About my Work
My name is Nathan Black. I am an independent writer with a background in history and political science. This site mainly serves as a Q&A for my Faces of Unlanar book series. I also post blogs about various topics relating to my studies and interests. I have degrees in both history and political science, and often use them to analyze the world of fiction.
The title of the site, "Nathan Black's Notebook", was named after the little notebook I often carry around. At my former job, there was a lot of waiting around in-between tasks. In order to make productive use of this extra time, I began the habit of bringing writing material with me to work. Coworkers quickly started to refer to me as the "notebook guy". They knew of my educational background and were always curious of what I was writing about. Sharing my knowledge and ideas with my coworkers during breaks was a lot of fun.
Now, as an independent writer, I hope to share the contents of my notebook with the rest of the world. What you see here are my more raw concepts and musings, and are less formal than my typical writings. My goal is to engage directly with my reader base, see what ideas you all are most interested in, and then expand on those topics.
Broadly, this site is divided into several pages that showcase my personal writings. On the blog page, I will share short analyses of various topics that intersect with my academic interests. Every post represents a specific topic that is presented by an underlined title. Within each blogpost will be one or more threads within the topic, which are always boldfaced. If enough material is produced on a single thread, I might piece it together into a proper article and share the final result on the top of my blog page.
To start, I have made available some short essays and a few blog posts. I will endeavor to update each page periodically. Because this is meant to be a community-driven site, topics that get more comments will have priority over others. Readers can also request more commentary on particular threads in the comments section.
My main project is my nonfiction series, Faces of Unlanar. This series takes place in a fictional world where one's position within the social hierarchy is represented by ceremonial masks. Throughout the novels, the reader follows the mask of Unlanar as it changes hands between different generations. Some see Unlanar as a hero, while others see them as a dangerous enemy. Unlanar is present for times of great strife, of revolutions, and government repression. Warfare, philosophy, and people's general way of life evolve constantly during these periods, with the mask of Unlanar being the only constant variable.
This is a very ambitious project. I have seven total novels planned. The first two books have already been published and are available online (click the link on the menu bar for more information). The third will probably be ready by the end of 2025.
The guidelines for the comments section are as follows:
-No hate speech
This covers racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, etc. There is no exception to this rule. If you use hate speech, your comment will be deleted and you will be banned from the site.
-No bullying/harassment
Bullying and harassment will not be tolerated on this site. Engaging in these actions will get you banned immediately.
-Do not start arguments or debates
The purpose of this website is to share my ideas and engage with my reader base, not to start arguments or debates of any kind. You are allowed to ask me to clarify certain positions. Follow up questions are also permitted, so long as they are not argumentative. If you want to debate my ideas over Twitter or other social media, that is fine; just not on this site.
-No excessive swearing or explicit sexual content
This website is strictly PG. I want to keep this site accessible to a wide audience range and cultivate a "safe for work" atmosphere. This rule is not as punitive as the previous rules; if you commit a violation, I will most likely just politely ask you to tone it down. Extreme cases or repeat offenses may result in a ban.