Joanna Leery Polyp...

is feeling kind of...irrelevant.

For fun I Googled myself with the word "hate" hoping to turn up some nasty trollin' action, but nothin'. And pretty much anything re: Jo Leery Polyp surrounds those halcyon days of infertility, early pregnancy, and finally Sophia's rollicking good time of a birth story. After that, it's all dead air.

I think I may have cashed in my fifteen minutes. Which is a little bit of a relief, as it was utterly painless and largely unremarkable save for the cadre of friends, in-person and online, that now surrounds me. Net gain: neato.

What now, though? What makes an interesting blog? I started in the enviable niche market of infertility blogging, and then I had to go and kill the goose that laid the golden egg. Yes, I'm being flip, because oh my god, those days were torment, and I have no wish to return to them. The blog quite literally kept me sane; it funneled all that energy that, left to its own devices, compelled me to purchase thirty pregnancy tests from the dollar store and then use them...all...in one weekend.

It seems crazy unless you've been there. Then you know it's crazy, and you know exactly how it happened.

Anyway, I'm kind of blundering niche-less through parenting bloggery. I was thinking of making a career of writing insulting letters to local newspaper columnists criticizing their grammar and including a copy of my own resume and a suggestion that I be allowed to replace them, but, you know, meh. There's already a "mom blog" column in our paper (yes, that's right: a print "blog". That is indistinguishable from a "column". A "really dull column". That reads like a retread of the Parents magazine letter from the editor.) and honestly, in this town, if Keith Urban isn't somehow involved, you ain't getting far. I don't know, he kind of has mommy hair. Maybe I could make money off that somehow.

So, internets. What would you suggest? What would you like to read about? Should I shut things down until I hit nursing school and crowbar open some new niche for myself? Keep on keepin' on? I guess Mimi Smartypants blogs about nothing-and-everything and is, like, totally famous and shit now, but she is Mimi Smartypants and I am me. I'm the middle school basketball coach in Hightstown, New Jersey, and she's Shaquille O'Neal. He plays basketball, right?

I guess I really don't want to shut down, if only because I'm not ready to burn up my diary, especially since this diary periodically compliments my writing. It's that aimless time of life, when the ambition starts gearing up again but the babies are too little to do anything sustained. Where's this whole internet thing going, folks? What do you think?

Comments

[Kim]

Lurker here. I always enjoy what you have to say. As a single woman without kids, I like reading about families with young kids, and I really like your take on things. It has been interesting for me (a resident of Philly outskirts) to hear about your move. I say, keep going! And best wishes, whatever you decide.

[liones5]

Lurker here. I second everything the woman above said, except I live in Denver.

Good luck!

[Laura]

Another lurker! I like what you've got going on :)

[kate]

No, no, no - don't shut down! I've read you since 2004 and I enjoyed your infertility writing (well, I didn't "enjoy" it so much as it really moved me) and now I enjoy hearing about the girls, your life as a SAHM, your crunchiness, your conversion to Judaism, your dad (my dad is an alcoholic as well).

Write. . .whenever. Whatever. I think we'll all keep coming back and enjoying it. Do you make a habit of being FB friends w/ loyal blog readers, by any chance?

[Jen]

Personally, I love reading anything you write about. Kid and parenting stories are great. Planning for nursing school. Judaism. Your new neighborhood. Keep on keeping on!

[Ashlee]

Love you, love all of it. Will participate in mass online protest the day you shut your diary down. I started reading right around the 3rd trimester of Sophia time frame. To this day I describe you to my husband as the crunchy, hippie blogger I read. Although those were your plastic crazy times and you don't do as much with the cruncy now. Feel free to talk about your crunchy tips, raising your kiddos, whatever. I'll be here to read it. I think there will always be a place for good writing online. Plus, if you stopped blogging, don't you think you'd stop writing all together? F that.

[Falling]

Jo Marie Leery Polyp (just felt you needed an additional name for emphasis)! Let's have no more talk of this "shutting down" madness. Come now.

I'm sorry you feel irrelevant. I would posit that, having outgrown your niche, you may actually be more relevant to more people.

Plus, dude...after reading both of your birth stories? I gotta hear how this Horrible Face Surgery thing turns out.

[Tor]

Another lurker. We'll read whatever you write. You don't need a niche when you have a loyal following. If it morphs into a nursing/midwifey blog when you are doing that then that's what it is, because that's who YOU are, no need to force it now or to write nothing until it's ready to become that. We love you regardless of what you write about because we like how you write about it and how much of yourself you put into it. The label doesn't matter. Keep on writing and we'll keep on reading. Only stop if you don't want to write anymore.

[Boulder]

I hope you won't shut down. I simply enjoy reading about how you are engaging in the new world around you, how your life is going, you know "Dear mom, camp is...."

