Lovely Girl   +  writing

A little over a year ago, I wrote a cute little piece I call "Confessions of a (former) online Dater. " I shopped it around to all the usual places and got jilted by Jane magazine, rejected by the NY Times' "Modern Love" column, and nothing but a cold shoulder from "Coupling" in The Boston Globe.Finally, last week, my essay found its soul mate. Ironically, my first thought was not "sweet, another byline!" or "helloo, kitten heels!" Instead, I wondered what the men I've dated would think if they ever got their hands on that article. Would they laugh? Or sue for libel? I've since reassured myself that there's enough vagueness that no one will care (not like it's as juicy as the title implies)."Tall, athletic Ivy Leager" could be one of thousands of men, and "shy grad student" fits over half the population of MIT. Plus, it's been several years since I've even seen most of these men, so hopefully they've moved on (even though on some level I clearly have not, since I'm still writing about them!). If this is an issue that's been on your mind, then check out How to Write About Family and Friends So They'll Still Speak to You.