Jim Nelson's Blog, page 4

Ten years of blogging: A literary eulogy

David Kidd

Previously: Portable dreamweavers

Blogging in 2017 was again marked by another foray into the world of Kindle Scout, this time for my Bridge Daughter sequel Hagar’s Mother. That year I also ran a three-part series discussing the crossover between writing fiction and writing code, and some short entries on how I use a writing notebook when preparing to write a novel.

The most popular entry from 2017 was, by far, on Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics. I first read this gro...

Those who forget the past are doomed to blog about it

When I started this blog years ago, I made a private agreement with myself: I would avoid writing topical political content. Substack, social media, and the blogosphere is saturated with political commentary, providing lots of heat but little light. I don’t like trafficking in outrage, which is the fast-track to success in political blogging.

However, I did write a novel about missile defense set during the Reagan Era in a town hosting a nuclear weapons research laboratory. That’s pretty ...

Ten years of blogging: Portable dreamweavers

J. Hillis Miller

Previously: An unusual parable

2016 was a busy year for blogging. Amazon accepted Bridge Daughter for their Kindle Scout program, which entailed a month-long nomination process before they agreed to publish it. It was the start of a fairly intense roller coaster ride.

Amazon’s imprimatur on the novel opened many doors. With a single email sent on a single day of the week to a mere sliver of their customer base, Amazon could generate hundreds of book sales, as though ru...

“A Man Named Baskerville” reviewed at Melisende’s Library

This slipped by me in February, but today I learned is reviewed positively at :

This is the much needed backstory of the character of Stapleton from Conan Doyle’s “Hound of the Baskervilles”. It is exceedingly well done and in keeping with Conan Doyle’s original story. … Heartily recommended for lovers of Holmes and those looking to add to their own Sherlock Holmes collections.

Thanks, Melisende! Full review , more information on the b...

Ten years of blogging: An unusual parable

Dashiell Hammett

Previously: The mysterious B. Traven

The year 2015 was more productive than the prior for blogging. I managed to eke out twenty-six blog posts, or about one every two weeks. In the world of blogging this is nothing to crow about. I never intended for this blog to be a daily writing exercise, though. I sought to stretch myself in terms of research and preparation for the longer pieces, and to produce longer work that stood on its own, rather than be impressive in its vo...

Soundtrack for “According to Cain” now on Spotify

My interactive fiction According to Cain includes a soundtrack, twelve songs tailored to play at key times as the game’s story unfolds. Unfortunately, the only way to hear that music is to play it using an appropriate interpreter (in this case, QTads).

I’ve been putting it off for a year now, but have now made the score available outside of game play. The According to Cain soundtrack on Spotify now allows you to hear all the music incorporated in the original interactive fiction. I’ve ...

According to Cain in the 2022 XYZZY Awards

Yesterday, the 2022 XYZZY final awards were announced.

If you don’t know, the XYZZY Awards are given yearly for interactive fiction. They’re sometimes called the Academy Awards for interactive fiction.

I was blown away to learn that According to Cain won Best Game and Best Implementation for 2022. Cain was also nominated for Best Writing, Best Story, and Best Puzzles.

This caps off a big year for Cain, which placed sixth in the Interactive Fiction Competition, won Outstanding Game...

A Man Named Baskerville now on NetGalley

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If you’re a NetGalley member, my Sherlock Holmes-inspired novel is now available for download and review.

Baskerville is my take on the Arthur Conan Doyle classic. Told as a journal penned by the original’s villain, it relates his life story from a pauper’s childhood in the Empire of Brazil to life on the run in Panama and Co...

Ten years of blogging: The mysterious B. Traven

T. Torsvan, 1926. This photo was taken in Mexico without his knowledge. It’s widely assumed this is B. Traven.

This blog launched on the first of August, 2014. It was not a big year blog-wise, but I still managed to put out eleven posts (one of which I’ll return to later this year). Worried I would run out of ideas, I devised “Twenty Writers, Twenty Books,” a series where I discuss the books and authors that have left a deep impression on me. (So far, I’ve only managed to finish twelve o...

Ten years of blogging

True story: I started blogging before the word “blog” was coined. In 1995, I created a web site known as Ad Nauseam, where I sporadically vented about the software industry, Silicon Valley, and the rise of the World Wide Web. Like most blogging efforts, I ran out of steam after a few years, and set it aside.

In 2014, I returned to blogging. I told myself this new blog would be different. I wanted a web site to showcase my books, sure, but I also wanted to blog with a focus on writing,...