The Bright Spot Update: Blight Eater, Kings and Beggars, New Neon Signs
I forgot to send my previous major update to my email list. If you wanted to read that first, go here.
The Bright Spot Update: Blight Eater, Kings and Beggars, New Neon S...
Alright, I'm back for another update.
Draft 3 Progress: 66%
As the title of this update mentions, The Bright Spot is officially 1 year old! This time last year, I creat...
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Redmatter Creations
2 months ago
Website is Finally Live! + Draft 3 Preview Chapters + The Bright Spot Pre-Order Update
First off, THANK YOU if you are reading this update on www.redmattercreations.com. If not, please check it out here! http://website-is-finally-live-draft-3-preview-c...
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Redmatter Creations
3 months ago
DRAFT 3 + April Fools + New Website & Logo + Preview Chapter Update
Alright, this is a big one, so strap in
April Fools
I know this is out of order but I do want everyone to know that my previous post was an april fools joke.
A handful of p...
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Redmatter Creations
4 months ago
Physical Prints are here + Oracle Cards + Preview Chapters 7 and 8
Hey travelers,
Happy to announce that I've received the first copy of The Bright Spot. I think it turned out perfectly! I didn't think the colors would transcend printing, b...
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Redmatter Creations
4 months ago
Big Moves Incoming! Pledge Rewards Manufacturing! Preview Chapter 6 and 7!
Hello Travellers,
Like last month, there have been some major moves for The Bright Spot. Redmatter Creations LLC formation, second draft finalized, redmattercreations.com! I...
I forgot to send my previous major update to my email list. If you wanted to read that first, go here.
The Bright Spot Update: Blight Eater, Kings and Beggars, New Neon Signs
What a month. It just absolutely flew by. Not much progress has been made other than the following:
Beta Readers finishing up
Draft 4 of The Bright Spot
Blight Eater Draft 1
The Ballad of Kings and Beggars Delay / The Book Bazaar Crowdfunding
The Bright Spot possible delay (I’m sorry)
New Business Venture
Let’s start at the top
Beta Readers
I have five beta readers going through the manuscript right now and so far the reactions seem positive. There are some unanimous feelings about certain ideas presented. Likely due to the lack of explanation. Once most of my readers are finished, I’ll go through and read the third draft fully and go through the suggestions.
Draft 4
I will spend the next month or two going through each suggestion and making necessary edits. I don’t want to rush this part since this would be the last revision before sending it to a copy editor, so any major decisions must be made now before publication.
Blight Eater Draft 1
I started working on the first draft of Blight Eater. I’m almost 10,000 words in and it’s looking amazing. Excited to share it with you all. The tone is slightly shifted but is still more of the same. If you like psychological horror, hold your breath for this one.
The Ballad of Kings and Beggars
This one is tricky. I hate the idea that I can’t continue writing this, especially since I’m so far into the novel. I cannot seem to continue with certain plot threads because they are either 1. Boring, or 2. Out of Character. The character work is the core of the story and when one of the two protagonists isn’t sewn together neatly, the whole book may fall apart. Because of this, I’m shelving this novel for now.
The Book Bazaar Crowdfunding Campaign
I can’t remember if I’d mentioned this before, but I was invited to participate in another crowdfunding campaign in November. I was going to list The Ballad of Kings and Beggars (which I assumed I’d have at least two drafts done by then), but it doesn’t look like its going to happen.
The other reason why I will not participate in this campaign is because of The Bright Spot. I know I collected money nearly a year ago to fund the production of this book. Trust me, I want this book to be published so badly, but I think it would be a disgusting display if I started another campaign, asking for help funding another project before I even deliver on the first! The three options I have are: 1) Rush the production of The Bright Spot so it can be published before I start another campaign. 2) Do the campaign anyway and collect more money before I deliver on the first book. 3) Delay the Bright Spot (to get it done right) and not do the campaign.
Segue (what an odd word. Like fugue, and queue) into my next point
The Bright Spot Delay
You’re probably like me: Groaning and moaning, knowing you’ll have to wait a little longer. I want you to know that things ARE moving. As the great Mee A. Moto said: A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad.
I have to get this book done RIGHT. I want it to be WORTH reading. As well as separating itself from the stigma of self-published books lacking proper editing. We are nearing the finish line, even though the finish line keeps getting pushed back. Getting this published by Christmas is my goal, but it’s not set in stone. I’ll keep you all updated.
New Business Venture
As many of you know, I can’t just do one thing. I must be good at everything, which is why I’m doing something new in my free time. If I’m not writing I’m doing this.
