Word Kindling Blog — WordKindling

A Sense of Place

Let's avoid the obvious when creating settings.

StyleGill ThompsonApril 10, 2018Place, senses, settings, Dickens, Helen DunmoreComment

Hooking your reader

How do successful writers start their novels?

StyleGill ThompsonApril 3, 2018Hook, First lines, OpeningsComment

The Pen is Mightier…

Writing is your best legacy

AdviceGill ThompsonMarch 27, 2018Kazuo Ishiguro, pen is mightier than the swordComment

Research: the Personal Touch

How we can help make our writing striking and authentic

AdviceGill ThompsonMarch 20, 2018ResearchComment

Verbs for Victory

How well chosen action words can energise your writing

StyleGill ThompsonMarch 13, 2018The Great Gatsby, VerbsComment

Baby it’s Cold Outside!

A masterclass in show don’t tell

StyleGill ThompsonMarch 6, 2018Keats, Eve of St Agnes, Sensuous LanguageComment

Conveying Accent

How writers show variation in speech style

StyleGill ThompsonFebruary 27, 2018Accent, Wuthering Heights, Emily BronteComment

To Plan or not to Plan

Are you a planner or a pantser?

PlotGill ThompsonFebruary 20, 2018Julie Cohen, Novelicious, Plotting, PantsingComment

Why actors can make good writers

Acting and writing aren't as dissimilar as you might think.

AdviceGill ThompsonFebruary 13, 2018Rachel Joyce, Eimear McBride, Jessie Burton, Sarah DuncanComment

The Joy of Workshopping

Keeping the connection with other writers.

AdviceGill ThompsonFebruary 6, 2018Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, William Wordsworth, dancing daffodilsComment

Strong women make good drama!

Nobody wants to read about feminine doormats … do they?

CharactersGill ThompsonJanuary 30, 2018Othello, Wife of Bath, Strong womenComment

The Power of a Preposition

How a tiny word can really pack a punch.

StyleGill ThompsonJanuary 23, 2018Comment