I'm easy to please, though. :)

[Cat]

I'm having the same struggle, minus the initial fame. But I'd really miss you if you went. You can write about anything! Except crafts. Not too heavy on the crafts, okay?

[Melissa]

Look dude. Read my latest post about the rotten shit in my fridge, and you will know you are not alone.

This blog is my lifeline to you, far-away friend. Whatever you write is like a peek in your window, into your world. And you're so funny.

I could ask the same question about my blog- and what would you reply?

And also your 15 minutes are still lingering because I never have gotten hold of the book you're in.

[valarie]

Jo, I too realy enjoy your blog. I am also from Philly (now in NC), spent several years dealing with infertility and went to nursing school when my twins were 2 1/2 years old. See, I love you're niche!
You write beautifully and your posts are always interesting.
Thank you for spending the time sharing with us!
I hope to continue to enjoy reading your posts and will sincerely miss you if you stop.

[Kelly]

Keep on keepin' on. Your mojo will return... or it won't. Regardless, I like reading your blog. I haven't had anything earth shattering to write about lately either.

[Milla]

Another lurker chiming in! I don't have children yet (my partner and I are waiting until I finish my Ph.D. to start trying. . .luckily I started the whole grad school thing pretty young). But I love the peek into the future, and I hope my future looks a little like yours. Not to mention you're (sometimes) hilarious, (sometimes) heartbreaking, and just easy to follow along with.

[gretchenosis]

dude, shut UP. one of the awesome things about your blog is that it has grown so much--it started as a deep, thorough, heart-breaking and brilliant account of infertility, then came the road to sophia, then her life and the beginning of daphne....
it will never be what it was, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. you aren't who you were, in a sense, and that's good. you are about to have some life-altering stuff go down, and that you would even consider abandoning the thing you do best (write)..well, perhaps you don't see it...but you need it now as much as ever. even though you can't yet write about dad, even though you're waiting for the chips to fall, so many people out here love and need your posts. not just as a life-line to you. i, for one, depend on you to put into words what i'm thinking about motherhood, daughterhood, etc. does every post have to be inspiring? no, but they kind of are anyway.
so, again. SHUT UP.

[gretchenosis]

and. AND. not to be corny, but perhaps your fifteen minutes are in the distant future. kind of like what we talked about on the road-trip through braums-land: this ain't GTC, and your fifteen minutes won't fall in your lap.

[Ruth]

It often seems to me that when bloggers have these moments like you're having, it's because they feel that people read what they're writing because they take on important topics or write important things. And I'm sure there's some of that, but I read the particular bloggers who I read because I like *them,* and I don't really care very much what they're writing about. Write about your life, as you like, and we will read it!

[Jessie Mae]

Delurking to say that, like so many others here, I just like reading about your life. You're a good writer. That can make anything interesting. Plus, like a lot of the others, I don't have kids but hope to have them soon, and I like getting a peek into what life is like for a mom.

[Jo]

Oh my gosh, I didn't intend for this to be a "talk me down from the ledge" comment-scaring-up post -- although, hey, I am *really* loving this, and very much enjoying hearing why people read (or continue to read). Who knew there actually WAS a niche for this?

And yes, am FB whore. Shoot me an email and I'll friend you...

[allison]

hm, I get the desire to have a niche, especially since that's how you started out. maybe that's a new thing to settle on... I'm sure there are lots of budding niches in your life, just waiting to be picked :) Interesting thought, having a niche. I started a blog w/o a niche, and it has lost some steam. I didn't publicly have a niche because I thought it would make me inaccessible to my 3 readers. What I'm realizing about good writing, though, is that the topic is useful, but the writing is ultimately the real joy.

[Mandy]

Don't shut down--in fact, write more!

[Lesley]

You are one of the very few blogs I read on a regular basis. I started reading while I was nursing my daughter and continued after she weaned (2 years later). Now I'm nursing another baby and NEED something to read! There are a lot of blogs out there and very few good blogs. Your blog is always entertaining or thought provoking. You write so well, everything you write about is interesting. If you stop blogging you'll have to write a book. Please don't stop though! Keep it going...

[Sara]

Hi, I am delurking to say how much I enjoy your writing. Dissecting issues like vaccinations without being preachy or weird? Yes, please! Simpsons references? Bonus! Also, I am currently attempting to go to nursing school, in stutter-steps. So, I am here for the career ambivalence, too. :)

[Emme Bea]

Another (mostly) lurker here. Only I'm a lazy one who can't be too arsed to see if a similar comment has been posted yet. I am very much interested in your conversion to Judaism and all that that entails. I love to read about your girls, too.

Whatever you do, don't stop. I truly enjoy popping in and reading when I can.

[After Words]

Please don't stop: I'd read your grocery list.