What's my secret?

I am certain that the googlebots and RSS aggregators (the two major demographic segments of my readership) are just dying to know how it is that I can be such a prolific blogger with such relative ease. Well, I decided that it's about time that I explain how it is that I can turn out such high quality content on an annual - nay, even quarterly basis. In keeping with trend we've seen in recent decades, it's time for my celebratory tell-all.

I had originally intended to write a post explaining how it is that I can maintain my break-neck pace of blogging - what with the two posts for 2006, thus far. And then that started to turn into a post on the nature of the blogosphere, disintermediation and journalism, and whole host of other stuff. Late last night I even wrote a post and everything. And then, for reasons that must have been clearer then, went back to read some of the things I wrote when I actually wrote things and came to a conclusion.

At some point along the journey, I became a stuffed-shirt (keyboard?) pedant, lacking a sense of humor, and in love with the sound of my own voice (typing?). Seriously - go back and browse through the blogspot archive. (I know this sounds a bit like your grandpa telling you about how things were when he was a hip young thing, but seriously, this was 2003-2004 which, even in blog years, ain't forever).

I came to realize that in my bid to start sounding more scholarly, that I quit having enjoying the process. I started worrying about having something smart (or at least smart-sounding) to the extent that I quit having fun and quit being readable. I turned recreation into a chore and then couldn't figure out why I didn't like doing it anymore.

When I go back to my earliest posts, they seem to have had the tone of a conversation. Almost like those very old letters that you hear read on a Ken Burns special. In any case, they don't compare at all in style with things like my most recent post on torture which is as engaging as sitting in the middle of a desert, eating a bowl full of crackers, and having nothing with which to wash it down. As it is, I evidently have ferocious difficulties writing with succinctitude… consciseiveness… disverbosity… um… alacrity… claret[mmm... claret]… clarity.

I've been thinking on and off, for a while now about a site redesign, and this, and that, and the other sort of vaguely DIY remodeling stuff. But one thing I am strongly considering is whether or not to put the blogger "Bravo Romeo Delta" into hibernation and trying to bring the blogger "Anticipatory Retaliation" back out of retirement.

I don't know if anyone is still out there, but in the event that you, or digital archaeologists from future alien civilizations, read this, feedback would be most appreciated.