I’m now making custom neon signs! I might make a separate update on my website to go over everything. I have added a new section where you can design and get a quote on your very own custom sign for your business or workshop for as little as $60!
As the title of this update mentions, The Bright Spot is officially 1 year old! This time last year, I created a document and just started typing. I had the beginnings of an outline that was very, VERY different than what we have today. I've learned an astronomical amount of things in the span of a passing.
Growing up, I've always had issues paying attention, sticking to one thing, or finding motivation to do anything. I always wanted to write a book or make a video game, but I hardly had structure or accountability for either. With this track record, The Bright Spot shouldn't even exist. Yet it does because this story needs to be told.
I can't believe how real these characters are to me. It feels like I could reach out and touch the protagonist, Caelius. I could imagine myself dueling with Jaime, dining with Dan, and hunting with Oberon. They are real because I willed it to be. I hope you feel the same when you read it.
It is my feeling that a story is not finished until it is read, and that the reader finishes it through his or her life experience, prejudices, worldview and thoughts. - Annie Proulx
The third draft is coming along very well. I just crossed the 50% mark, meaning I'm about 10 days ahead of schedule. Theres a good chance I'll be finished sometime mid-june. I'll take a week or two doing a preliminary pass and then I'll send a digital copy to beta readers.
I'll give the beta readers a month to complete the book. And I'll make the necessary changes. After those edits, I'll send it to a copy editor who will clean up my prose and make it sparkle. I assume the next thing I do is format it for publishing, send it to my printer, and then there you go. I won't throw out an arbitrary date because I will ship it when it's ready. If I say September 1 and I have all the books in August, I'm sending them out in August.
Update: I wrote this out a week ago, and I want to give a quick update on this last paragraph. I created a timeline with projected dates, and it's looking interesting. Obviously, every deadline is loose but could swing in either direction. My goal is to publish before the end of the year, though! Just be patient. No one wants you to read this more than I do.
The copy editor quoted me $1600. Anyone know how to make $1600 quickly? Other than a crowdfunding campaign *wink*
New cover and updated Blurb
Slightly touched up, but it's still mostly the same.
My next update, I'll have finished draft 3. I feel like I'm on the edge of burnout, but luckily I'll have all of July to relax---or work on another project.
Also sorry for the lack of preview chapters for draft 3. I want to fix formatting on everything once Draft 3 is finished, that way I don't need to go back again.
Yes, you heard it right. Redmatter Creations LLC finally has a gorgeous website that captures the true essence of my company! In case you aren't aware, RC LLC specializes in web design and book writing. If you or someone you know needs a website for their company, please check out my Websites tab to learn more. www.redmattercreations.com/websites
To see upcoming books and to read preview chapters, check out my books tab! http://www.redmattercreations.com/books. I'll be updating this periodically to include more preview chapters and changes.
There isn't much of a difference between the two options, but if you order from Redmatter Creations, I get 100% of the earnings which will go right into funding the production of The Bright Spot, where as Backerkit takes their cut.
Draft 3
I may have severely underestimated how much work editing would end up being. I'd sent in my second draft to my editor in early march and she returned it mid april. I thought I could just go through and fix everything she annotated and it would take me two weeks, maybe a month at the most.
Turns out Draft 2 is pretty horrible. You may be aware of this if you even dared to read the preview chapters. It's requiring me to do many minor and major changes. This includes full scene rewrites and editing each paragraph line-by-line. Its a difficult process but I think the worst of it takes place in the first half.
Finding motivation to even sit down and go through it is draining, but very worth it. I feel that the revised versions are 10x better and more clear than they were. Please note that while the sentence structure may be more clear, the punctuation may be all over the place. This is a quirk caused by my editing style. In MS Word, I track my changes
During changes:
After hitting accept:
I do this so I can compare the differences between the old and the new. When I'm finished with Draft 3, I'll accept all changes and make another pass through to fix these errors. In the meantime, I'll upload these for the preview chapters. If I get stuck trying to fix these now, I won't have time to fix the rest of the book.
Speaking of time:
I'm going at an exceptionally slow rate for editing these, typically editing about 1% a day. Writing new content is quicker than editing it. I hope you'll be able to forgive me if I push back the release of the novel. I don't know when, but I'm hoping for August 1. Though I don't think its very feasible. It'd be a miracle if it comes out this year.
I remember when I started writing, I finished my first draft in September of 2024. I thought I'd have it published and in my hands by Christmas. Hopefully that tells you how underprepared I was for this task. I looked at great authors like Brandon Sanderson and Stephen King and thought I could edit a book as fast as they could.
