Annie Lord, the 30-year-old writer who became a voice for millennial and Gen Z dating through her viral breakup memoir and British Vogue column, has released her debut novel, 'The Project.' The book follows two single women in their mid-20s who, frustrated by the dating scene, decide to remake a male friend into an ideal partner.
Lord's career began after a breakup essay for Vice went viral, leading to a book deal and the 2023 memoir 'Notes on Heartbreak.' Her fortnightly Vogue column documented situationships and romantic confusion, making her a prominent chronicler of modern love.
The Project: A Comic Take on Dating Woes
'The Project' centers on Daisy and Maya, who decide to overhaul a male friend named James—improving his clothes, encouraging therapy, and exposing him to feminist ideas. Lord says the character James is a composite of men she has dated. 'He's a mishmash of loads of men I've dated or known,' she explains. 'The book is sort of a collage of my life.'
The novel explores why many intelligent, attractive women feel the dating market is broken. Lord notes a disconnect between feeling desired—through catcalls or compliments—and actually forming connections. 'You can feel desired all the time... But then you're like, if I'm so desirable, why is it so hard to actually meet someone?' she says.
From Confessional Writing to Fiction
Lord, who grew up near Leeds, has always been open about her personal life. At university, she wrote a sex and relationships column for the student paper. 'I'm an oversharer. I'm not easily humiliated – I put my pain on show,' she says. Her Vogue column included titles like 'Why Do I Get The Ick When Men Open Up to Me?' and 'Why Am I Suddenly Insecure in Bed?'
However, turning her romantic life into content had downsides. 'There were definitely people I was seeing where it made things weird,' Lord recalls. 'People were sort of learning how I felt about something by reading it online.' She stopped the column in 2024 to prioritize her private life, noting that 'it was really exposing.'
Navigating Autobiography in Nonfiction
Writing 'Notes on Heartbreak' required sensitivity, as it centered on her real ex-boyfriend. 'There were a few things [my ex] wanted taken out,' Lord says. 'I already knew what he'd feel uncomfortable about... He's a way more private person than me. But it was never a book where I was trash-talking my ex.'
Fiction, she finds, can be more honest than memoir. 'I can write a sex scene and go into loads of detail because I don't have to worry about embarrassing someone or invading their privacy,' she says.
Modern Dating: Apps and Heteropessimism
Lord observes that dating apps have changed behavior. 'Even if you don't meet someone through an app, often people treat each other as disposable because they've got the mindset of an app,' she says. She has largely stopped using them herself, citing frequent flaking.
Despite documenting heartbreak and absurdities, Lord remains optimistic. 'I do think that one day I'm going to meet someone I really like and run off into the sunset,' she says. 'I feel actually weirdly more sure of that than ever.'
