Opennovellacontest2025 Stories

| Round 2, Ambassador Pick | When media mogul Richard Langley demands his children declare their love to inherit his empire, the refusal of his youngest daughter sparks a bitter family feud, forcing her to choose between healing old wounds or securing her place in the business world. ✦✦✦ The year is 2025, and the world of family legacies is as ruthless as it is glamorous. When Richard Langley, a powerful titan of the industry, announces his retirement, he demands his three adult children-Gwen, Riley, and Cora-profess their love for him in exchange for their share of the family empire. Gwen and Riley fall in line, but Cora, the youngest, refuses to bow to her father's demand and offers only brutal honesty. Enraged, Richard disowns her, casting her out of the family. As his mental state unravels, Gwen and Riley fight tooth and nail for control of the Langley legacy, manipulating their father and each other in a battle of wills and ambition. Meanwhile, Cora, heartbroken but determined, builds her own path to success in the media world. But when Richard reaches out, desperate and broken, Cora must decide whether to heal the rift or walk away for good. ✦✦✦ ✦ A modern retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear x Succession ✦ Cover design by @TheWildCyde ✦ Open Novella Contest 2025 | Prompts 31, 110, 111, 129 ᴄᴏᴘʏʀɪɢʜᴛ © 2025 ʙʏ ᴀᴜᴅʀᴇʏ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛꜱ ʀᴇꜱᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏ ᴘᴏʀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴏꜰ ᴍᴀʏ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇ ʀᴇᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇᴅ ᴏʀ ᴜꜱᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴀɴʏ ᴍᴀɴɴᴇʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛꜱᴏᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇxᴘʀᴇꜱꜱ ᴡʀɪᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪꜱꜱɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇʀ ᴇxᴄᴇᴘᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ʙʀɪᴇ

When a fellow witch is accused of a heinous crime, Rowburta Copperbottom. A witch of minimal magical ability but a thirst for knowledge, must investigate the allegations and then prove at a trial the innocence of her colleague. But, with mysterious enemies trying to thwart her at every turn, Rowburta must rely on far more than her witchly magics to aid her in a race against time to prove that justice isn't just blind, but not averse to a little monetary tipping of the scales, either. Rowburta has more than magic to help, she has the lore. A tale in the Terry Pratchett inspired Godworld, where people are about to meet the world's first Witch Loreyer. An ONC novella, based on Prompt 14: "Not everyone in your coven becomes a witch doctor. But you? You are the witch lawyer and take care of the mystical laws of the magical world."

Dorian expected a fortune. Instead, he inherited a library-one that holds more than just books. When a stolen book vanishes, portals to dangerous worlds start ripping open, unleashing beings from unknown realms. With reality unraveling and creatures slipping through the cracks, Dorian must track down the book before the chaos becomes permanent. But some secrets were meant to stay buried-and someone will do anything to keep them that way. Will he retrieve the book in time, or will his inheritance doom them all?

Ayumi Mikuro has always been captivated by mysteries, and the strange black stray cat that roams her neighbourhood is her latest obsession. When she begins to suspect that the cat is more than it seems, her curiosity leads her into a hidden world of shapeshifters, dark secrets, and ancient artifacts. As she uncovers the truth about the mysterious feline and its connection to a secretive group of supernatural hunters, Ayumi finds herself entangled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. With the fate of both the cat and her own life hanging in the balance, Ayumi must decide how far she's willing to go to protect the one creature she's grown to care for - a creature who holds the key to an unimaginable power. ONC prompt: 7. You've always suspected that the stray cat in your area is more than it seems. Now you're determined to catch it shape-shifting and prove it's a shapeshifter. But the closer you get, the more questions arise.

