In real life the "New York Observer" published the story of the four young ladies first as an weekly column. Candace Bushnell began writing for the New York Observer in 1993. She created the humorous column for the paper. It appeared from 1994 through 1996. Called "Sex and the City," the column was based on her own personal dating experiences and those of her friends. Her Alterego in the sitcom, Carrie Bradshaw, writes also a weekly column called "Sex and the City" for a fictional newspaper, "The New York Star".