Not Even There - Short Story Review

Title: Not Even There

Author: J. Scott Sharp

Released: April 27, 2012

Print Length: 13 pages

File Size: 98 KB

Goodreads info here, visit the author's blog

Disclaimer: I did receive a free copy of the novel in order to review. This however did not influence my review in any way.

Great Twist on the Teenage Love Triangle! 

In the short story, Not Even There, Roger is one of the students that seem to fade into the background at school, and so is his best friend, David. They’ve been friends for years and have been through so much together that it seems nothing can break the bond they’ve forged. In fact, they are more like brothers of sorts than friends. But when David tells Roger he is in love with Libby (who happens to be the girl he is head over heels for as well) things begin to sour quickly. Roger must decide if his heart is more important than his friendship, and quickly. If he makes the wrong choice, there will be consequences no one can foresee.

Sharp transported me right back to high school. I immediately felt a connection with the main character, Roger. I remember well the insecurities I felt as a teen, especially when it comes to romantic interests and friendships that can be quite delicate at times. Sharp manages to get into the head of a teenage boy and show the emotions so realistically that one can’t help but get absorbed into the story.

Not Even There reminded me why I usually don’t read short stories; I always want more. I’m glad I had a chance to read this one though and am looking forward to reading more works by Sharp in the future.

Camp NaNoWriMo

I tried my hand at NaNoWriMo last November, and while I didn't finish the novel I started back then, it did give me the push I needed to start taking my writing much more seriously than I had in the past.

So when a friend told me about Camp NaNoWriMo, I thought I might as well give it a shot. I haven't had much time to focus on my writing lately and have sorta pushed it to the back burner. I keep letting school, my job, and reading get in the way. Maybe this will give me the boost I need to get some serious work done on my WIP.

The focus of Camp NaNo is pretty much the same as for the original, to write 50,000 words of fiction, in one month. The difference is instead of November, Camp runs in the month of June and then again in August. You can also join a cabin of 4 or 5 members to lean on throughout the month and/or seek a bit of advice if you get stuck.

Technically it is suppose to be a new piece. You are allowed to plan and outline etc before the start, but not do any of the actual writing. I decided that instead of bending the rules and working towards finishing a current project, I would instead start on this idea that has been pestering me to write about for years. I'm going to turn my flash fiction story, Hannah's Lake (with a few minor changes) into a full novel (and possibly even a set of novels).

Hopefully working on this project will open up my creativity again and once Camp is over, I'll be able to focus on my original WIP and make some progress on it again. I'll check in here and there throughout the month with an update on my word count. Even if I don't finish the entire 50k this month, hopefully I'll make some decent headway with it.