Writing as incentive

The ability to write can get you a lot of things.

It can earn you money, gain you confidence, give you friends, put things in perspective and, well, it's a far more affordable option than therapy.

Armed with a pen or a keyboard, a bad day takes on an amusing slant instead of a painful edge, amazing experiences once articulated are never forgotten, and break-ups change from being the end of a story, to the beginning of one.

But more than all that, writing can be the push you need to do something you otherwise wouldn't.

In fact, it's amazing what can be achieved when you apply the logic "well, if it all goes tits up, at least I can write about it anyway".

Which is sort of the reason that when the fourth date* had yet to be arranged and my ridiculous girl-brain was doing somersaults - on which note, it's always those already in relationships who tell you how exciting dating is, only the rest of us know the terrifying truth - that I decided to stop waiting, and ask the question myself.

And because the path of dating never did run smooth, and the response or lack of it would have to go in writing either way and because, ultimately, everything is copy, I wrote:

So am I ever going to see you again, or is that it now you've seen my boobs?

...and pressed send.

So that's how today's story ended, with a fourth date arranged and some lessons learnt:

1) When in doubt, do it anyway, 2) Never underestimate the power of words, and 3) where possible, always use the word "boobs".

*Yeah, I skipped a few. Sorry.