[ONC2025] | [Shortlist] Marlot and Ké live in the slum of Cyberion, where they belong to the lowest level of society due to their individual flaws. They fear, but also looking forward with excitement to the 'twenty days of freedom' that will determine their adult future. Outside the gates of Cyberion, they discover that things are very different than they thought. They must choose whether to return to the suffocating tech city or embrace their new - unknown - life. ... Prompt 110: '20 days of freedom'

Dom is a worldly man who has managed to carve out a path for himself despite his humble origins: He has traveled throughout the Duchy, studied under the tutelage of monks at one of the finest monasteries, and has also served as a soldier in the Great Alliance War. This résumé should be impressive, were it not for the fact that he hung up his habit as soon as he had the chance, deserted the battlefield, and now wanders from town to town like a fugitive from justice. But, in any case, what are these but irrelevant details? On this occasion, the road has brought him to San Cipriano dei Monti, a small village over which rumors hang about a monster: a vampire of uncertain origin who has been threatening for months to drink the blood of innocent children. Of course, Dom doesn't believe in such nonsense. But when he learns that the local count is offering a substantial reward for capturing and killing the vampire, he does not hesitate to join the hunt. After all, how hard could it be to capture a beast that doesn't exist?

× ONC Round 2 Ambassador Pick × Dorothea thought she had her life under control. Sure, she's not super rich and successful, and she doesn't have a gorgeous, loving partner by her side, but she's a barista in a local coffee shop who swore off of relationships, so she doesn't expect anything better. That is, until one short encounter at work flips her world upside down. Sofia Amaro has been Thea's number one weak spot since their high school days, but whatever they had ended five years ago. She left the town, and Thea moved on-or so she thought. When Sofia suddenly returns because of a work project, and a friendly round of drinks turns into a lot more than either of them had in mind, Thea is conflicted. She's a different person now. But Sofia is too, and she's not the same girl who strung her on for over a year. So when she tells Thea she wants to be more than friends now, Thea has to decide whether she's willing to take the risk once again. Perhaps some mistakes need to be made twice. ~ ❤️‍🩹 ~ Entry written for Open Novella Contest 2025 Prompts: 120, 121, 18 Genre(s): NA Literary/General Fiction PUBLISHED: 2/20/2025 COMPLETED: TBA

Ava was rude, then ended their friendship the night before the aliens came. Chloe Diaz and Ava Greenfield have been best friends since they were 4 and in preschool. Suddenly, she doesn't want to be friends, and now aliens want to enter a treaty with Earth, something Ava would love to talk about! What happened?

🏅Shortlist 2025 🏅 Detective Michael Wulfe has solved every case that has come across his desk--with a little supernatural help. However, a recent string of unconnected murders leaves him stumped and the people of Keirwood Heights nervous. On top of everything, the police chief is getting dangerously close to Michael's own secret that could end both his career and his life if he doesn't close the case soon. ONC Prompt 87: A skilled detective has solved almost every case that has come across their desk. But one case seems to elude them, with no apparent connections between the murders. That is, until something changes everything. Rated T for violence, but there's no swearing or smut.

If Sirius Black had his way, the Black family would remain long-lost relatives he had nothing to do with, including Grimmauld Place which he managed to inherit, yet Grimmauld Place is unfortunatly a place he can easily hide as he remains a wanted man for something he didn't do. The last thing he expected was to encounter the ghost of his younger brother, but something feels off. Or perhaps, it's just the unresolved feelings regarding Regulus' death, particularly when he's the only one able to see Regulus from what he can tell. Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter. This is written for ONC 2025, prompt 19, "You inherit a house from a long-lost relative, only to discover it's haunted by a ghost from your past. How do you deal with what you once knew?"

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."

Years ago, the magic of the library helped Richard Tyler overcome fear, nor did his peers thinking him odd for always having his nose in a book bother him, yet as he headed into high school, he did find himself wishing for a peer who could also see the magic of the library. Vada Margaret Sultenfuss on the other hand, wants to become a writer while seeking a way to escape her family situation. As she writes her romance story, she doesn't expect to meet Romance, let alone the way her story would twist the magic of the library. Disclaimer - I don't own The Pagemaster or My Girl. This is being written for ONC 2024, prompt 60, "The magic of the library takes its toll - a love story so powerful that its echoes span eternity. But as you write, you fall in love with the character you've created. What happens when the line between fiction and reality begins to blur?"

