In 2019, I was awarded grant money through the Ontario Arts Council’s Recommenders for Writers program to adapt my one-act play Test into a fiction novel. Later, in 2020, I received funding from the City of Hamilton’s Creative Enrichment Fund (CEF) to further develop this project.
Test is a play that follows the journey of Live Action Role Players named Dana and Drew who meet each other in the world of a live action vampire game. They initially form a relationship with each other in the world of the game, or In-Character, but soon develop feelings for one another in real life. This creates complications for them and the people in their lives that must be confronted if they are to move forward.
I am currently revising a first draft of this fiction novel about LARP and will be sharing blogs and posting YouTube videos about the process of writing this story as well as sharing excerpts from the finished work.
This project would not have been possible without the help of both the Ontario Arts Council and the City of Hamilton City Enrichment Fund.
Stephen Near Writer 