Opennovellacontest Histoires

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!

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They fall in love with someone whose heartbeat matches a song they haven't heard since childhood. Jungkook: Marriage is terrifying! Taehyung: Love marrige is the worst.

Annalise's morning began like any other, rushing to finish some procrastinated homework while jamming to her go-to 80s playlist. But when she walks out to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat before school, she discovers her mother not moving in front of the sink...with the water coming from the faucet not moving either. A few minutes later, time starts moving again, with nobody else having knowledge of it freezing in the first place. Will Annalise figure out the secrets behind stopping time? What else might she discover with her newfound mysterious gift?

Harit is rizzless. He is also a vampire. As far as he knows (from the tons of vampire lore he has consumed), he is nothing like his peers, or so he believes, for he hasn't come across his kind ever; he hasn't lost hope, though. Rudra the shifter (who loves frolicking around as a parrot) and Harit's immortal companion, after taking care of a fumbling, bumbling mess of a vampire for a hundred years, has made up his mind to go his separate way. However, he is sure that his friend can't fend for himself in this big, unforgiving, cruel world. He, thus, decides to take matters into his own hands or wings, depending on his form at the moment. Rudra's plan is simple: enroll his auraless friend in a course that can make him what turning into a vampire should have made him: alluring, confident, and irresistible so that he can feed himself once he is gone. Ayank Tripursundara is the best personality, speech, and drama coach in the state. He takes coal and turns it into diamond, or so his mother has heard everyone say everywhere she goes. He is rich, cultured, and handsome but slightly depressed because of his recent falling out with a friend. But as fate would have it, Ayank might just be the one Harit needs to be the best version of himself. Manik is a thousand-year-old vampire. He is also Harit's sire. Now, after a hundred years of waiting, he has found a reason to find the one that got away: Harit. Tying their lives together is the stolen melody of a heart, a century-old curse, and a hundred-year-old spell. Will Harit get his rizz? Or will he fall prey to his sire before the forgotten melody finds him? [Written for Open Novella Contest Prompt No. 81: Unalluring and bumbling, your character is the world's worst vampire. Prompt No. 37: Your hateful stare fixes on the smug bird. It has beaten you once again.] Start Date: 27th, February, 2026 By: GandalfOfSpaceAnli

Mariella intends to marry rich. Then she'll live as she chooses. But there's a problem. The crown prince isn't as blind as everyone else, especially after he sees her true self. He now notices everything, the little lies, the carefully crafted manners, the rehearsed kindness. He is indifferent, dismissive, and dangerous in ways she can't anticipate, but she needs him on her side, because one slip, one glimpse behind her mask from the court, and everything she has clawed towards will collapse. She has spent her life perfecting the art of being the sweet, proper lady no one suspects. How to appear harmless, timid, and polite. But every word, every gesture, every tear is calculated. Because, in a world of wealth, titles, and ambition, the clever survive and the careless get left behind. And she will not be left behind. ××××× "She is deceiving you, Your Majesty!" Percival insisted, dragging Mariella back to the present, ''I swear upon my honor.'' The throne room felt smaller than before as the silence after Percival's words stretched. The King's gaze softened. "Mariella has served this court with nothing but grace." Mariella sobbed harder. The sound loud in the silent room. Finral's gaze burned into her. He had not spoken or shown any indication of revealing the truth. Maybe he was still in shock from her magnificent performance but she had to be sure. So she slowly lifted her head slightly, meeting his eyes for the briefest moment. Just for a second. And winked. The smallest movement. Gone in an instant. His lips parted. Whether from shock or apathy, she couldn't tell but he still said nothing. And in his silence, the ruling fell swiftly. ××××× Written for the open novella contest 2026 prompt 16: And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul (Quote by John Muir) Interpreted in a romantic sense.

Hari's dreams were dying, from continuous failed government-job exam attempts and the weight of his family's disappointment, he flees to the concrete heart of Mumbai. He isn't looking for greatness anymore-just survival. In the grueling heat of a suburban factory, he meets Babban. A man who has spent twenty years inhaling smoke so his son can breathe clean air. Babban becomes more than a mentor, he becomes the mirror Hari afraid to look into. While Hari has given up on his fate, Babban refuses to let him compromise with fate, pushing him toward one final, desperate attempt at the SSC exams. But Mumbai is a city of sharp edges. When a spark of local unrest ignites into a violent riot, the dream Hari worked for suddenly carries a devastating price. They say many people will come and go in your life, but some leave footprints on your heart. For Hari, Babban's footprints lead all the way back to the village he tried to escape-carrying a debt that success can never truly repay. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ -•-•-•-•-•-•-•-• -•-•-•-• Written for ONC 2026 Prompt No. 29 :-- You'll meet many people in your life. Many will come and go, but some leave footprints on your heart.