Tiasha Das has a particularly bad day when her boss decides to make it even worse by setting her up on a project with her rival. Simultaneously, arrives a parcel to her revealing secrets about a dear one she never truly knew. Watch as she navigates through her experiences, working with her rival and uncovering the secrets of an estranged family member. 132. >>We are company rivals. We hate each other. But why is it that every time I see you I get these unexpected butterflies?<<<< 43. >>During a wartime book ban, a young woman discovers love letters hidden in the margins of a historical book. As she reads, she unravels a mystery about her family and finds love of her own.<<

ONC2025 Round 2 Ambassador Pick 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞-𝐚 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧'𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧, 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝. Unicorns are sacred in the kingdom of Unara, their magic a gift only bestowed upon the worthy-or stolen through death. Someone is hunting them, and if the killings continue, their magic will fall into the wrong hands. Determined to uncover the truth, Oskar sets out to find the culprit. But the deeper he digs, the darker the secrets he unearths--secrets that could shake the very foundation of the kingdom. A standalone fantasy adventure, The Unicorn's Blessing follows Prince Oskar before the events of The Girl with Scars, revealing the choices that shaped the man he would become. Entered into the Open Novella Contest 2025 | @OpenNovellaContest - Rules & Guidelines: https://www.wattpad.com/story/387452246 **Main Prompt** 12. While hiking through a forest, you stumble upon a unicorn's horn. **Secondary Prompt** 130. Protect this with your life. ©2025 E. S. Elias All Rights Reserved. Book Created & Published to Wattpad: 02.01.2025 Book Marked as Completed: 04.08.2025 Cover: Me @DesignsbyEH I used Canva.com | Cover is temporary and subject to several changes. Word Count: 26,234 / 20,000 Goals: Round 1 ✔ | 2,000 words ✔ | Round 1 Winner ✔ Round 2 ✔ | 8,000 words ✔ Round 3 _ | 20,000 words ✔ LONGLIST _ | SHORTLIST _ Honorable Mention? _ | Ambassadors' Pick ✔ Mentioned in Ambassador Newsletter ✔ Rankings: #ONC2025: #21 on 02.02.2025 | #15 on 02.03.2025 | #12 on 03.24.2025 #opennovellacontest2025: #15 on

How would you feel if you suddenly woke up one day with no memory? Annoyed? Frightened? Or maybe anxious? To make matters worse, you are on a ship, in the middle of the ocean, with strangers who also have no recollection of who they are. When Daisy finds herself on the Titanic, knowing nothing more than her own name - thanks to a picture on her night stand - trusting oneself proves to be much more difficult than one would think. A newspaper from 1912 makes it feel like the present - until others insist it's actually 20XX, leaving her trapped in a whirlwind of confusion and doubt. Is this reality... or reverie? ------------------------------------------------- Based on prompt 42: A group of people wake up with no memory and find themselves adrift on an old steam passenger liner. The name? Titanic.

Prompt 75. You've worn a mysterious ring since childhood, but one day it opens to reveal a tiny creature telling you it's been trapped inside all along and more secrets are on the way. Greta Shrub is about to turn fourteen years of age, but growing up in the home of her heartless Aunt, Mrs Vivora Grogan has not been easy. Enduring loneliness and cruelty, at the hands of her Aunt and her three spoilt cousins, Greta Shrub's stark and unfortunate childhood only acts to strengthen her resolve and her natural independence of spirit. These qualities of character prove especially essential when an unexpected and previously unknown visitor arrives at her door. But what does her sinister Uncle Ulric know about Greta's past and future? And what is his interest in the mysterious Garnet Ring that Greta has worn about her neck since childhood? And what is the Garnet Ring's relationship to the magical but mystifying occurrences that have become a feature of Greta's lonely life? Do these curious incidents have any connection to a high-school named Snapdragon's Academy, that Greta has heard whispers about? Could this society be the key to her escape from her ruthless relations who wish to use Greta's new supernatural powers in their unscrupulous schemes?

[Open Novella Contest 2025] Round 1 & 2 Qualifier Prompt: 31 By the river, Tara meets Ila and nothing is the same again. But clear skies do not mean they aren't susceptible to storms and that the conflict constantly within her will never fade in lieu of one strong emotion for a person! A story of trauma, conflict and loss and a story that tells that some truths are unbearable to their own integrity! Started: 5th Feb 2025 Completed : Total WC: 8003 words *Unedited version*

After a horrible accident that kills their parents, two young brothers Jesse and David are separated. 10 Years later, they find each other and start to reconnect. But with a traumatic past weighing on them and another accident threatening to separate them for good, it is up to the brothers to fight against the odds and their own demons for a chance to stay together. Written for the ONC 2025 contest prompts 'A single night can change everything. Even someone you thought you knew- like your closest friend' and '20 days of freedom'.