About this site
To Make a Long Story Short (TMALSS) is an independent publication launched in January 2024. It's my third time attempting to find a hosting site that worked like I want it to...simple and fast!
I attempted using Wordpress. It's a great system but way to complicated for me to operate without running off to find a developer for some help on a regular basis. Then came Substack. It's free but too simple. I wanted to deliver a newsletter but I wanted someplace that my posts would be archived and easy to get to. It wasn't quite there and there were very few ways to customize it, especially with the features I wanted.
So, I've landed on Ghost.io. It seems to be the closest, out of the gate, to what I need.
Ok, now why all the work? It's a great question. I've lived a very full but not terribly noteworthy life. I've never gotten the Oscar or Emmy awards I thought I was destined for in my youth. However, in the process, I learned and lived great deal, including some remarkably fun and funny events and some that left me humbled and, at times, very sad.
I enjoy telling these stories and some of you have been a great audience but you're part of very small niche. I pondered writing a book but as I looked at the market, it was clear, that it was going to be a labor of love and would, very likely, be mostly me talking to myself.
On the other hand, I deeply regret that I didn't have a family that documented the family dramas. Both sides of the family, Cookson and Nelson had very unique stories. However, because of the time and technologies, most of these stories have been lost. What is left is a vast trove of pictures and film that my grandfathers, especially Herb Nelson, left behind.
So, in addition to story telling, I've taken upon myself to become the family archivist. As of right now, I have in excess for 50,000 images scanned and 40+ hours of film digitized. They will become big part of this exercise.
Finally, this is going to be my memoir. It will lack the linearity of plot line and mirror my ADHD in its organization as I tell stories and show pictures. And, I'd like this to be collaboration (including proof reading notes!). The boilerplate below tells how you can do that by subscribing the newsletter and commenting!
I will also be posting most of the content to Facebook and Instagram if you're not into getting the newsletter.
There will be posts and stories that belie the title of this website (long not short). But I'll do my best keep the content interesting, at the least, and entertaining, at best. And, in advance, thanks for reading.
Finally, a credit where it is due...thanks to my good friend, Derald Richardson, Jr. for your incredible help with the AI renderings of my office used in the website banner! With the generative AI images you provided and the help of Photoshop's new AI features, I got exactly what I was looking for!
If you subscribe today, you'll get full access to the website as well as email newsletters about new content when it's available. Thank you!
Access all areas
By signing up here (or using the little tiny link at the bottom of this page), you'll get access to the full archive of everything that's been published before and everything that's still to come. Your very own private library.
Fresh content, delivered
Stay up to date with new content sent straight to your inbox! No more worrying about whether you missed something because of a pesky algorithm or news feed.
Meet people like you
Join a community of other subscribers who share the same interests.