It was supposed to be simple. One mission. One target. Substantial compensation. Instead, two elite assassins from rival organizations show up with the same assignment, the same instincts, and wildly inconvenient chemistry. Ezra and Elaine had everything planned and organized. The guests. Fake, but whatever. The food. Which they did not get to eat. Tragic. One dreamy gown. Ruined by an idiot who also smashed their wedding cake. Oh. And the bullets. Because when you make a living pulling triggers, it is only fair that the past shows up armed. Now the guest list is bleeding, the vows are under fire, and the mission they thought they understood is unraveling into something far bigger than either of them signed up for. Turns out, when your love language is violence, your happily ever after comes fully loaded. ---- [First draft - unedited]

After a mission goes catastrophically wrong, veteran operative Arin is reassigned to an unexpected role: live-in nanny for the child of an influential family whose wealth buys privacy and silence. The house is immaculate, the parents distant, and the security far too thorough for comfort. As Arin adjusts to a cover that feels more like confinement, he becomes aware of subtle irregularities. Inside a home that should be the safest place in the city, Arin begins to suspect that he is not the one doing the watching.

"Vespera has a legacy name she needs to live up to, but when the Nymph from the forest demands to be freed, Vespera proves she is not the witch her mother had tried to mould her into." Vespera is the daughter of the Great Witch who locked the Nymph away in the forest. For most of her life, she's been unable to live up to her mother's legacy. When the dark creatures burst into the Warden's Castle, she's forced to step it up and fulfil her duties. At the same time the voice of the trapped wood nymph lures Vespera into the forest, demanding to be freed. With each secret uncovered, Vespera keeps asking herself who the real monsters are in this story. Getting closer to the nymph, in more ways than one, she's faced with choices she never thought she'd have to make. Vespera is determined to find out the truth, even if it will cost her the love of her family and friends. ONC 2026 | Written in third-person POV

Have you ever wondered who your soulmate is? In the world of 'Moonlit Dreams, Moonlit Fate', you get to meet them in your dreams, right after you turn twenty years old. However, you do not know what they look like. As Yvonne Blythe keeps dreaming about her soulmate on the nights following her twentieth birthday, she becomes determined to find them. During her relentless search for the person of her dreams, she meets Reid Wells, a senior at her university. The encounters do not stop there - Yvonne and Reid keep running into each other at the most unexpected places. But, these encounters make a realization dawn on Yvonne - Reid was not just a random guy, he felt like the very person who had appeared in her dreams for the first time. Entry for Open Novella Contest 2026. Prompt used: 21

Amaury's debt is to be the Soul Reaper of one hundred souls to the keeper and master of his own. With Nilly, his assistant, he sets off to reap that final soul. But there's a catch. How can a lost puppy end up freeing the Soul Reaper and bringing the puppy's owner true happiness? Lorri's lonely life is about to change with a chance encounter, brought about by her escape artist of a puppy, and someone who isn't entirely human. Entered into the ONC2026 contest based on the following two prompts. #65: On the way to collect a soul, the grim reaper is distracted by a stray puppy. Instead of completing the task, he decides to find the puppy's owner, much to the frustration of his assistant. #52: You're on a first date when you suddenly realize the person sitting across from you isn't entirely human.

