L.V. Sage's Blog, page 9
July 1, 2015
4th of July Special: Download “Red, White & Blues” for FREE
Beginning TODAY: Download “Red, White & Blues” to you Kindle for FREE July 01-July 05!! Honor a veteran by reading a book about our Vietnam veterans.
Filed under: Uncategorized
June 24, 2015
Sequel to “Red, White & Blues” Now in Rewrite & Edit Phase Or “The Agony and the Ecstacy of Editing, Part Three””
I know-I’ve been away for a while and you’ve been wondering what the hell is going on, right? Here’s the low-down…
Finally got completely through the manuscript last week. Much yellow highlighting was was done, which as I’ve mentioned is very, very good! HOWEVER, there were a few areas that needed beefing up, so it is all the more important that these “possible deleted pages” (the highlighted ones) do, in fact, get the axe. I feel fairly confident that this will, indeed, happen.
Now onto the next read-through, which I started a few days ago. I am 91 pages in (the manuscript stands at 436 now, single-spaced). In this stage, I am taking note of what “Microsoft Word” has “green underlined” (“wordiness”, “fragment sentence”, “passive voice”, etc) and deciding whether to correct or ignore its suggestions. Many authors say that you should uncheck the proofing tools, but I like to check them all and then decide what is valid to my writing style and what is something I should consider changing. It is daunting to see your manuscript covered in green and red lines (red designates misspelled words), but I’ve learned to take the suggestions in stride. My writing style is more important to me than technical aspects of writing, many of which readers either don’t care about or don’t know to look for anyway. As long as it makes sense, is grammatically correct and the spelling is correct, I believe that the writer has much leeway in how to share the story. That, after all, is part of your voice as the storyteller.
So after I complete this read-through, I will have a friend read it through and take note of the highlighted portions. I will need a reader (other than myself) to decide whether something is fluff and can be tossed on the cutting room floor or is actually important for the reader to know.
Wish me luck!
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: authors, books, draft, editing, fiction, l.v. sage, manuscript, novel, writing
April 29, 2015
Sequel to “Red, White & Blues” Now in Rewrite & Edit Phase Or “The Agony and the Ecstacy of Editing, Part Two””
Here we go, folks! The ugly truth about rewrites and edits in all its glory, so to speak.
I am hoping that these blogs might help other authors realize that they are not alone when going through this process; that the process itself is often times not productive while other times it can be very effective. Just like writing itself.
Never did get all the way through the draft to complete the editing on the first attempt, but have since started again from the beginning. Counter-productive, you say? Perhaps, but since I will have to re-read and edit it god knows how many times, does it really matter? I’m a firm believer (as a head-in-the-clouds writer) that there is no “right” way to do most things because we all work differently. If the end result is achieved, it doesn’t matter which path you take to get there.
That said (or admitted), I plugged along ALL DAY yesterday and got further along than I had on the first pass. (See-we’re making progress!) Unfortunately, I realized that I had to add a section on a specific historical event, so that ADDED a page instead of cutting the thing down. Well, it happens. And will continue to happen until the draft gets perfected. I have no timeline as to when this will get done, so I have the freedom to indulge myself as I go.
I’m happy to report that I did see quite a bit of yellow highlighted sections (indicating possible removal), so while I did add a page, many more pages are slated for the delete button.
Back to the drawing board, as they say! Stay tuned for Part Three…
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: authors, books, fiction, novel, writing
Sequel to ���Red, White & Blues��� Now in Rewrite & Edit Phase Or ���The Agony and the Ecstacy of Editing, Part Two”���
Here we go, folks!�� The ugly truth about rewrites and edits in all its glory, so to speak.
I am hoping that these blogs might help other authors realize that they are not alone when going through this process; that the process itself is often times not productive while other times it can be very effective.�� Just like writing itself.
Never did get all the way through the draft to complete the editing on the first attempt, but have since started again from the beginning.�� Counter-productive, you say?�� Perhaps, but since I will have to re-read and edit it god knows how many times, does it really matter?�� I’m a firm believer (as a head-in-the-clouds writer) that there is no “right” way to do most things because we all work differently.�� If the end result is achieved, it doesn’t matter which path you take to get there.
That said (or admitted), I plugged along ALL DAY yesterday and got further along than I had on the first pass.�� (See-we’re making progress!)�� Unfortunately, I realized that I had to add a section on a specific historical event, so that ADDED a page instead of cutting the thing down.�� Well, it happens.�� And will continue to happen until the draft gets perfected.�� I have no timeline as to when this will get done, so I have the freedom to indulge myself as I go.
I’m happy to report that I did see quite a bit of yellow highlighted sections (indicating possible removal), so while I did add a page, many more pages are slated for the delete button.
