Freya teaches creative writing. ‘One-to-one only.’
Structure
She brushes my hand away. ‘Lesson first, please. Everything in the right order.’
Flashback
‘Write from life,’ she says. ‘You’re clearly not new to this.’
Rising action
We try active verbs and complex conjunctions. And possessive pronouns.
Don’t explain
She smiles when I try to describe how much I love her. ‘Show don’t tell, Jonny.’
Kill your darlings
We talk about getting rid of what we don’t need. Like her husband.
Reversal
The staff at Belmarsh read the feedback Freya sends me. They know she dreams about the end of my sentence.