Cecilia Peartree – woman of mystery
setting the scene in Pitkirtly
I hope everyone reading this will be pleased to know that I've at last got to the point in what I like to think of as my writing schedule where I can start writing Pitkirtly XXII. I plan to begin a new document for this tomorrow, with the rest of today being spent re-reading two …
I noticed there was an article in The Guardian the other day about the difficulties of writing during the pandemic - here's the link in case anyone is interested (it focusses mostly on writers failing to find anything to be inspired by during lockdown, but there is a mention of a problem I had about …
Thanks to NaNoWriMo, in which the target is set to 50,000 for everyone, getting to 50,000 words in a novel always feels like almost the end. Actually 50,000 words or even 60,000, which most of my mystery novels conclude at, is fairly short for a novel these days. My writing session this morning has just …
I include this classic picture of Venice, taken by me on a visit there with my mother in about 1972, just as a random example of the kind of place I won't be going to this year, or for the foreseeable future. I still have a plan in my head for a trip down the …
I had a really pleasant surprise when I looked at my Twitter feed yesterday and noticed the word 'Pitkirtly' lurking in among all the politics and name-calling. I don't mind getting into an argument about politics on occasion, in fact as I worked on the family history book I've been writing this month while I …
As I come out of the post-publication slump which often happens, I've decided to set aside September for planning, thinking and possibly researching - that depends on how the planning and thinking goes. Although I am always happy to plunge into a bit of research, especially if it ends up taking me somewhere nice. When …
This won't be a very long post as I have to get back to Pitkirtly XIX (was Untitled, now with a title! - see image below). I've almost got to the stage of going through a printed copy with sticky notes in one hand and a pen in the other and the book precariously balanced …
My first piece of news and maybe the most important to some readers, is that I'm making very good progress with my latest Pitkirtly novel ('As Yet Untitled' - I doubt if that will be the final title by the way, although I suppose it's an option but maybe a bit too literary!). I've reached …
As well as being even busier than usual, my life has taken on a surreal tinge, and if I believed in a supernatural power then he would take the shape of Salvador Dali rather than the bearded deity people usually picture. While waiting for a family member to get ready for his custard pie, made …
Because I have a day off work and I should spend part of it writing up the minutes for a meeting, naturally I decided it was time to write a new blog post. Once again NaNoWriMo has worked its magic and I've suddenly got about 40,000 words written altogether in Pitkirtly 18, for which 'Screenshot' …
