The easiest way to sum that up is that it's easier said than done.
It's really not that hard. Autumn probably spent 10 minutes making those initial topics/posts and look at the participation she got.
And yes, some people have a harder time making successful topics. But that's happened to all of us who make topics regularly. Sometimes your post/topic doesn't have what people want and sometimes it does.
I also wanted to add that some people like to read discussions without posting in them themselves.
Which is why WU is dying. There's nothing with that behavior in itself, but it is exactly why the site has barely any activity.