How to Write About the Boy You Once Loved: A Guide by My 18-Year-Old Students (and Me)

By Maddy Frank

Assert that past you is a fool compared to present you. Past you had crushes on boys who were wrong for her. Past you swooned. Past you was influenced by swoopy hair and smirks. Present you would never stoop so low. She writes about it, but she does not succumb to it. She has narrative distance from herself.

Describe any middle or high school love interest with a healthy dose of grace. He was actually quite nice to you. He was in upper-level math. His swoopy hair was mod...