when someone turns of the fireplace

[alpacinou]

I'm trying to describe a situation when someone turns on the fireplace.

Can I say "flicker to life" ?

Is this correct?

Jack stacked the logs in the fireplace. He turned on the lighter and touched it to the pile of wood, and the fireplace flickered to life with a faint whoosh. The fire was tepid, casting a dim glow over the room.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm trying to describe a situation when someone [STRIKE]turns on the fireplace[/STRIKE] lights a fire [in a fireplace].

Can I say "flicker to life"? Don't leave a space before a question mark.

Is this correct?

Jack stacked the logs in the fireplace. He [STRIKE]turned on[/STRIKE] lit the lighter, [STRIKE]and[/STRIKE] touched it to the pile of wood, and the fireplace flickered into life with a faint whoosh. The fire was tepid, casting only a dim glow over the room.

See above. Come up with another word for "tepid". Generally, we use that to refer to water or food.

 

[alpacinou]

See above. Come up with another word for "tepid". Generally, we use that to refer to water or food.

Are these okay?

Tentative fire
gentle fire
tame fire

 

[Tdol]

Why not cut it down to the fire only cast a dim glow...?

 

[Tdol]

Are these okay?

Tentative fire
gentle fire
tame fire

They don't hit the spot for me.

 

[alpacinou]

They don't hit the spot for me.

Do you have suggestions?

What about these?

feckless fire
mild fire
tenuous

 

[Tarheel]

Maybe you could say it was a small fire.

The smaller a fire is the less heat it produces. But all fires are hot regardless.

I suppose he could put another log on the fire if it wasn't hot enough.

 

[emsr2d2]

Do you have suggestions?

What about these?

feckless fire
mild fire
tenuous

No, none of those work either. We don't have a great number of adjectives for a fire in a fireplace, particularly one that isn't burning very fiercely. In fact, I can't really think of a natural one. I'd say something like "The fire was barely alight and cast only a dim glow into the room" or "The low flames cast ...".

We're much more descriptive about a decent fire - roaring, blazing, etc.

 

[Tdol]

A feckless fire would be spitting sparks and damaging the rug.