Word Kindling Blog — WordKindling

All Change!

All Change!

Put your characters under pressure.

PlotGill ThompsonJuly 31, 2018Joanna Trollope, changeComment

Instructions for a Heatwave

Instructions for a Heatwave

Subheading to come

StyleGill ThompsonJuly 24, 2018Heatwave, L.P Hartley The Go Between Heatwave F. Scott FitzgeraldComment

How obedient are your characters?

How obedient are your characters?

Who is in control in your novel?

CharactersGill ThompsonJuly 17, 2018Vanity Fair, Makepeace Thackeray, the Becky Puppet, the Amelia Doll, Anne Tyler, Jessica StrawserComment

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

Or as comedian Victoria Wood put it Mens sana in thingummy doodah.

AdviceGill ThompsonJuly 10, 2018Jane Wenham-Jones, IronopolisComment

Squirrels and Magpies

Squirrels and Magpies

Are you a hoarder or an adapter?

StyleGill ThompsonJuly 3, 2018Comment

Pruning produces results

Pruning produces results

Why constructive criticism is better than flattery.

AdviceGill ThompsonJune 26, 2018Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night, The Last TycoonComment

What writers can learn from the football world cup

What writers can learn from the football world cup

They think its over ... but not yet.

AdviceGill ThompsonJune 19, 2018World cupComment

Stories are Special

Stories are Special

The legacy of Philip Roth

PlotGill ThompsonJune 12, 2018Philip RothComment

Writing as revenge…should we go there?

Writing as revenge…should we go there?

Immortalising people’s habits without trace.

CharactersGill ThompsonJune 5, 2018Jilly Cooper, revengeComment

Writers just write!

Writers just write!

Why writers need to write for readers, not English Literature students!

StyleGill ThompsonMay 29, 2018Ian McEwan, Michael FraynComment

The Tip of the Iceberg

The Tip of the Iceberg

Why writers know more than they let on.

CharactersGill ThompsonMay 22, 2018A.J.Pearce, Dear Mrs BirdComment

Draughty Drafts

Draughty Drafts

Different drafts demand different approaches.

PlotGill ThompsonMay 15, 2018First drafts, Terry Pratchet, Tell don’t showComment