaps at the end you could include a section on quick strategy guide that includes a modified version of the walkthrough.
If I had only read the book I wouldn’t really appreciate why and when to switch to Japanese – Japanese study, the crucial early role of Anki, and the need to switch to native materials early on and separate out Kanji readings from the meanings, and the need to study sentences rather that individual words. These are all clear from reading your website but not so much from the book.
I’d also suggest including more personal information about your own story. Your prior article on your personal journey was very interesting (http://japaneselevelup.com/reflections-decade-studying-japanese/) and it would be great if your book included more material like that. You did include some of this, such as talking about meeting a friend of yours years after you both started studying and being able to speak together in Japanese in Tokyo but more stories would be great.
I appreciate all the great material you’ve put together on the website and hope you can reach a larger audience with the book. Hopefully these suggestions are helpful to you. I was hesitant to post anything but praise as I really appreciate all of your great material but figure honest feedback is most helpful if you are trying to use to book to expand your website audience.
Thanks for reading it and I appreciate the feedback.
The focus of the book was intentionally on the mental video game side, rather than going into detail on specific methods like J-E, J-J, Anki, and native materials. I wanted this book to be able to appeal to all language learners, and I didn’t want to press the specific Jalup methods too hard, since everyone uses different methods (especially when you add other languages).
While I did include personal stories, of course there are many more. I didn’t want to make it all about me, but you can expect me continuing them on the site as always.
Whoa, it’s out! Nice work, man. I’m excited to read it.
BTW, in addition to posting your praise here, loyal Jalup readers, I would definitely encourage leaving it in the form of Amazon reviews. As someone who used to work in book publishing, I know how big a difference even a handful of good reviews can make for a product on Amazon.
Now if you’ll pardon me, I’ve got some reading to do :D
Hope you enjoy it.
And yes, reviews on Amazon are highly appreciated!
As someone who has read every post here will I learn anything from it?
it was a pretty good read, great for anyone wanting to start in the language learning game. also, like the other person said, some quick quick actions steps at the end of every chapter would be good, in case they might get an information overload.
Thanks for checking it out. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it.
I went ahead and purchased this book today. I’ve got my strategy guide now and with the Jalup app I’ve got my controller in hand. Japanese is the game to be played. I guess I can sign off the site now and when I return I’ll be a different person entirely. Thanks Adam, for everything you’ve done here for us :)