JUST when I was ready to give up dating, I had the most perfect first date with Liz Meriwether.
OK, not exactly.
I saw her as the guest speaker at DBA’s live literary series, The Writer’s Room with Reza Aslan. But we had some seriously deep, first date conversation. She was everything I’d ever hoped for on a first date: smart, funny, on time. We met at the venue.
I got there a little early.
She sat down a few minutes after eight– still “on time” by LA standards, but also carrying an air of mystery about her that led me to believe she was doing something far cooler than I prior to her arrival.
We both quickly manned ourselves with a cocktail– essential to quell any first date nerves before diving into the good stuff. When she started talking about her favorite writers, I knew we were a match. I mean, who doesn’t love Shakespeare? (Ira Glass.) When she mentioned that Woody Allen was an influence and that she dressed up as a young Alvy Singer from Annie Hall, I couldn’t help but think, I wish I was her cool, hip plus one tonight.
It’s always a good sign when you wish you were cohabiting with your date after meeting only twenty minutes before– right? That’s not too single white female is it?
From there, Liz continued to talk, and I listened. I learned quickly that she and I have really similar writing rituals: write on the couch while simultaneously eating the feelings that we aren’t able to get on the page fast enough. Then, when a break is needed, lying like comatose eating chicken wings while watching shows about women killing their husbands.
I was in deep.
After a second round of drinks, I thought about my sister’s rule of thumb: never have more than two drinks on a date. However, like any girl who is near drunk and in love, I threw out all practical advice. That’s when Liz started to get real. Liz talked about the best advice she received as a writer and wisely noted that often the best advice comes out of the worst advice (I decided I’d save that excuse for my sister). An executive once told her she should learn to be a “Power Bottom.” That’s right: a woman who lies down and let’s a man take the lead while giving him good ideas and making him think he came up with said ideas himself. She talked about how horrifying that was for her and how she doesn’t believe that’s the way to be a successful woman in this industry. In this moment, my girl crush solidified. She continued to explain how when she thinks of that anecdote, she remembers an even more important piece of advice: Just write. It’s easy to get caught up in the politics and people’s opinions but at the end of the day, if you keep practicing, you’ll be able to write yourself out of the circumstance you are in. Your writing will speak for itself.
At this point, I decided we should wrap up the date.
Fine, the host, Reza Aslan, wrapped it up, and Liz walked off stage, heading off to her next engagement. Which was perfect, because, too much of a good thing and whatnot. Any more information and maybe she would have lost some of her luster. (Doubtful.)
If you’re interested in dating from afar, you should check out the August 6th event with screenwriters Kelly Marcel (50 Shades of Grey, Saving Mr. Banks) and Scott Neustadter (The Fault in Our Stars, 500 Days of Summer).
