Lila Unwinter is not a very talented witch; she mostly has a lot of ambition, determination, and enough spite to last her a few hundred years.
How else was she supposed to survive the past sixteen years, after she lost both her best friend and her...
Yes, it's once again time for the Open Novella Contest, and this time I'm determined to actually get my story past the first round and not give up halfway through. May the amazing community help with that goal!
I had a really hard time picking out a main prompt, but going with what influences the plot the most it's this one:
22.For sixteen years your family has waited and watched, hoped and prepared. You were cared for, but never truly acknowledged. It left you wondering why you've always felt like an outcast, a little bit of a burden. Today you discover they all knew about the curse... they all knew you were chosen to carry it.
Big influences on world building and back story are these other prompts:
83.Somewhere, out there in the vast and never-ending expanse that is the Multiverse where every possibility, conceivable or otherwise, is played out, logic dictates that there is, indeed, a Flat Earth.
16.The stories of the beast in the forest have been told to scare children for ages. The friends certainly don't believe them. Until the afternoon the beast needs their help.
40.Rumour around the town said that the shop in the deep alley of the market is very strange. It has no sign and no customers. No one knows when it is there and precious few dare to step inside....
63.All you did was pop into the shop to pick up a packet of cigarettes and a newspaper. When you set foot outside the shop though everything is different, and only the shopkeeper knows why.
48.While cleaning out the chimney, you notice a loose brick. When you pull it out, you find something unexpected.
68.You saw her dead, but she's having dinner with your parents downstairs.
And maybe you'll recognize a few others sprinkled throughout the story because somehow a lot of the prompts fit into what I've got planned for this year.
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For want of moodboard making skills, let me present you with the screenshots of the pinterest board I made for the story (and yes, I have definitely spent more time on pinterest than actually writing it, oops).
where ghosts wander aesthetic
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lila elyn unwinter
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priya fray
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There's a playlist on spotify as well — though the songs are in no particular order and do not necessarily have a meaning for the story lyric-wise. I mostly go off the vibes of the songs and which ones best help me get into the writing/inspiration mindset. The link will be provided in a comment as I can't seem to make the hyperlink work here.
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Some disclaimers won't go amiss as well:
I've taken inspiration from various religions and mythologies — none of them will be entirely accurately represented here.
I will update this list here with trigger warnings as the chapters go up. I don't anticipate anything too major though, other than the implied child neglect/abuse that goes along with the chosen main prompt.
- (none as of yet)
Comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated. Also feel free to point out any grammatical errors or typos as I work without a beta and I probably miss some things.
The first chapter should go up sometime next week and then I hope to adhere to a weekly update schedule.
Thank you for reading and I hope you will enjoy! Have a lovely day.
