A few years ago, I pitched a dating column to a local magazine... and it got picked up. Writing about dating in your late twenties is the best. Bad dates = awesome material, and I have a lot of good material. With the holidays coming up, and the inevitable "why didn't you bring a date?" conversations commencing for single people all over the world-- I thought I'd share the pitch that originally got me started writing about dating as an adventure...
"Dating is hard, and dating in your late twenties is like living with a potentially fatal disease—the sooner you’re diagnosed, the better chance you stand of making it. Because if left untreated, you’ll find yourself on the brink of 30, begrudgingly checking the “single” box on your tax documents and listening to the sincerity fade out of your grandma’s voice when she says, “don’t worry dear, there’s still time”.
Dating in your early twenties is pretty simple. You meet someone at a party, partake in some small talk while searching for your bra the next morning, bond over some hangover eggs and bacon, and BAM!—you’re in a relationship. As the years go on, that simplicity diminishes. I’m quickly closing in on 30 and the last date that I had showed up drunk and ate the last two pieces of quesadilla off of my plate—needless to say it didn’t work out. The poor schmuck before him got lost picking me up for our third date, accused me of lying about my address, and told me to “loose” his number in an angry text message. Nice abs and a cool car just don’t cut it as the ideal anymore.
In a state that’s constantly in the press for being home to some of the smartest, most attractive and athletic twenty-somethings in the country, why is it so hard to find a good date? As a single lady, I think it's time to start getting creative about finding a tolerable man to spend time with. Should I (ugh…) give online dating a try? I'm sure my potential online dates will forgive me in time when they figure out I'm not really a yoga instructor... Maybe I’ll go with the old standby and prance around my local gym in my brand new workout threads. Sweatbands are still in style, right? Or maybe I'll get a kitten and use it as an accessory to attract guys at local watering holes. Guys love kittens. Or are they into puppies... Shit. The dating process might be a lot of things, but it certainly isn’t boring.
“Date me, I’m 30” is the perfect weekly dating column for your magazine. A combination of real life dating stories, lessons learned the hard way, tons of humor and epic fails, and what it takes to date in the 303 area code in between. This column will give readers a good chuckle, ideas for dates, and some reassurance about their own dating life. "
Best of luck to all you single folk this holiday season!