Onc2025 Stories

Whether it's your first time or your seventh time, writing a novella in 12 weeks isn't easy. As a 2021 ONC Winner and two-time Honorable Mention (2023/2024), I totally understand. After years of participation and reflection, I have lots of advice to share on how I wrote a winning novella and look forward to writing every year. Inside this guide, you can find everything from insider tips to craft chats to contest commentary. So grab a cup, get your notebook, and settle in: it's time to start writing! Copyright © 2022 Elle Chaika

**WATTYS 2025 HONOURABLE MENTION** Cas and Vish are best friends whose feelings run deep. Whilst Cas is clever, sporty, and on the brink of a bright future at university, Vish has no such prospects. A painfully shy artist, Vish's horizons end at his daily routine of pills, sensory issues and panicking parents. When they celebrate what could be their final summer together by painting wildlife and swimming at a secret wooded wetland hidden in the Fens, the lads awaken something ancient and sinister lurking in the water. A voice in Vish's head -- Charlie -- tempts him to spend longer and longer in the woods. When villagers begin to disappear and Vish becomes increasingly secretive and distant, Cas is convinced that Charlie intends to claim Vish, body and soul. Lies, heartbreak and obsession push their friendship to breaking point, but nothing will stop Cas from protecting Vish from Charlie's onslaught, not even a fight to the death. --- This book started life as an ONC 2025 prompt: 105. Your childhood imaginary friend who disappeared years ago returns - only this time they're real.

THE LAST SIGNATURE The ink that doesn't fade. Eli never believed his brother's death was an accident. He just never had proof. Until Nora found the yearbook. Hidden inside a wall. Filled with names written in ink that doesn't age. Names that belong to students who all graduated normally, lived quietly - and died exactly three hundred and sixty-five days later. No headlines. No investigations. Just a pattern so clean it could only be deliberate. Now there are five of them who know. One name already inside that shouldn't be. Eleven weeks until the rest of them walk across that stage. And something ancient, patient, and nameless has been collecting signatures for a very long time. It isn't finished yet.

When a cursed bangle binds Sea Drifter Ninnette to a dangerous demon, she only has three days to break the curse before it claims her life. °:•.🪸.•:° Ninnette is a Sea Drifter with the power to command water, dredging shipwrecks, and salvaging lost treasure. When she braves a sunken ship no one else dares to dive, she finds a strange clockwork bangle that binds her to an ancient curse and to the infuriating Kazi, a demon who leaves destruction wherever he goes. The moment the bangle is activated, they are hunted by a secret order led by a relentless Priestess who believes the armlet is a key to something far greater than treasure. But the true danger isn't the order. It isn't the demon Kazi. It's the curse. When Ninnette puts on the bangle, a countdown begins. If she doesn't break the curse in three days, she will die like every wearer before her. °:•.🪸.•:° She commands the sea. He is a demon who has lived for centuries. They are both bound by a curse. Only three days to survive. °:•.🪸.•:° Set in a Maritime Steampunk world, and inspired by Filipino cultures, from Spanish influence to the seafaring Sama-Bajau. This story weaves dangerous magic, high stakes, and heart-aching romance. °:•.🪸.•:° ONC 2025 Honorable Mention °:•.🪸.•:° Romantasy High Fantasy Fantasy Adventure SciFi Steampunk Fantasci Young Adult

Victoria is an aspiring playwright. So when the "Write Your Own Shakespeare" contest is announced, she finally sees her chance to make it big. That is until her rival announces that he too, will be participating. Liam has a secret. He's a vampire, and up until recently, that's never been a problem. But now it is, because he's found his soulmate. The problem? It's Victoria, and she hates him. So, to try and win her over, he decides to join the play writing contest. Except, he has no idea how to write a play. As Victoria fights for the top spot, and Liam fights for her love - and his life - they start to spend more time together, and something, a lot different than hate, starts to blossom between them. ~~ Cover by: -MilaSteele

After six years in a progressive French boarding school, eighteen-year-old Lady Alice returns to her family's estate in Surrey, dreading the fate that awaits her-- debutante balls, an arranged marriage, and a life she does not want. She would have preferred to stay in France, teaching and writing love tales rather than living one dictated by others. Once cast aside by her own father and a stepmother, Alice finds their sudden desire for reconciliation hollow. Only her childhood best friend, Michael, Marquess Lovelace, seems like a true comfort. But as she settles back into her former home, something strange begins to happen. A black rabbit, eerily familiar, appears in the shadows-- just like the one that belonged to Edmond, her long-forgotten imaginary friend. And then she meets Count D'Arcy, the enigmatic and elusive neighbour whose presence unsettles her. His eyes, his voice, his very being remind her of Edmond. Could it be him? Or is her mind playing tricks on her? As the social season unfolds, Alice finds herself tangled in a web of mystery, romance, and the supernatural. The past and present blur, forcing her to question what is real, what is illusion, and whether love can exist beyond the bounds of reason. In the haunting halls of her childhood home and under the watchful gaze of Count D'Arcy, Alice must uncover the truth before she loses herself to the unknown. ~~~ My entry for the ONC 2025 based on the prompt 105: Your childhood imaginary friend, who disappeared years ago, suddenly returns - only this time, they're real.

