Survey Says
Processing Your Feedback about Second Drafts
Dear Reader,
A few comments from some usual suspects in response to last week’s newsletter:
“Regarding the Texas graduation speaker - this may surprise you given some of our previous conversations, but by and large, I agree with you. I'm not saying I 100% disagree with her, and I do also admire the bravery of any teenager willing to put themselves out there on a very public stage and address a controversial topic, whether it's pro-choice or pro-life, gay marriage, funding for schools, censorship of books, whether flag-burning should be illegal, or any number of other things. But from what I've read, I don't think she did this well, and not in a way that will help her cause.
I know I've spoken before that I may be politically pro-choice for a variety of reasons, but I still pray that the abortion rate continues to decline, that abortions only happen out of necessity, and I never believe that ‘convenience’ is an acceptable reason, which seemed to be at least a portion of what she was imparting in her speech.”
And…
“Writing as a fellow pro-life someone (who is both a Texan and a public school administrator), can I just say that I have absolutely zero problem with this student's decision to use her valedictory address as a political platform? I think her deception was certainly problematic, but that's a matter for her parents and the local school administration to handle.
I have no issue with any high school valedictorian using their address to make whatever remarks they wish. As far as I'm concerned, they earned that right by virtue of achieving the highest honors in the graduating class. If they want to get up there and quote lines from '80s movies, I don't care.
But I do take issue with irresponsible adults using this particular incident to push a very specific ideological agenda, especially when those adults are part of our (supposedly) objective mainstream media.
I watched this all unfold in real-time on my social media feeds. Zealously shared and re-Tweeted by working reporters on the local and national level. Whether this was a legitimate news story or no, these journalists were going to *make* it a story. And that's the problem.
Your premise is dead-on. I am absolutely certain there were countless speeches that took various ideological positions at numerous commencement ceremonies across the country. But this is the one that received the brightest spotlight by our Constitutionally-protected gatekeepers of metanarrative. There's nothing incidental about any of this.”
Personally, I haven’t followed any fall-out from last week’s commencement speech, but I was heartened by this particular editorial, published in the Fort-Worth Star-Telegram.
Always glad to hear from readers. Enjoy this week’s Second Drafts.
Craig
Survey Says: Processing Your Feedback about Second Drafts
I can’t tell you how many encouraging in-person conversations I’ve had with readers in the past couple of weeks who have said thanks for writing Second Drafts. These engagements have taken place at graduation parties, church, work, as well as randomly if I see someone out and about (Bozeman’s growing, but it’s still a small town).
In addition to the face-to-face, each week I average more than a few emails, Facebook and Twitter posts from readers responding to something in a previous week’s edition. While some may disagree with or challenge my conclusions, it’s always good to hear from them, as there is no greater compliment to a writer than to be taken seriously.
Some Numbers
Since starting the newsletter on January 1, Second Drafts has 345 subscribers, half of whom read regularly each week’s edition. Below are stats from the past two months:
Substack will tell you that an open rate consistently landing in the 42%-52% range is pretty outstanding, but I want to figure out how to increase that rate - as well as the total number of subscribers - for the purpose of multiplying the newsletter’s influence.
Toward that end, across May (and once with help from Bernie Sanders), I invited readers to answer 10 brief questions about your experience reading Second Drafts. Out of 345 subscribers, 56 of you (16% of my total readership) responded and provided some good and honest feedback that I’ve been processing.
This may not be all that interesting to most of you, but since I asked you for feedback, it seems rude not to report and respond to it. Here’s what you told me, as represented by the numbers (and with your comments included along the way):
Almost 40% of you are in your 40s, with 22% in your 50s and 18.5% in your 30s:
Politically, 71% of you lean right of center…but not everybody:
A majority of you (74%) seem satisfied with the length…though 26% said it’s on the long side:
“I hope you don't shorten it just because I (or others) don't read the whole thing every week. It's been helpful to find the things that would be most encouraging to read and dwell on those. I have read the whole newsletter several times, but more often than not, I skim to find what stands out to me at the moment. I appreciate your work and sharing it with us.”
“I might not always read every word, but that’s not because I don’t want to. I’ll have more time for leisure reading this summer. I’ll look forward to your newsletter!”
“Too long-winded and opinioned.”
“I count is as a good thing for an author to care deeply, at feature length, about things that don't grab me, because that's partly how I know his voice and personality.”
I was encouraged to see this chart, as it lines up well with my intended content emphasis:
“It's a great range of topics and tone. Even the sections I couldn't check as ‘read consistently (not skim)’ are sections that I do always skim at least, and often read entirely - just not when I've either already read a lot about the topic or when I'm not that interested.”
So far, 93% feel that the variety of topic selection is “excellent” or “good”:
“I appreciate the variety of topics and consistency of delivery.”
“Thanks for keeping it real.”
An even higher percentage (94%) think the writing concerning the material is honest and fair:
“It’s always well-researched and documented.”
“You were too hard on Rush [Limbaugh].”
“It’s pretty good, on par with the Trout Wrapper [another online newsletter] which was my favorite to read at one point in time.”
“Please think about God’s love for all people and not judging LGBTQ folks.”
“Great work! Super helpful and a great perspective.”
This is the biggest surprise for me (though it may partially explain why the number of subscribers has not jumped by even one in the past eight weeks):
“I’ve read them all, and although I frequently have thoughts I’d like to share, I’ve never sent a response by email or by FB comment. I do find myself reading the discussions on FB from your friends who have different perspectives.”
