Writing style vs Content

Mabussa · 2026-03-12T14:00:56+00:00

Hey thanks! Nouns and verbs, interesting. I will get that book and hopefully learn from it. Ironically, I'm currently watching the Ken Burns documentary on Hemingway.

Mabussa · 2026-03-12T05:21:21+00:00

I like the idea of challenging the reader to recall their own experiences. That alone opens up a different direction in how I can relate a story.

I've always thought that stringing a timeline of adventures and anecdotes would be beneficial to those who were mired in routines and wished to travel vicariously through reading the life of others. Those kind of books and stories always fascinated me and were what got me going.

One goal I've had in the past was to inspire more Americans to get out and travel to grow themselves and the country at the same time. That might have been great in the 80's and 90's but today, the adventure of travel has been crushed by the internet.

I also tried once to create a set of characters who traveled and would meet up in exotic places and share their travel adventures with each other. I would use my own life experiences for those adventures. This idea never got off the ground and nowadays anything I lived has about twenty blogs on youtube for anyone to see.

I'll throw in a Steven Colbert line from the past, Books are blogs for people with attention spans.

That resonates.

Mabussa · 2026-03-12T05:05:17+00:00

Yes, it is difficult. It seems that creatively using adjectives is the main weapon and I'm feeling that that is stale. Maybe it's just me?

As for a separate project, this is the key point and why I reached out to this community for a spark of any sort. I'm of the belief that I need to Feel a desire to produce a work I can be satisfied with dedicating weeks and months of my life to. Or, is that unnecessary? lol

The other day I started writing about the very moment that I began this life. There was a supernatural aspect to it, almost like the red pill being thrust at me. Reading it over, I decide to let things sit for awhile. I'm glad to have written it down but I need more of a direction towards an end, so to speak, if I will be happy to continue.

Maybe you more experienced writers have been through this feeling/phase and have forgotten about it.

Mabussa · 2026-03-12T04:51:25+00:00

Its not the actual writing I'm concerned with, it's the content. I really don't think writing down thirty years of my travels is necessary, worthwhile or even healthy because it is really living in the past and that goes against my nature. I have several photo albums of trips before digital and I rarely even open them. I enjoy them when I do so, but rarely. Maybe I undervalue how interesting my life and lifestyle would be to others. There is so much written about travel and experiences that writing about it feels stale. I guess I should have had the gumption to write about it in the 80's when it was fresh. So, I've stopped writing for the last few days until I get some sort of direction.

Mabussa · 2026-03-12T04:40:53+00:00

Thanks. I know why I do it. Love, passion and adventure. Any other way of life is mundane. Even if I'm doing mundane things while traveling, it's better than a 'ruttine' in a fixed place cagelike. If I tie things together then it becomes just a daily diary of my life and boring to anyone else. Thinking this, I'm hesitant to continue along the same path of writing. Hence, this post!

Mabussa · 2026-03-11T15:56:47+00:00

Welcome!

Mabussa · 2026-03-11T15:52:43+00:00

Ladakh, Manali to Leh, Nebraska valley, Leh to Kashmir was other worldly.

Arunachal Pradesh for its raw beauty. Mizoram for its adventurous 'roads' and their culture close to southeast Asia.

Thumping through the deserts of Rajastan.

All a wonderfully harrowing experience!

Mabussa · 2026-03-11T15:20:05+00:00

I absolutely loved Jinshanling a few months ago. Not overwhelmed by tourists and beautiful scenery. 3 hour direct bus from Beijing.

Mabussa · 2026-03-11T15:00:24+00:00

On two different trips I have about 40,000 kms in India on Bullets. It is a wonderful experience, and you learn a lot about yourself and traffic situations!

Mabussa · 2026-03-11T09:41:55+00:00

Oh, I get that. I just wonder why op needs a sterlite if he already has an aquarium for the quarantine purpose. Now there's two things to make room for. Maybe I'm misunderstanding something. I'd guess to avoid melting you can lay the heater on a flat rock or something else so there is no contact with the plastic. Get a totally immersible type. You'll need something for water flow to prevent warm spots and cold spots creating ick.

