I think the first chapter is shocking now I read it back
Contents
Introduction: What brings a woman like you to a book like this?
Chapter 1: Getting that profile down, girl!
Chapter 2: U R da sexyist lukin woman i have eva seen on dis site…or what to avoid.
Chapter 3: The 10 rules of dating. Ignore them at your peril!
Chapter 4: First date fears.
Chapter 5: Some of the folks you might meet.
Chapter 6: Don’t steer the ship: Be Emily!
Chapter 7: If you hold my willy it helps with my sense of direction.
Chapter 8: Not tonight, dear, I’m playing ping pong.
Chapter 9: Eating cheese in bed and other bad habits.
Chapter 10: Red Flags – when your date isn’t what they appear to be.
Chapter 11: Pass me the ice cream, Francesca…or how to cope if it all goes wrong.
Chapter 12: You know the ‘one’ doesn’t exist, right?
Chapter 13: The Transitional Man
Chapter 14: The Greatest Love of All
Chapter 13: What Lucy did next.
What brings a woman like you to a book like this?
Online dating has come a long way.
While the odd fossil on dating websites still proclaims: ‘We’ll say we met in a bar,’ for most, the stigma has been removed from internet dating. In a stressful, fractured world, it has become a convenient way to meet people. More and more divorces mean more and more single parent families, perhaps with little opportunity to get out and meet people (the situation I was in when starting this process!). For others, it’s simply a way to sample the talent out there, from the comfort of the sofa. This can lead to the affliction of ‘Sweetie shop syndrome,’ of which I’ll say more later. It is also a paradise for introverts, who find it hard to meet in a bar. Although I personally find that alcohol helps with that one. At least online you’re starting from the premise that you’re both single and looking to date. You can glean a lot about a person from their profile.
Now this is a dating book with a difference. I don’t claim that if you behave in this way or that way then any man will instantly fall in love with you. You can control yourself, but you can never control other people. They won’t always behave in ways that you’d want or expect. If it goes wrong, don’t blame yourself. And the likelihood is, it won’t always be a smooth journey. What I will do is share my experience and help you to navigate your way through the world of online dating and come out relatively unscathed. Some of the content, particularly the early chapters, will help you begin your online dating journey. You’ll have support on setting up your profile and guidance on screening messages. Other sections will help the more experienced dater and will even guide you through relationships. Hopefully you won’t need the chapter on breaking up, but if you do, I’ve shared my experience to get you through it as painlessly as possible. Though if anyone ever invents a pill to make break-ups painless, they’ll make a fortune.
My experience was that of a single parent, newly out of a twelve year relationship. Thirty three years old, three small children. This method of dating was perfect for me. It was so easy – upload a few photos, write a bit of text and off I went. This led me into a rollercoaster, which took me from disappointment to delight and back to disappointment. I started off in local pubs and ended up at the top of the Eiffel Tower, having someone profess their love for me. Well, almost the top of the Eiffel Tower – the very top was closed due to fog-but let’s not let a trivial detail like that get in the way of true love, hey? Or the fact that it turned out not to be true love, but more on that later…
Ultimately, I don’t regret a single minute. I will admit that when I first began this guide I was not entirely sure where the journey would end. But, then, is anyone ever really sure of that?