Twenty years ago, magic vanished from the world, presumed forever gone. Yet it still existed, tangled within its own domain, along with Naamah, its dark personification. Naamah schemes return to complete her desire for humanity's subjugation and to avenge her earlier defeat. But with a soul barren, Naamah needed another to complete herself. Psalm, a blind young woman pure of soul, enjoyed a simple life with a loving family. She had no idea of her heritage, nor her magical potential as a powerful Oracle, nor that Naamah would target her. When the magic burst back into the world, Psalm and Naamah found their souls bound by a destiny written ages ago. This story was written for the 2025 Open Novella Contest, using prompt #129: The ink of our souls binds us beyond the pages of time. ***** Amby's Awards 2025 Grand Favorite *****

PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS SNAKE SKIN Aristra should have stayed dead. Instead she finds herself come back to life as a new person. The only catch? She has 20 days remaining before she dies for real. Unless she is able to visit Death herself and regain her life.

After a long journey to "find herself" (Steph's still not sure what that means, but that's what she's been telling people), Steph is back in town, on the hunt for a secret EP her favourite band put out before disappearing forever. But things have gotten weird while she was away. There's a new modern art exhibit causing chaos, an urban legend roaming the streets with a vendetta, and a new forbidden arcade game she can't stop playing. Her old best friend is almost certainly up to something. And her Spotify daily mixes have started...telling the future? As she digs deeper, things just get more complicated. Steph needs to connect the dots, and fast. She might not have found herself out there, but she sure found something. And now? It's coming for her.

When the mysterious teashop suddenly appears, one can't help but hear its call and wonder-what's its true purpose? *** Alicia Ward's ordinary life takes a fantastical turn when she encounters Aidan, the elusive boy once believed a figment of her childhood imagination, now real and impossibly intriguing. Following him leads her to The Crooked Kettle, an enchanting teashop hidden from ordinary eyes. But curiosity leads her astray when she steps into a corridor filled with endless doors, each one offering glimpses into magical realms where reality is fluid and the impossible becomes possible. Where each door leads somewhere and nowhere, anywhere but her world. Trapped now in this place where reality bends at whim and magic comes alive, Alicia must navigate this bewildering place and find her way back to The Crooked Kettle's parlour if she ever wants to return home. And with the help of her once-imaginary friend, Aiden, and charmingly chaotic vampire, Harley Hatter-Sinclair, who has an uncanny ability to make her heart race and cheeks turn red, Alicia might be able to do just that. Or not. Will she be forever lost in a world where dreams and magic intertwine with reality? Everything and nothing is possible within the magical worlds of The Crooked Kettle. ______ All graphics were created by myself, with their subsequent credit and rights reserved for Andre Di Rosa (me).

28. On a beach vacation, you dive into the water, but it turns purple and suddenly you're pulled under the sand. What's waiting for you beneath the surface? 34. Your new job requires an out of town overnight orientation, but when you check in, you run into someone from your past that you never thought you'd see again. Casey (Cas) Galanis doesn't know whether to say she is a burn victim, or was, as it had been over a decade. While her body bore the evidence of her past, she was more than ready to leave every bit of the trauma from recovery and society behind her. Unfortunately, anyone back home that was still cruel about her looks wasn't going to change. They didn't want to see her as capable of caring for herself. The lowest point was her sister refusing to have her in her wedding photos, citing aesthetics. The out she found was in the hospitality industry, specifically an older, privately owned hotel. True, people would continue to be cruel to her. Even if they brought up her looks, they would be more concerned that their room was clean, the TV worked, the pool was warm, and they made it in time for the complimentary breakfast. And most of that, as a maid, wouldn't be her problem. That, and it came with a room that they couldn't be rented out. Which was odd for a hotel a short walk from the beach. The first hurdle would be the Tuesday night orientation. The second would be if she could learn to love the beach and all it's exposure. But there would be more surprises in store-the doctor who helped heal her and the dead Egyptian god who consumed any free time she had. Because of the possibilities in two men, life wasn't lonely anymore. Cover Art: Photo by Austin J. Best from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-smoking-1205388/ Other elements are Wikicommons, mods are mine.

ONC2025 ------ "She really fell from the sky and landed right into my arms, I'm not even lying!"

