I’ve never let this much time elapse between blog posts since I started Trans/Plant/Portation more than four years ago. Even when Emile was born, I’d planned ahead and lined up several friends to write articles that were scheduled to pop up every couple of days. A few spirited times since August 2008 I’ve even posted more than once in a day, although regrettably one time it stemmed from a former online colleague deleting all of my writing from the I Fry Mine in Butter blog, and I was grabbing whatever I could off of Internet caches in a reposting fury.
It’s not that I haven’t anything to write — far from it — but that I’ve been embroiled in revisions to a novel in progress, communications to set up the publication process for another book, writing a new series to appear in the next couple of weeks for a well known site, and a smattering of submissions of some short work to various literary journals. I’ve also just applied to a writing residency and hammered out details for a speaking engagement in LA next month, and oh, I have a wonderful pen pal, fulfilling one of my goals for 2013. There are thick streams of words pouring out of my brain, I promise. Something has had to give.
Now then, it’s a shame that the blog has taken this hit, immediately after I topped 100,000 views from readers. But maybe it’s a good time to ask a few questions:
- Why don’t my posts inspire more comments from those readers?
- Which topics (LGBT civil rights, writing, popular culture, raising a baby in a nontraditional family, politics, zombies, humor, travel & food, Walla Walla living) are readers most interested in? Which topics bring readers back for more?
- What else would people like to read at T/P/P that I don’t discuss?
- Is anybody out there?
Today the sun is out, haze-free, making anyone outside squint in the brightness. I love days like this, even when it seems they’re inextricably bonded with a chill in the air. Anything is possible on a day like today. So tell me — what would you like to see around here this spring?
Meanwhile, here’s an interview I did this week. Enjoy!
Trans/plant/portation 
I love to read everything you write, but I’m definitely curious about your experiences with your newly expanded family. And living in a small, rural town.
I agree with Laura — my favorites are the ones about your family and your everyday life in a small town. (I love the one you just put up about Emile’s language acquisition, for instance.)
Why so few comments? That’s a hard question. I wonder if it’s in part that commenting feels oddly time-intensive in the culture of FB “liking”? That sounds horrible, I know, but I wonder if, as the whole world seems to speed up into online social time, we are now reading things quickly and feeling that we don’t have time to write a thoughtful comment? I know that I often have the urge to “like” something on your blog and feel a momentary sadness that I can’t just click something like an applause button — but does that translate into taking the time to write an actual comment? Not usually. (I say with contrition.)
Also — congratulations on all of the good news on the writing front.
Ev, I apologize for lurking. I will try to come out of my introvert cave sometimes and comment. I read a little erratically but then I read pretty much everything. Yup, I do. I am grateful for the political angles that don’t show up much in small-rural-town. I admire the way you are willing to use your own stories to keep important issues out in the open discourse. I’m always curious to see whether you will be telling charming family stories about your adorable kid or elbowing out just a little more room for people who don’t like gender boxes or spreading the angry word about yet another injustice. All good. All, in fact, intertwined. That’s the core of it for me. And, having been a little out of it in recent years, I appreciate the education in zombie studies — you’ve been patching up my ignorance 🙂
No need to apologize! And here’s a new zombie post for you, just uploaded today.
At the risk of sucking up, I really don’t think there is any topic on which you’ve written, that I *didn’t* enjoy – tho’ zombies remain my favorite, natch.
As for commenting, that breaks down differently. I have to agree with Jen – you tackle a lot of raw, vulnerable personal stuffs, so sometimes I’m still marinating in it, and don’t have anything more cogent than “thank you for this post”. On different fora, I would just “like”.
And sometimes it’s outta fear of showing ass, to tell the truth and shame the devil. I’ve learned a lot from your LGBT writing – I’m unwilling to “thank” you for it by leaving a half-worked out thought; no good deed goes unpunished and all that. But I’ve appreciated these works immensely for their craft and the weltanshauung.
But I’ve obvs got some kind of Pavlovian thing going on – I see the word “zombie”, and I have to stop and actually *write* something.
IrishUp, I’m so glad we’ve had this time together. And I appreciate that anyone else reads what I have to say about any of these topics — thank you for reading and as always, thank you for your thoughtful comments. You make me think a lot!