Sever

Sever is my first novel, a 150,000 word dystopian sci-fi, set in a near future where technology has made humans immortal, but divided those who upgraded from those who could not. When Sever escapes from a concentration camp for mortals, she ignites a rebellion that threatens the Eternals and the technology that grants them power. 

Writing Sever

I first had the idea for this story in 2019, and started writing it a few weeks later. A rough first draft took almost two years, but I eventually found a rhythm, waking up at 5am, lighting the semi-darkness with the white glow from my laptop screen. It took me another three years to work through a further six or seven drafts, finally producing the ‘final’ version in 2024.

I engaged two professional beta readers to read through it, and their feedback helped me tighten up the manuscript, chopping characters and scenes that didn’t add value, and building out some of the key characters. 

I’m really happy with the story now. It’s evolved a huge amount since the original idea, every element becoming richer as it’s matured inside my mind over those five years. There are some pretty clever twists, and a lot of mysterious loose ends that hang unanswered until the final act. Everyone who’s read it has been suitably shocked at how all of the characters and plot strands finally connect near the end.

Finding an agent

Writing the novel was a steep learning curve, but I was naive to assume that completing it would be the end of the hard work. Having read more about it now, the process of querying agents is notoriously lengthy and painful, and I’ve spent more than 6 months so far trying to get a bite.

I’ve have sent query letters to 103 different agents, most of which have yet to respond. The only responses I have received are polite declines, with nothing to explain what was ‘wrong’ or how the book wasn’t a good fit for that particular agent.

Too long?

Sever is very long for a debut novel. The average length of a sci-fi book is around 100,000 words, and Sever is almost 50% longer. I’m worried that agents are dismissing the manuscript immediately, assuming the book hasn’t been edited properly, that it’s bloated, with too many scenes that don’t serve a purpose.

I don’t believe that Sever is ‘too long’, though. A lot has been carved out over the last few drafts, including a few characters I’d love to have kept in. The story is an epic, developing complex arcs for three different protagonists, which takes a certain number of words to do well. The plot has a good pace, always moving forward, and there’s very little that could be taken out without reducing the impact of the ending.

The hook

The other problem is the lack of a concise hook. It’s not easy to explain in one sentence what makes Sever special. The story is about a rebellion, oppressed mortals rising up to overthrow Axis, the tech giant that controls the status quo. But what makes the story work so well is the surprising way in which all of the plot strands come together. If I told you what you’d remember most after reading it, I’d be ruining the whole thing.

But agents—and publishers—are looking for a strong hook; the high concept that will stand out among all of the other science fiction books on the shelves. 

Perhaps I’ve written a book that can’t be published traditionally?

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