Revising
Seduction Secrets
For my first book, Seduction, I drew inspiration from many sources. Fictionalizing facts that were horrific in real life and emphasizing them through fiction. It is not an autobiography, with only the names changed, but a WTF-graphy. It was the first time I had sat down to write about the incredible greed and abuse present,…
Read MorePersistence — A Writing Essential
The road to success is paved with persistence, with an underlayment of information and earned luck—being in the right place at the right time with the right credentials. For me, after spending a lifetime reading books, I harbored a secret desire to write a commercial paperback, but the time was never right. Family, community, work,…
Read MoreEditing – A Writing Essential
My fifth book, EXECUTION, left my hands and my house at the end of February. It was much like the feeling when a high school graduate leaves for college. The experience was a mix of joy, relief, anxiety, apprehension, and sadness. For me, the creative process and solving problems are at the root of my…
Read MoreLetting Go
My draft of Execution, the 5th book in the CL Bluestein thriller Seduction Series, has left my hands, electronically, for those of my content editor. I’m expecting it back with comments and suggestions in two weeks, give or take. This is my fifth time doing this. I expected to be used to it. But no,…
Read MoreRevision: a Key Step in the Writing Process
Revision is the process where writers prepare the manuscript for their readers. It’s where I make sure each piece of the puzzle is present and fits, and the gears of the entire story fit with precision and work smoothly. I am working on my fifth novel. I know my main characters, themes, and a loose…
Read MoreCreating Story
Armed with a slew of ideas taken from the news and history, I sat down to write from a very loose outline: guy kills people, guy get caught. Yeah. Not really specific enough. Turns out, finding the story is harder than it looks. Each individual problem has to be woven into the manuscript and addressed.…
Read More