I’m wrapping up the annual fall member drive for West St. Paul Reader. Tomorrow is the last day. Whew.

These things are always a ton of work. You oscillate between letdown that no one is signing up and sheer joy when a few people join. There’s also a manic feeling that you have to keep pushing it—you never know what’s going to break through, and you’re afraid of holding something back. It’s wild.

So why do I do it? Well, it works. Once you start doing it, there’s an addiction factor. W...