The Open Novella Contest is back for 2026! Join fellow storytellers and plant the seed of a tale that will blossom into a 20,000+ word novella within 12 weeks! Your epic quest begins February 1st, 2026, so mark your calendars with this date!

My writing experience for ONC this year.

SHORTLISTED. Paul Finn wakes to discover that not only is he feeling horribly sick but, more worryingly, the naked stranger in his bed isn't moving. If only he could remember what happened... My story for the ONC 2023, a thriller scifi adventure, with a touch of romance. (SciFi /Adventure / LGBT) A Winner in The Nano Watt 2025 Novella category

Being a 'difficult woman', Oklahoma farm-gal Mavis wasn't having much luck with the local dating pool. Her Pa signed her up to emigrate to newly terraformed Mars, because 'Mars needs women'. Maybe there she could find a good man to marry. But Mavis had no intention of getting hitched, despite what the legal contract said. Walt, the son of successful Mars merchants, had no intention of going through with a forced arranged marriage. Finding a kindred spirit in Mavis, they chose their own path. A quirky sci-fi romance with a frontier vibe. **** Open Novella Contest Short List and Honorable Mention **** **** Open Novella Contest Round Two Ambassador Pick **** **** Novella Grand Winner - 2025 NanoWatt Awards ****

In which I give tips and journal about my own writing journey for Open Novella this year.

As per tradition, a journal for this ONC.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ONC2023 CHALLENGE! One dark and stormy night a family went missing, they left taking absolutely nothing with them. When their disappearance was reported, nobody, including the police could figure out what happened. The mystery has gone unsolved for almost 10 years, then a call comes in from an unknown source that changes everything. The job now is to figure out who the caller is, if the family is still alive, and how you will expose what happened.

A new neighbor moves in. He is reclusive. He seems to never leave the house. He causes trouble in the neighborhood He turns your life upside down. Then he is gone, replaced by a handsome relative. A well known doctor who promises to fix all your problems. It seems like Fate has stepped in. You have a feeling of Déjà Vu. You love your new mysterious neighbour but does he love you?

Three women. Three tangled lives orbiting Mars aboard the Phobos Transit Space Station. Val loses her station operation engineer job under false pretenses, Exo-biologist Cassy is blackballed for doing the right thing, and ex-marine Kate suffers a broken heart. Fortunately, Mavis, the owner of the Starlight Tavern and rescuer of lost souls, is there to help, recruiting the women into her Quilters Guild. But when hostile forces invade the station, the stakes become far greater, and the Guild finds themselves embroiled in a multi-world conspiracy. And they are not about to just stand by and let it happen. Redemption comes stitch by stitch. *** Open Novella Contest Round Two Ambassador Pick *** *** Open Novella Contest Winner - Third Place ***