Comments re-enabled

September 28, 2014

My experiment with turning off the comments is coming to an end. I’ve re-enabled comments across the site.

When I turned them off, I thought I would be able to better focus on polishing my writing. And it was nice in a way. The experience was very … clean, I suppose is the word. It was focused. There was no conversation, no moderation, no clarification. There was just the writing.

But ultimately, what the experience taught me is that writing, to me, is a collaborative experience. It’s a conversation, not a soapbox. That’s why I’m the writer who responds to the most comments on RandomC, and despite what I thought, writing here isn’t any different. Writing everywhere is the same.

I treasure the engagement and love the feedback, even though some of the feedback hurts. The old public artist’s dilemma—recalling the one negative comment over the hundred positive ones—always rears its ugly head, but I treasure the interaction even so. Without it, the experience is numb.

Feedback is not necessary. I can write without anyone listening. I do it often, and if my book flops, I’ll continue doing it even still, because that’s a story I need to tell. But it feels wrong to push people away, even if conversation isn’t the point. I don’t mind if nobody is listening to me, but I always want to be available to listen to you.

So comments re-enabled, and I look forward to your more immediate feedback. And thank you for your patience, as always.