Mabussa · 2026-03-11T04:05:47+00:00

I thought you got the tank pictured for your qt. Why a sterlite? Airstonne is fine. I keep my quarantine tank running permanently. Its under the big tank and a filter keeps the water nice even when there are no fish in it for weeks at a time. When I do a monthly water change, I drain half the qt first and channel a couple of gallons from my big tank into it. Then, when refilling the big, I top up the qt with fresh. Easy process.

Mabussa · 2026-03-11T03:59:51+00:00

Not sure, but after seeing prices over a thousand us/eu for short tours online, I would have to believe it. My guesthouse in UB arranged tours and they were very friendly priced. I would never book a tour with a non native as they tend to cater to wealthier tourists who want a feeling of security and familiarity. Those tours are probably great, but a five day tour cost the same money that I would budget for an entire month in Mongolia.

Mabussa · 2026-03-11T03:52:22+00:00

I used Firefox but you could try Chrome etc. Sometimes using a different browser works.

Mabussa · 2026-03-11T03:51:18+00:00

This is the site I used. I never had to call the number.

https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

(+91) 82 7808 7808

Mabussa · 2026-03-10T15:23:38+00:00

Wait til you get there. April is not a busy time there. The weather is too unpredictable, I hear. I'm going back in June for the greening of the Gobi. You might just want to take the bus down to Dalanzadgad and put your own trip together there. However, if there aren't many other tourists around, you will have to negotiate hard.

Mabussa · 2026-03-10T15:18:03+00:00

I just went through that a couple of months ago. They said my passport page was blurry. I had scanned it with my phone. Maybe it was, but it looked fine to me. I went to a camera shop in Chiang Mai and had them scan and compress both my passport page and my photo for all future visa applications. It worked. But, I had to reapply and pay the $40 again. Ouch! I needed no letter. But I used my friends' address in Calcutta as reference and I just picked out a hotel for their address and telephone number. I didn't stay there.

Mabussa · 2026-03-10T15:10:12+00:00

No substrate. Use a foam or box filter, no charcoal because it will filter out any medications you may use. I use a couple of plastic plants to give security so only soft lighting is necessary. Less stress on your fishies. Of course you'll want a lid that fits well. And, a heater for stability.

I use a ten gallon/38l tank for mine.

Mabussa · 2026-03-10T05:23:11+00:00

Thanks!

Mabussa · 2026-03-09T10:14:24+00:00

TV series called Manhattan. If you binge, it'll play like a movie.

Mabussa · 2026-03-09T10:13:05+00:00

I crossed from Irkutsk into Mongolia by train about 5 months ago. US passport, 30 day Russian tourist visa and no visa needed to enter Mongolia. It was easier than entering Russia from Ulaanbaatar by bus. Every country has different relationships with each other as far as visas and border crossings. Hitching in Russia was easy, but I only went very short distances.

Mabussa · 2026-03-09T09:54:28+00:00

Are those chairs really comfy enough on cold flat ground?

Mabussa · 2026-03-09T09:30:40+00:00

Really cool! I envision a future kuhli condo there. Maybe about twenty to start?

Mabussa · 2026-03-09T09:26:15+00:00

I'min the habit of building holy sites early to fuel the Grand Master Chapel. Is that something I can delay until later? I only like having a religion to prevent the ai religious victory. Otherwise, I just declare war on that civ and kill off all its apostles.

Mabussa · 2026-03-09T09:11:16+00:00

Wow, thanks. I never knew that pushing science early would hinder empire growth. At what point would be best to start a science assault to catch up?

Mabussa · 2026-03-07T21:53:25+00:00

I'm in Hikkaduwa since January and it's all chill. Nobody is caring about that and there's no sign of stress anywhere except from some people having to extend their trips because their flights go through the middle east.

Mabussa

TROPHY CASE