Back to the drawing board, as they say!�� Stay tuned for Part Three…
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: authors, books, fiction, novel, writing
April 20, 2015
Sequel to “Red, White & Blues” Now in Rewrite & Edit Phase Or “The Agony and the Ecstacy of Editing, Part One”
Happily, I can now announce that the sequel to “Red, White & Blues” has been written.�� That was the easy part.�� Now comes the hard part:�� rewrites and edits.�� When I re-read “Red, White & Blues” and know just how many rewrites and how much editing I did to it, it fills me with both hope and dread.�� Hope because I know that it can be done; dread because I don’t know how I ever did it.�� Re-reading this sequel over and over again and still not finding much that needs to be either rewritten or edited makes me nervous.�� Obviously, there are plenty of passages that could be removed, but does one remove them simply to do just that?�� Re-working passages often times leads to more words, not less.�� Not having the mental fortitude to allow another person to edit my story makes me especially vulnerable to leaving things in simply because I am fond of the character.�� I thought documenting this process might be interesting to both readers and other writers, so here I go:
For the initial read-through, I was gentle.�� I told myself, “You just need to read it and look for glaring errors-spelling, sentence structure, etc.”�� Fine.�� I can do that.
The second read-through, I took a harder look, mostly for inconsistencies or facts that might need further verification or exploration.�� When writing fiction that incorporates actual events, certain things must be reported as accurately as possible even if the surrounding story might not seem possible.���� Okay.�� That was good.�� Now we’re beginning to get somewhere.
The third time is when I have to begin to get harsh.�� I highlight portions that should be removed or re-worked.�� Hopefully, on the next read-through, I will see a lot of yellow!
In the end, it will get done, but the process is not only daunting, but sad in some ways.�� Ultimately, it is gratifying. And it WILL GET DONE!
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: authors, books, fiction, writing
Sequel to “Red, White & Blues” in Now in Rewrite & Edit Phase Or “The Agony and the Ecstacy of Editing, Part One”
Happily, I can now announce that the sequel to “Red, White & Blues” has been written.�� That was the easy part.�� Now comes the hard part:�� rewrites and edits.�� When I re-read “Red, White & Blues” and know just how many rewrites and how much editing I did to it, it fills me with both hope and dread.�� Hope because I know that it can be done; dread because I don’t know how I ever did it.�� Re-reading this sequel over and over again and still not finding much that needs to be either rewritten or edited makes me nervous.�� Obviously, there are plenty of passages that could be removed, but does one remove them simply to do just that?�� Re-working passages often times leads to more words, not less.�� Not having the mental fortitude to allow another person to edit my story makes me especially vulnerable to leaving things in simply because I am fond of the character.�� I thought documenting this process might be interesting to both readers and other writers, so here I go:
For the initial read-through, I was gentle.�� I told myself, “You just need to read it and look for glaring errors-spelling, sentence structure, etc.”�� Fine.�� I can do that.
The second read-through, I took a harder look, mostly for inconsistencies or facts that might need further verification or exploration.�� When writing fiction that incorporates actual events, certain things must be reported as accurately as possible even if the surrounding story might not seem possible.���� Okay.�� That was good.�� Now we’re beginning to get somewhere.
The third time is when I have to begin to get harsh.�� I highlight portions that should be removed or re-worked.�� Hopefully, on the next read-through, I will see a lot of yellow!
In the end, it will get done, but the process is not only daunting, but sad in some ways.�� Ultimately, it is gratifying. And it WILL GET DONE!
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: authors, books, fiction, writing
November 29, 2014
Download Red, White & Blues for only .99!
Red, White & Blues is still only .99 for the next 6 hrs, then goes up to $1.99! A great deal for a 760 pg book that will get you through the holidays! http://www.amazon.com/Red-White-Blues-L-V-Sage-ebook/dp/B005MLA9A8/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_2
Filed under: Uncategorized
November 28, 2014
KINDLE COUNTDOWN IS ON!
Download “Red, White & Blues” today for only .99!! http://www.amazon.com/Red-White-Blues-L-V-Sage-ebook/dp/B005MLA9A8/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417197008&sr=1-8&keywords=red+white+%26+blues
Filed under: Uncategorized
November 27, 2014
BLACK FRIDAY KINDLE COUNTDOWN
BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL: Download “Red, White & Blues” for only .99 on a Kindle Countdown that begins Fri 11/28 & goes through Mon 12/01. Spread the word!
October 12, 2014
New 5 STAR Review From Reader’s Favorite!
Read my latest 5 star review from Reader’s Favorite here:
https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/34083
Reviewed by Karen Pirnot for Readers’ Favorite
Red, White & Blues is an epic undertaking by author L.V. Sage. It takes the reader into two divergent cultures, that of the 1960s hippie in San Francisco and that of the Vietnam war veteran. The juxtaposition of these two stories is beautifully researched and written in a complex and intriguing manner. Sandy is a free spirit with a draft-dodging brother who meets Pete, another free spirit who elects to go to Vietnam. Mike Blackhorse is a Native American who lives in Wisconsin and who has no idea of how to develop an identity in a time of drug experimentation, ongoing protests and his duties as a soldier. He meets Sarah, who is running away from her roots in the South, and their journey together is a beautiful story of love, tolerance and tough choices.
Morgan Stewart is a Vietnam vet who has established a motor cycle club and, strangely enough, he also establishes a family in which misfits and sociopaths manage to find a home. Although Red, White & Blues is pungent with memorable characters, I thought the roles of Morgan and Mike were particularly strong. While others stagnated and failed to mature, these two men seemed to suck up their tragic pasts and find the motivation to move on. Louise was a powerful female role model as well. The story is so complex that readers will find themselves asking, “Where was I and what was I doing while all of this was occurring?” It’s a thought-provoking tale of drugs, free sex, traditions and choices that will keep readers thinking long after the back cover is closed.
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