Two part answer for a two part question.
That voice in your head? Ignore it, it is giving you the worst tactical advice possible. Sure, you want to find a man and are getting a bit worried about the mileage you have left on your biological clock. Getting obsessive about it will put guys off.
We can smell desperation, and it is a stink more repulsive than skunk. Relax about it. The less you worry, as long as you continue to get out and meet people, the more likely you are to find someone.
Now as for the writing, what do you mean you want to pursue it? You want to write, you write. Every single day of the year without fail. That is it.
Don't be one of those sad people who sits in Starbucks, leeching the wifi and talking about writing the next big thing. You write.
Yes, you will need feedback. Yes, your first articles/stories/novel will suck badly enough to raise a dust storm. That is how it goes and how you learn. Let people read and comment on your writing. I started by blogging short stories and writing comedy for various websites, for example. The early comments were harsh but accurate. Criticism is your friend.
There are places that actually pay you for writing - no experience necessary, but you have to follow their submission rules. Hunt around, they are not exactly secret. They aren't some sacred fellowship that you have to be invited to - it is just a bunch of people of varying degrees of sanity putting down stories and articles one word at a time.
Being a writer, I get this all the time. "I want to write" they say. Ask where they have published and they say "Nowhere yet." Give advice as to where they can try and they say "Oh, I want to be a serious novellist." It drives me insane. Writers write. They don't just talk about it.
You find the right person when you're not looking for him.
amen!
I too get bugged when people say "I want to be a writer like you! Can you teach me how to do what you do?" It's irritating because MM is right. It's like deciding you want to be....a woman. or a man. you don't decide to be a writer. every woman in my family spanning back generations was or is a writer. Not because we chose that, but because we are. I was lucky enough to get into an AP english class in 10th grade, and my teacher gave me the same advice MM just gave you "never stop writing." within a year I had my first weekly column for a newspaper (that people actually read!) AND my first byline at the age of 15. Didn't have a boyfriend but wouldn't have had that credit to refer to for the rest of my life if I had worried about that at the time. I eventually went into science, and then back to writing, but...I never stopped writing. And as you can see, I never forgot that advice it's the best I've ever received as far as this field is concerned. If you think you NEED a man because of your age, you will go out into the world seeking them to the soundtrack of a loud ticking clock which to men, sounds like a ticking time bomb. You won't find the man you want that way, and you aren't going to get any writing done either. if you want to write, and ARE a writer, then you need to never stop and you NEED to find an audience (maybe blogging about your passion at wordpress.com to start?) MM has given you some good suggestions there. Also, get a thick skin as it will help in both the dating and the writing departments. I still get a bit emotionally charged when one of my pieces comes back splattered with red ink like the blood of my babies gone to slaughter, but...it's feedback that will make you a better writer. And I believe that every writer can always be better. Hone your craft, and the only way to do that is to work it. Write. Good luck!
"We can smell desperation, and it is a stink more repulsive than skunk."
EEK. Can't men be desperate too, though?
yes, i coined the phrase "kick the puppy" in my circle of girlfriends for exactly that.
We tend to call it flop sweat on guys