A few other honest suggestions came through that I appreciated hearing:
“I was actually disappointed the week after race was introduced to hear you lost a few subscribers. All I could think was ‘liberals who can't handle it’…and that was probably an unfair assessment, but I WANT those who disagree with me to stay engaged and have good, honest debate. So MAYBE that could be a next step - somehow introducing the opportunity to debate the issues.”
It’s true that I lost a few subscribers after that post, and any follow-up ended up going over to my Facebook page (which was fine…unless, of course, you aren’t on Facebook). I do have the option on Substack to open comments, but participation is not anonymous, which for some folks is just too risky to put themselves out there.
“I typically read on Saturday, so my personal preference would be for it to drop on Saturday morning.”
While I appreciate the satisfaction of matching up material with a morning to read it, I’m probably going to have to stick with Friday mornings for now in light of my schedule. I originally chose Fridays as the publication day because it coincided with January 1st this year. In an ideal week, I start thinking/outlining on Tuesdays, grab a few Hot Take stories and begin writing on Wednesdays, then finish things up (sometimes late) on Thursdays. Seeing the newsletter hit on Fridays is a good end to the week, and I know several folks make time for it then and across the weekend.
Summary
Your responses are a gift to me, and I don’t take for granted what you shared. Having read, thought, and written through them, here are three goals I have going forward:
Though it probably won’t be every week, I want to be more concise. Last week’s edition was over 5,000 words, which is definitely on the long side of what I tend to write. Some weeks I leave out a “Peaches Pick” or “Friends Doing Cool Things” section because of length; today I skipped the “Hot Takes” and “Post(erity)” sections because the survey graphs took up quite a bit of room. As philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal wrote in his Lettres Provinciales, “I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.” I want to be more disciplined in getting to the writing earlier in the week so I have time to tighten up the text on Thursdays.
I want to expand and facilitate more interaction among my readers. I’ve heard from many of you individually how much you enjoy hearing what other people who read Second Drafts think, so while I need another online platform to monitor like a hole in the head, in the spirit of giving it the old college try, I’ve opened up the comments sections on all posts and we’ll see how it goes.
Though the general feedback would say that I’m honest and fair in what I write (and, I hope, kind, though I’m sure the experience of that depends on how well you know me personally), convictions can come across strong online. I want to continue to be careful with my words and tone so as not to be a stumbling block to anyone (a clear presentation of the Gospel will do that enough for all of us). If you ever feel I cross that line, you’re welcome to contact me and I’ll be quick to listen.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts (and feel free to share more of them in the comments below, as well as future issues via your social media and email networks). I’m grateful that you’re a Second Drafts reader, and I hope it brings as much value to you and your world as it does to me and mine in getting to write it each week.
Peaches’ Picks
A friend of ours asked us to read Stay by Catherine Ryan Hyde and let her know what we thought (she even provided the book, which was nice). The official write-up:
“In the summer of 1969, fourteen-year-old Lucas Painter carries a huge weight on his shoulders. His brother is fighting in Vietnam. His embattled parents are locked in a never-ending war. And his best friend, Connor, is struggling with his own family issues. To find relief from the chaos, Lucas takes long, meandering walks, and one day he veers into the woods.
There he discovers an isolated cabin and two huge dogs. Frightened, he runs. And the dogs run with him. Lucas finds unusual peace in running with the dogs, and eventually he meets their owner, Zoe Dinsmore. Closed off and haunted by a tragic past, Zoe has given up. She doesn’t want to be saved. She wants out. But Lucas doesn’t want her to go, and he sees an opportunity to bring more than one friend back into the light. It’s either the best or worst idea he’s ever had, but Lucas isn’t giving up on Zoe or Connor.
Their unexpected connection might be the saving grace that Zoe thought she’d lost, that Connor needs, and that Lucas has been running toward.”
The book is a quick read and has a Young Adult (YA) vibe in its writing, but the story and characters are believable, as is the dialogue. There’s a sense that the author set out to write an anti-suicide book (and it is, which is fine), but she’s not overly ham-handed nor trying too hard in the way she goes about it. And, though I didn’t read Pay It Forward (but I liked the movie a lot), there are some good moments of humanity touching humanity that we should always be excited to read about and experience.
Friends Doing Cool Things
If you live in or around Bozeman and have kids going into the 1st or 2nd grades, I happen to know a dedicated teacher offering some good summer review opportunities for your young student(s).
My wife, Megan, is a 1st grade teacher at Petra Academy and is offering four different four-day-a-week sessions for incoming 1st and 2nd grade students (regardless of school attended) to help them stay sharp over summer. The hours are 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Monday through Thursday during the weeks listed above, with groups capped at 10.
Helping kids stay sharp and retain basic reading and math skills over the summer is a passion of Megan’s, and you won’t find a better deal or a more committed teacher for your young kids. Spaces are going fast, so email Megan to claim your spot!
Fresh & Random Linkage
ERTL - Glad to know this company is still making this stuff. I spent days and weeks - nay, months and possibly years - of my life farming the various carpets of our house as a child. Scrolling this website was a trip down memory lane.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights, which he wrote before Hamilton, comes out this weekend in theaters. If the film is as fun as the soundtrack (which I’ve had and listened to for several years), you won’t be disappointed.
Yeah, so the Holderness family nailed Megan and me (and every other introvert on the planet) with this one. Not proud; just honest.
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