If you’re really lucky, you start out with a few readers. It’s probably for the best—unless you’re a natural at this blogging thing, you aren’t going to be that good at it. The fewer witnesses the better [image error]

Time passes. You pick up readers here and there. You learn not to check your stats because doing so makes you obsess so much that you can’t get any other work done.

More time passes.

[image error]

Since you’ve stopped checking your stats, you are much calmer. Unfortunately, now you are also convinced that no one reads your blog, even when you are looking at the comments other people have been kind enough to leave on your site. You hit a weird depression and keep going.

Your writing voice gets stronger, because hey, you figure you might as well say what’s on your mind since no readers = no one to accidentally offend.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Because quitting is not an option.