• A Greykin Chronicles Origin Story • What the hell did a mutt like Emrys think he was doing entering the Redblood Trials? Winning, that was what. He'd prove he was more than an outcast runt, and he'd become the first of his kind to claim a place in the Monarchy. *** Since the beginning of the human-Caeleste war, Emrys' pack has moved from territory to territory. When they finally reach the Pactlands, a city far from the chaos and neutral ground between the surrounding packs, it is immediately made clear that mutts aren't welcome, and runts never last long. Unfortunately, Emrys is both. If it weren't for Finn, he wouldn't have survived long enough to witness the twentieth Grey Moon. With it comes the Redblood Trials, a brutal tournament which promises the victor a royal title. That was his chance to prove that a mutt was more than a revolting cross of far too many bloodlines. But his fight for survival starts before he can even sign up. Driven from the city by the Silveinbloods, he trespasses into forbidden woodland, a place no wolf dared to go. Abandoning sense and instinct alike, he ventures into the ruin of an old castle, where he uncovers an ancient Aegis artifact. However, the discovery doesn't promise fame and fortune; it warns that entering the trials will bring only danger and despair. With the moon just around the corner, he has to decide what he fears more: a life forever of humiliation and seclusion, or the apparent fate waiting for him in the arena. ❅ Dark Fantasy ❅ Mystery-Thriller ❅ MxM Romance ❅ Werewolves vs Wolf Walkers ❅ Word Count: 7,443 ─────────────────────────────────── ✵ Numenverse year: 1150 2026 © Tate Csernis

An ancient relic, intertwined fate and lives bound by a 50 BCE mystery. An Indian archaeologist and the reluctant son of a powerful chairman find themselves drawn into a truth buried beneath time as a forgotten kingdom begins to awaken and destinies demand revelation.

Everyone fears the ancient creature trapped in the forbidden forest. That's why the knights have come to kill it. Maera Solene Wyld has never been what her coven wanted her to be; she was too volatile, too angry, too weak to carry her mother's legacy as the most powerful witch alive. Her magic fractures instead of obeying, her temper burns hotter than her spells, and for almost ten years, Maera's nights have been haunted by dreams of a stranger who feels like the missing half of her soul- when dreaming itself should be impossible. When knights march into the cursed woods close to her coven's Sanctum, Maera begins to suspect the creature they hunt is tied to the strange dreams and warnings that have followed her for years; connections she doesn't yet understand- and saving it means turning against everything she was taught to fear: monsters, fate, and even herself. Hunted by her kingdom, betrayed by prophecy, and driven by a rage she can barely control, Maera must choose whether she is a failure of her bloodline... or something far more dangerous.

The dream always ended the same way: with the salt-spray of an ocean I'd never visited and the warmth of a hand I couldn't quite grasp. He never had a face-just a silhouette cut out of the moonlight-but his voice was a low rumble that vibrated in my chest. "Find me," he'd whisper. "Before the clocks stop." When I woke up, the silence of my apartment felt like a physical weight. I checked my pulse, my skin still buzzing from a touch that didn't exist. I told myself it was just stress. I told myself that "Thorne" was a name I'd probably seen on a billboard or a dusty law book. But then I saw him.

The town of London was covered in a heavy snow storm.There had been reports of a wolf howl at Midnight. One evening a woman was just at home reading a book when there was a knock on her door she opened it and she saw a man stained in blood, looked injured, and exhausted.

ONC 2026 Round One Qualifier❤️ Natasha is a young, published author whose book never quite found its audience. At home, her words are dismissed, her dreams met with silence instead of support. Slowly, she learns a truth that no one ever taught her-that before asking the world to choose her, she must choose herself. Her journey of self-love begins small and unremarkable: solitary café visits, writing without seeking validation, doing things simply because they make her feel alive. Like planting a single seed, she nurtures herself with patience, light, and time, watching her confidence grow in quiet ways. On a train journey meant to be nothing more than an escape, Natasha notices something unexpected-a stranger reading her book, smiling as if the story was written just for them. The sight moves her deeply, proof that her words mattered, even if the world never applauded. She gathers the courage to speak, but the stranger seems distant, uninterested, and the moment slips away. Fate, however, isn't done with her yet. When their paths cross again, Natasha realizes that her book has already spoken on her behalf. Through the story she once wrote in loneliness, she finds connection, understanding, and love-only after she has learned to give all of it to herself first.

Jayden understands what it means to party. And party he did. He partied hard. That was before she came along. Her. She was everything he wasn't. Dedicated. Purposeful. She knew what she wanted. And now he did too. He wanted her. The question is at what cost? Updated Every Monday

The sirens scream but we don't move, With nothing left to fear or prove. In the hollow dark of a world undone, Your pulse is the only war I've won. Two young souls finding meaning and life and discovering their relationship admist the burning town and black clouds. Please like my story after reading every chapter. Show your love to my story. Because I've participating for the first time. *This story is written for participation in Open Novella Contest and no earlier draft exist before 1st Feb . The story is based on prompts provided by the event .