Liam Reynolds' best friend Greg passes away, and he misses him dearly. Or he would if Greg left, but unfortunately, Greg has unfinished business and decides to become Liam's ghostly roommate. Greg believes their incomplete bucket list is the reason he can't move on. Thus, he leads Liam and Liam's neighbor, Valerie, on a journey of self-discovery, fun, and possibly love as Liam sets out to do all the things they wanted to do in life. **** This is my entry for the 2025 Open Novella Contest. I am using prompt #8.

Micro Book Reviews for ONC 2025 are now open! For more information, take a look at the opening chapter...

Magdalena "Maggie" Buroston is a powerful witch with equally powerful magic that allows her to see tbe laws of the universe. When an ancient archive is discovered by an unsuspecting group of Dwarf archaeologists, Maggie is sent to the site by the Supreme Court of Magical Activity in hopes of unearthing something beneficial to the magical community's law and order. But no one expects the Darkness to rise. Cover created in PicCollage and Image generated by Canva

In the aftermath of a long and bloody war, the daughter of a king, no longer a princess, Mussumi, has to bend the knee to the man who has defeated her father. With only a small escort to lead her back to her homeland, Mussumi soon realises that the warlord does not intend for her to reach home alive. Only the intervention of a skilled warrior, who identifies herself only as 'Duty', allows Mussumi to escape, but a desperate chase ensues and only 'Duty' can get her to the ship that will carry her to safety. With the enemy sniping at their heels at every turn, Mussumi and Duty have to face dangerous paths and deadly creatures to reach the port. But can Duty be trusted, or is she only another assassin waiting to strike? An ONC novella, based on Prompt 31: "Next time, ask yourself if your integrity can withstand the truth."

Rael has no choice: to find a cure for a mysterious illness, he must seek out the hermit in the Shadow Forest. His pack is doomed. But the Omega knows that the dreaded Shadow Forest Pack lives there, and they have a deadly feud with the Blood Moon Pack. But he is not alone. A mysterious stranger follows him and helps him when needed. When he arrives at the hermit's hut, Rael realises that she is a special witch - and that the disease is much more than anyone could have imagined. - - - Prompt 85. A sickness descends upon your pack, and you're the only one immune. As the Alpha succumbs to the illness, it's up to you to find a cure before it's too late.

|A SET OF TWO WHAT'S NEW SCOOBY-DOO FANFIC NOVELLAS| |WATTPAD CREATORS PROGRAM · 5X FEATURED| Scooby-Doo and the Ghost of Ontario: When Freddie reads of hauntings at Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park in Ontario due to a mysterious lullaby, "Lucilla", he drags the gang on an unexpected canoe trip, where he's determined to prove that not only do ghosts exist but also that not every villain hides under a mask. Scooby-Doo and the Lightning Spirit: When the Thunderbird awakens in the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park, the Mystery Gang and their new friend Ihaan embark on a journey that tests everything they thought they knew about mysteries and the Ghost of Ontario. *** *Don't ask... LOL!* *FYI: These stories are based on a TV show, so expect a screenplay-like writing style.* *Main Tropes: Found family and angst with a happy ending.* *#SupportIndigenousVoices.* Main Achievements: 🏅 ONC 2025 Shortlist/Ambassador Pick! 🏅 Best New Fanfiction Shortlist! 🥉 3rd Place Overall in TEGSA 2025! 🏅 Ambys 2025 Shortlist!

**For the Open Novella Contest 2025!** "A tale as old as time..." When she receives a cryptic but urgent text message from her father, Isla Lamborne returns to her childhood home in Long Island to find her family in crisis: the family business is failing, her mother is suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's, and her father's normally lighthearted approach to life is threatening to crack under the strain. Several years ago, Ned Dunfee was rendered paralyzed from the waist down in a motorcycle accident that he barely survived. Given up on the prospect of ever having a normal life again, all while hiding his past under a lie, the last thing he expects is the bookish, smart-mouthed girl that comes crashing into it, quite literally. After a literal run-in at the family bookstore, at first Isla and Ned can't stand the sight of each other. She thinks he's grumpy and rude; he thinks she's clumsy and irritating. But one rainy afternoon, when she finds Ned caught in a sudden downpour, the sparks undeniably start flying. And they both realize that a second chance at life-together-is within their grasps. Finally. (Using ONC prompts 120, 134, and 135, with 120 being the main plot arc.)

In a world built on the ashes of a catastrophe engineered by power-hungry rulers, history has been rewritten, and the true savior erased from memory. The once-feared beings-witches, fae, merfolk, and those who cannot be named-now hold the balance of power in a fragile council, while the remnants of humanity cling to their illusions of control. But secrets buried in ink refuse to stay hidden. As the tides of fate shift, one girl stands at the center of it all, carrying the legacy of the man they tried to erase. The world will soon learn the truth-whether it's ready or not.