Monday, May 16, 2011

Explanation

Within the past two weeks, a few people have asked about or commented on my absence. Being a man of insistent "responsible genes," I’ve decided to pass along this explanation, feeble as some may think it is.

First, radiation for prostate cancer ended April 25. Now, I wait, get checked periodically, and take shots that I hate having to take.

Over the nine weeks during radiation, the round trip drive of almost three hours each day, five days a week, plus the fifteen minutes of radiation saw to it that I had great amounts of time in which to think—always a dangerous thing for a guy like me, who never stops thinking to begin with (I listened to books on CD, but still managed to think).

When I began this blog, my intent was to pass along to consumers some of what really goes on in the wine world as opposed to what others want consumers to think goes on. I also had a decided bent against ever becoming a wine critic, as my view of aesthetic criticism is not the mainstream view of that occupation.

If I am to be honest with myself, the secondary intent for vinofictions was to gain access to people who might be in a position to buy my writing services.

In truth, neither of the intents seems to have panned out much.

After initial interest from some important online bloggers who sent readers my way, my lack of flashy, some might say sensationalistic writing ultimately relegated vinofictions to the low end of the readability scale. I have no idea how many people read or have read the blog (I have tracked the hits, but that baloney isn’t as telling as some believe—hits are not necessarily readers).

In addition, others have pointed out, and I have come to agree that the majority of wine blog readers are either in the business, wannabes in the business, or hard geeks. And in addition to that, I’ve learned that few want to read a blog for information beyond the opinions concerning the drinkability of this or that wine; in some cases, telling the truth behind the many myths that continue to circulate concerning myriad subjects connected to wine has gotten me into more trouble than the blog is worth.

Speaking of worth, the blog did manage to pull off a few incidents concerning my second intent—to attract an editor or two—but not nearly enough when I compare what my print writings (including books) have garnered for me when it comes to getting future writing gigs. Either not enough editors read wine blogs or I'm a poor excuse for a writer--or both. Still, in spite of the possibility concerning my talents, the fact that I have had the good fortune over the years to become a professional writer, who needs the time to write so that I meet my deadlines, often came into conflict with trying to maintain a blog that brought no direct revenue at all.

In sum, vinofictions may or may not be around much longer. I haven’t made a definitive decision about it. I know only these two things: right now, I am not inspired to write anything on the blog; and I have just received a contract to write what will be my fourth book, a project that requires much research and that will take up much of my time. The new book, plus the three columns I continually bang out on a regularly scheduled basis, the wines.com blog entries that I produce twice each month, and the scattered magazine articles that diminishingly, but still come my way will conspire to lessen the energy if not the ideas necessary to maintain regularly scheduled vinofictions blog entries.

Finally, not only have I faced a health ordeal, I’m getting older and less inclined to spend as much energy on speculative concepts as I once had.

To my four or five die-hard readers, I say thanks for reading, commenting, and overall support under the radar through emails. Vinofictions will remain online and maybe one day soon I’ll actually have something worthwhile to post to it.

Copyright Thomas Pellechia
May 2011. All rights reserved

Lifting a blog entry without the author's permission (and without recompense) is a copyright infringement--period.

21 comments:

  1. Well, I've enjoyed the blog, but I certainly can't argue with your reasons for moving on from it. Best of luck, and I'll keep checking back...

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  2. Marie, if I know me, it "ain't" completely over...

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  3. Thomas,
    I absolutely appreciate your honesty and fully understand that at some point, for however long, life will become too fractured and there simply won't be enough time...or desire as it may be, to continue writing, (or reading for that matter) blogs. Especially wine blogs that sadly tend to recycle material and become painfully redundant...gets old and not all that inspiring, least from my point of view.

    I will keep you on my blogroll and I do so cherish that we've started a friendship through finding one another on these silly interwebs. Good lucky with the book kid, as a long time reader I have complete faith in you.
    Hugs,
    Sam

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  4. Sam,

    Complete faith?

    Now I have a major responsibility!

    Notice how I didn't outright quit the way the Hosemaster has done a thousand times, and he says that I've quit blogging more often or as much as he has...I'm too smart to take that route ;)

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  5. You will have more stories to tell - so your mission isn't over!

    And whom should educate me in the future?

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  6. Henrik,

    You are trying to flatter me.

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  7. No - I don't have to do that.

    But I appreciate your forthrightness and your honest way of saying things.....

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  8. It's ok. I don't mind flattery, especially when it's correct ;)

    Seriously, Henrik, the fact that I speak directly and to the point as much as possible has gotten me into more trouble than I care to remember.

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  9. I'm #4, it seems. :)

    Seriously - right when you have something to say; it's not like we're going to delete you from our Feed reader. Bwahahahah.

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  10. Oh, Krak.

    I will phone you when I'm out your way in June.

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  11. How about the continuing saga of Nick? It's over?

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  12. Thomas is just like Jean M Auel. You will have the ending of the saga in 10 - 12 years time....

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  13. Over. Hmmm.

    Let's say that Nick, and all this blog stuff is dormant.

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  14. By the way Thomas, what are your thoughts on Chapoutier's comments about petrol notes being a fault in the winemaking process in Riesling wines?

    If you have read about it!

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  15. What does Chapoutier have to do with Riesling? Plus, what's his scientific proof?

    More important, is Brettanomyces yeast that shows up in so many red wines of certain French regions a flaw?

    Stone throwing gets you into trouble.

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  16. Oh, right. I forgot. Chapoutier now produces Riesling in Alsace, where the petrol quality is not as pronounced.

    Let me see: does he have a reason to make a statement without providing proof beyond what he believes to be the case?

    Uh. Hmm. I don't know, do you?

    I hate when people sell what they have to sell not by talking about the attributes of their product but by trying to tear down what others have to sell. As an old salesman, I view that tactic as insecurity.

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  17. Glad to see you writing here again. You could always micro blog on tumblr.com.
    The ability to comment was not working for a while, so I couldn't put in my one cent.

    Stay well, play lots of piano, eat well and drink only wines that uplift your soul and inspire you to conduct scientific experiments involving wine and playing the piano.

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  18. The older I get, Marco, the more difficult it is to consume wine while playing piano--I need both hands for each activity!

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  19. I'll raise a glass to your good health tonight.

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  20. Thanks, Thud.

    Almost got to meet your sister in a couple weeks, but schedules aren't working out.

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  21. Thomas...she is worth meeting...we talk ALOT!so you are guaranteed a good conversation.

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