An Introduction of Sorts

As I pass the halfway mark in my revisions of The Age of Never Growing Old (henceforth referred to as TANGO), I thought it might be a good idea to document this entire process. That being, from writing my manuscript, to querying, and hopefully seeing it on a shelf someday.

But first, a little about myself!

I like candlelit dinners, white roses, and long walks on the beach.

No, really. I do.

But that's not even marginally important.

Ahem.

I grew up in the Midwest, and am currently a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I'm majoring in creative writing. I've been there since 2008, after transferring colleges twice. I also studied abroad in Galway, Ireland last year, so I think I'm pretty skilled in terms of moving. And packing. (For the record, packing up your life six times in four months? Not advisable.) I started off as a journalism major, then switched to creative writing when I realized I had no desire to write for other people - I wanted to write for myself. I was also an art history major for two years, but dropped that when I found out it was going to keep me in school far longer than necessary.

TANGO, my thesis, was actually something I started during NaNoWriMo in 2009. I was in Ireland, sitting in my Nazi Germany class, when I got the idea. Regardless of the fact that my study abroad experience wasn't always positive, I will forever love Ireland, if only because it inspired this story.

Here's the first paragraph from the first (and awful) draft of my query letter, just to give you an idea of what TANGO is about:

When you decide who lives and dies in a society where natural death is impossible, you can protect yourself from just about anyone and anything. That’s what Lottery thought — until he discovers Aema, the love of his life, is seeing someone else. Consumed by jealousy, he marks his rival Darius for execution in the upcoming Selection. Unfortunately for him, Temicus, the Centre's all-powerful leader, has noticed his preoccupation with Aema, and decides to have her killed as well. Now Lottery must enlist Darius's help to keep the woman they love alive. Together, they formulate a plan to escape the Centre and to destroy everything it stands for.

While my thesis advisor, Nate, has informed me that dystopian literature is a sub-category of science fiction, I'm having a hard time categorizing TANGO, simply because it crosses a few boundaries. It's sci-fi, yes, but it's also a romance. There's some suspense and mystery thrown in for fun, and it is very much character-driven. Obviously there's a plot - how could there not be? - but it's fueled by character interactions, which I think isn't entirely common. At least Nate said it wasn't, and I'm tempted to listen to him, since he's (relatively) older and (definitely) wiser.

So now that you know a little about me, and a little about my novel, I will bid you adieu. And leave you with this article from The Rejectionist, one of my favorite blogs.

Cheers,

SN