Sanderson does this as is full time job, editing for 8 hours a day typically and Stephen King hardly revises his novels after he's written them.
That being said, I think I'd lose it if I had to edit a 500,000 word novel. But as they say, you eat an elephant one bite at a time. These updates are to prove that the book is still progressing and I'm not at a standstill. I know it's hard, but just be patient for a little longer! The longer you wait, the better the finished product will be.
As our savior GabeN once said, "Late is just for a little while, suck is forever."
Draft 3 Previews
Anyway, that was a bummer. Here's something a bit more exciting. Preview chapters. Now you can read the same thing you've already read for a third time! Its like playing Skyrim again when a new edition comes out.
I'll be uploading the first 10ish chapters over the next few days. There are a few tweaks I need to address first. Mainly a couple scene rewrites.
I know this is out of order but I do want everyone to know that my previous post was an april fools joke. A handful of people asked me why my book has someone else's name on it and a few others congratulated me. My cover has not changed and I do not have physical prints yet, sadly 😞
The Bright Spot by Jill Shalvis
Draft 3! Editor has finished review
Yes, its true. Once again, we are further along entering Draft 3 territory, where we keep the story but fix all the inconsistencies. I'll be fixing questions from my editor that say things like, "Wait, didn't he die earlier?" and "Who the heck is this bozo?" and "How is it possible for her to have THAT many babies in a short amount of time?" and "Don't ever contact me again or I'm calling the police." There's a good chance the editing process is going to take longer than both drafts. It's an extremely long process and everytime I open up the manuscript I feel like tearing my face off with my fingernails. It has been ten days and I've edited ten percent so far (chapter 4). Any editing tips are greatly appreciated! This update is a product of my procrastination, but it's time I fill you all in.
New Website in Progress
I told you the current site is a place holder. Trust me, I know it's ugly right now, but it serves a purpose! This new site however may be my magnum opus. You'll be able to buy my books, commission me to build your website, or buy pre-painted miniature figures for your D&D games! Here are some photos: I will be hosting all my preview chapters and updates here as well. I'll keep you all updated for when this goes live! You're gonna want to see it, I have TWO separate cover reveals for future projects that I'm very excited for you all to see!
New Redmatter Creations Logo
A keen eye may have noticed the new logo for Redmatter Creations. The previous one felt amateur and childish, whereas this new one captures the true essence of Redmatter Creations LLC
Copy Editor
I decided I need a copyeditor---someone who fixes sentence flow and structure, as well as fixes punctuation errors. According to my developmental editor, I have A LOT of punctuation errors around my dialogue. Unfortunately, a copy editor can cost up to $1000 USD or more. I didn't think writing a book would be this expensive!
So if you want to support the project and help make it the best it can be, I'll be selling my 1st Draft Manuscript as well as my 2nd Draft Manuscript on my upcoming website for $500 and $250, respectively.
Preview Chapters 8 and 9
April fools again. Three weeks ago I had said Chapter 8 would be the last preview chapter, I lied. It will be chapter 9. The second interlude after the end of Part 1. This means that non-backers can access chapter 8 without a password. Backers can access chapter 9 with the password: Brena9
Please note that all of these preview chapters, including 8 and 9 are from draft 2! I'll update them all to draft 3 once the first 9 chapters are revised. I'll provide another project update when that happens. I also wont have audio transcriptions of draft 3 because it's too expensive.
Happy to announce that I've received the first copy of The Bright Spot. I think it turned out perfectly! I didn't think the colors would transcend printing, but I was wrong. Looking forward to printing all of yours soon!
Oracle Cards
I'm happy to finally share that the Oracle cards have been printed and delivered. They look absolutely phenomenal! If you also backed Belinda Crawford's GAMER campaign, you will be receiving these badass cards!
Oracle Cards for the booktopia 2024 Cross Collab event, from left to right are images of the Moon card, Sun card, Blight card, and SpringStep Card
The Secret fourth card is my personal favorite. When you look closer, you may notice a holographic effect. Very swag!
To anyone who did not back both projects and want a set of these awesome cards... Sorry! If you absolutely need these in order for your life to feel complete, please reach out to me at [email protected]. I'll see if we can work out a deal with Ms. Crawford to get you some
Preview Chapter 7 and 8
In customary update fashion, the preview for chapter 7 is now available for everyone to read for free! For my backers, chapter 8 is locked behind the password: Couch8
Since we are at the end of Part 1, there won't be any more free preview chapters until the book has been launched for backers. I'll keep you updated until then. You can read them here at https://www.redmattercreations.com
Thank you everyone for being a part of this amazing project!!
