Until someone mentioned the name Amaryllis in a review this weekend, I had almost forgotten about the trauma of choosing names for characters (thanks for reminding me, Chris G!). In some cases, a first name arrives with the character and it's impossible after a few pages to imagine using a different one. Several of the Pitkirtly crowd …
Characters in a landscape
I don't know why it's taken me so long to understand this, but I now realise that when I go wrong in my writing it is usually because I start from the setting for a novel and not from the characters. The setting, no matter how lovely or sordid or exotic or homely, has to …
Developing characters – how far to go?
I'm in the middle of editing my fourth novel in the Pitkirtly mystery series, and I just wonder how far I can go in developing the characters. I don't want them to change beyond recognition (and see also 'A Reformed Character' which rehearses some of my own views on this before coming down firmly on …
A New Year message
Happy New Year! I had some idea of doing a review of 2011, but I've left it a bit too late for that and I really prefer to look forward, so here are some predictions for 2012 in Pitkirtly. Maisie Sue McPherson is due to have a more exciting life than she ever planned. Christopher …
