Since I’m not really sure what constitutes ‘the Real Deal’ – and I’m not sure Boudinot does either – it’s hard to understand who’s qualified to bestow this title on a pupil. In writing school, I sat in three years’ worth of novel classes. Some of my peers went on to have their manuscripts published. Some of them are still redrafting their work. Some abandoned their projects. There were YA writers, crime writers and Richard Ford-style minimalists. Some students were prolific; others (like me) were painstakingly slow. I didn’t care for everybody’s writing, and I’m sure plenty of people didn’t care for mine. There was a lot of talent and hard work. But looking back, I have no idea who, if any of us, could be considered ‘the Real Deal’ – or if such a thing exists.