Date a Girl Who Writes

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who can’t put a new book down until it’s been finished. A girl who, for those few hours, can’t separate the fantasy from the reality. She disappears into the pages, losing herself in other worlds.

Find a girl with a stack of books and notebooks spilling out of her bags and teetering precariously in miniature towers all around her apartment. She’s a reader. Realize that she’s the reason “book bags” were created. Find her trying to decide which book to buy next – she’ll be the one sitting on the floor with a stack of books easily half her height, separating her treasure into “keep” and “come back for” piles. She is probably muttering to herself as she chooses.

Date a girl who’s never at a loss for words. It will make the silences more magnificent and the days more interesting. She will often refer you to novels and short stories that things have reminded her of. When you’re in trouble she’ll hold you close and quote the greats. When you have to leave she’ll understand, because despite the tears she may shed she knows that all lovers must part ways now and then. She knows that you’ll always be back.

Date a girl who’ll write you letters by hand. She probably has a pen pal as an excuse to put her pen and paper to good use. She keeps a letter box… or two. Admit that you didn’t realize people even wrote letters anymore, much less kept letter boxes. She’ll make you one to keep her letters in. Plan to reply – she doesn’t accept slackers who can’t write.

Find her sitting in strange places at even stranger hours. Listen to her sing along to her music as she writes or stares into space. Ask her why she only has one earphone in. Laugh when she explains that she needs one ear open to hear her own thoughts. Smile at her; she’s serious.

Sit next to her while she’s reading. Be patient if she doesn’t notice you at first. She’s absorbed. A girl who gives that much attention to her books will give you the same loyalty and undivided affection when she’s with you. If she doesn’t look up, ask her what she’s reading. Prepare for an exasperated look – she doesn’t like to have her reading interrupted, but if you give her a smile she’ll return it. She might answer, but more than likely she’ll hold it up so you can read the title yourself. She’s not being rude – she just wants to get back to “the best part” she’s currently at. If you’re genuinely interested, ask her about it. She might grumble, but she’ll explain it to you. Before she knows it she’ll be so excited to share the story with you that she’s not annoyed at all. Use that opening to talk about other things.

When you find her up at four in the morning, crying over a book, hold her and let her vent. She’ll throw things and tell you how stupid the characters are. They are real to her then, as good characters always are. Give her time – she’ll calm down. Sit with her as she reasons out plot twists or wonders aloud at a character’s motives.

Take her out on the town. After a lively dinner, go for a walk. Talk to her. Share your thoughts and hopes and aspirations. A girl who reads has big dreams. She wants to know your passions too. As you walk through the dusky streets, tell her what you like to read – what literature impacted you. Understand that she loves the moonlight – the stars. Let her take her shoes off.

It isn’t always easy to date a girl who reads, but she at least understands that nothing good is without cost. She has read enough to know that the happy ending doesn’t create itself. She knows that it’s only worth something if you work for it. Words have made her strong – she won’t leave when the seas are stormy.

If you fail her, she will forgive you. A girl who reads knows that everyday is like a page turn, a new chance at happiness. She’ll accept fights and failure from you, and she in turn trusts that you’ll accept them from her as well. She knows that every pitfall leads to a mountaintop so long as you’re willing to make the climb. She looks forward to the new chapters as much as she loves to look fondly on the old ones. She doesn’t expect perfection – for in her mind, heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

If you find a girl who reads; never let her get away.

Date a girl who reads because she’s not concerned with the material things in life. All she needs to be truly happy are love, words, and dreams. She spends all of her money in bookstores and paper stores, and her rooms are always full of bookcases. She rereads her favorite stories until their spines crack and their pages yellow and then some. The smell of books, old and new, is her perfume of choice.

Let her live life like it’s her own personal fantasy. She can’t live completely grounded – her dreams are everything to her. Let her keep them. After all birds are meant to soar; so are dreamers. Don’t clip her wings. She won’t care that you aren’t prince charming – she wants her perfect man, not Cinderella’s. Tell her that you love her. Understand that words are important to her. They are the conduits of everything. Use them often.

You don’t have to spend tons of money or time planning things. Just be sincere, and have fun. A girl who reads wants to experience life as fully as possible. Surprise her often. She loves to be swept off her feet. You don’t have to fight a dragon to win her heart; a single flower or scribbled poem will do the trick.

Propose someplace special. Where you met. On a trip. At the top of your favorite building. After a long day. Or in the middle of the street when you can’t contain it anymore.

At the wedding she’ll pretend she’s a princess – you’ll believe it. For that one day she’s fully immersing you both in a fairy tale. You’ll kiss too long at the altar. Whisper in her ear. Make her laugh as you leave the reception.

Together you will create a life where everyday is a new adventure, and you’ll record it for the generations to remember. You’ll have lots of children with exotic names and unique interests. She will read them Shel Silverstein, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Walt Whitman – sometimes back to back. As you grow old together your love will blossom. She will recite sonnets under her breath as you get into bed at night. You’ll wake up each morning with the sweet taste of poetry still on your lips.

Date a girl who reads because you shouldn’t have to settle. Date a girl who can offer you more than just the world. She can give you a million worlds. She’ll add color to the gray days and imagination to the monotone backdrop of society. She won’t let you give up because she knows that there are no limits, especially not the sky, to what you can do together. She will love you with all the passion she has harbored as she read, and she’ll give you a life richer and deeper than the most magical fairy tale.

So date a girl who reads, or if you’re brave, try a girl who writes.

 

This piece is my own work, and it takes inspiration from a piece entitled “Date a Girl Who Reads” by Rosemarie Urquico. It is in no way the same piece, merely another interpretation of why one should date a girl who reads (or, in this case, writes). Both my piece and Rosmarie’s are responses to a piece called, “Don’t Date a Girl Who Reads” by Charles Warnke which you can read (and hate as much as I do) here.