The beauty of language lies in the ‘what ifs’ and the ‘but then there’s this’ shadows between the words we write. Commas are anarchic things under any circumstances, they defy easy inflexibility.

We’re all trained from our earliest years to be creative with vocabulary. I still remember a teacher from…when? I must have been ten, I think. ‘Don’t just say “said,”’ she said, eyes flicking over my precious story and shrivelling it. ‘Use more interesting words. Extolled. Reviled. Expostulated. Things like that.’

When you write, you are writing. No one else can write what you write. Enjoy it.