As an actor, I'm familiar with having bursts of energy, where you're giving things a try, and then you have down time.
I think some people wished I'd kept myself out of the book. But I kind of insist on it because I want the reader to share my engagement with the material, if you like, not pretend that I'm doing it completely intellectually.
The press should be not only a collective propagandist and a collective agitator, but also a collective organizer of the masses.