lettersandlight:

One of the perks of my job here at the Office of Letters and Light is that I get to read the thousands of emails that come into our inbox: the heroes’ journeys of people who’ve written a novel for the first time, the legendary exploits of those who’ve written a novel for the fourteenth time. Stories of people who met their husband or wife at a write-in, who wrote with our community while sitting in a hospital bed, or crowed about the persevering creativity NaNoWriMo taught them in a college essay.

Even when the days feel long, and the work seems overwhelming, I hear from one of you, spinning the story of how NaNoWriMo changed your life. Now? It’s our turn to celebrate you. Take a look at what we’ve got up our sleeve:

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lettersandlight:

Yes, it’s true. I am that dorkiest of dorks. I’m a LARPer, and I’m proud. More over, I’m a LARP-writer. I’ve dedicated more time to writing LARPs than any other form of fiction (even novels), and you know what? I’ve learned an awful lot from the process. Over a few posts, I’d like to take you inside the weird and wacky world of LARPing and share some of the lessons I’ve learned from it!

Hold on, let’s rewind for a second. What the devil is a LARP? Well, LARP stands for Live-Action Role Play. We’re the folk in the woods with costumes and foam swords, or in the parlor with weird outfits and eccentric modes of speech.

I write for The Wayfinder Experience, a summer camp for teens in upstate New York, and Westfinder, a small group in Berkeley, California. Both are based more on improv theater, so we tend to emphasize storytelling and character. It’s lots of fun! Curious about how all that might work from a writing perspective? Read on!

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HEY WAYFOLK CHECK IT OUT. I’m writing a series of blog posts about what I’ve learned form gamewriting, and there should be some good gamewriting tips along the way. Whoooooo~

lettersandlight:

Yes, that is a picture of me paddling my car into the ocean, or at least trying to. Where did I get the paddle? Oh, I keep it in my car. See, it’s one of my Adventure Totems.

Now what the devil is an Adventure Totem!? Well, some of you may have encountered Writing Totems before; you know, a magic little trinket you put on that inspires you to write, that you build up a good writing association with.

Well, I do the same thing, but for adventures. Maybe it’s going hiking at a lake at 2 a.m., or exploring old coastal ruins in the fog, or maybe it’s heading down to the Maker Faire at a moment’s notice. I like adventures! I’m prone to kidnapping my friends and spiriting them off to goodness-knows-where. It usually ends well. Usually. “What does an Adventure Totem look like?” you might ask.

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Posting about my ridiculous shenanigans for work. Ayup.

lettersandlight:

Good morning, sports fans, and welcome back to your favorite feature: the weekly recap! Plenty of excitement went down in NaNoland this week, and we’re here to make sure you don’t miss a bit of it. Want to be sure you’re up to date on your swamp things and alligator attacks and priest-strangling noodles? Then this is the post for you!

Today’s list brought to you by Ben, who thinks that writing is still more important than sleep, but sleep is pretty wonderful when you can get it.

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lettersandlight:

Hello, OLL fans, and welcome to a new blog feature! On Fridays, we’re going to recap all the goings-on in the world of Letters and Light.

There’s a lot happening every week, whether it be existential crises brought on by too much Twitter whimsy or the latest Yeti sighting in the virtual forest at Camp NaNo’s edge, and it can be hard to keep track of. If you want to make sure you don’t miss the highlights and higher-lights, this post is for you, completionist.

Today’s list has been brought to you by Ben, your camp co-counselor and fan of the Prairie Home Companion.

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lettersandlight:

Hello, campers! I’m Ben, your new OLL intern, and summer camp counselor!

I’ve spent much of my life working at one summer camp or another, but this one may be the strangest. I’ve worked at space camp and adventure theater camp, but I’ve never worked at a camp where I only meet the campers online before! I’m thrilled to be here, and eager to help with Camp NaNo. Areas of my expertise include fireside storytelling, surviving camp food, avoiding dehydration, handling homesickness, and of course pranking other cabins.

Wondering what makes an OLL intern? Read on for the recipe below:

Recipe for One Letters and Light Intern

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In which I introduce myself to my new job.