Opennovellacontest2026 Stories

Vincent is having an amazing morning. The most popular guy in the office has given him a high-five, a pretty girl has offered him a coffee, and he's been invited to join the frisbee team. It's almost like they've confused him with someone else. Someone popular. Someone fun. Someone about to bring Vincent's life to a shuddering halt. My entry for ONC2026 based on this writing prompt: 77. Everyone in town remembers you differently, as if everyone has lived a different version of your life. Cover design by @elicatucci

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!

When the strongest mafia organization in Endouva crumbles from within, who would expect their most skilled assassin, Loralie Asterra to end up in the mysterious island of Arkaris as a nanny for a three-year-old girl named Mimi Catapult? Loralie finds out that something bad is swirling within the borders. She uncovers Arkaris' hidden secrets, all while protecting a tiny prince and a child who refuses to leave her side. Doing so, Loralie realizes that she has no choice but to piece her gang back together to break the Curse of Arkaris.

My ONC Journal 2026.

🏆 | Round 1 Qualifier of ONC 2026 ❛❛ She remembered the labyrinth of secrets that had drawn her in, secrets she could not yet comprehend. He had carried the weight of guilt and forces older than memory, hiding behind a mask of piety. Together, they had faced a world that refused mercy, discovering that freedom and redemption existed only in the spaces between lives, identities, and worlds . . . ❜❜ A nun and a priest navigate a world where faith and deception collide, and the line between reality and fevered dreams dissolves. The Vatican experiments on belief itself, and the Crevice waits for those who are lost, cursed, or forgotten. In this collapsing reality, love and sacrifice may be the only paths to survival---and the only means to remember. 𖦹 𓍼꩟ ﹻ © Wattpad 𖦹 𓍼꩟ ﹻ © Banner & Cover by @mxtsuro 𖦹 𓍼꩟ ﹻ © Enmesharra ,, 2026

~•~★~•~ 𝑯𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒆. 𝑺𝒐 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒓𝒖𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒓. ~•~ Avyxia Kleymor's peaceful life was shattered when an elvin assassin murdered her parents before her very eyes. Kneeling in a pool of her mother's blood, Avyxia vowed to find the person who took everything from her. Rage and sorrow consumed her young heart as her life gained a new and horrible purpose: vengeance at any cost. ~•~ 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩: 𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧, 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮, 𝙥𝙤𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚. ★OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2026 ★Cover by me ★Thanks for reading! «Tales Of Yvenia» ~•~★~•~

Bee's life is sort of stable: she has a flat, a bipolar diagnosis she's getting a handle on. Well, as much as possible, when her reckless and unruly personality shines through. Theo - her childhood neighbour, moral compass, and lifelong critic - has moved back into the apartment across the courtyard. Now he's in her bar. In her kitchen. In her friend group. And, judging by the way he pointed at the window last night, extremely aware of which bedroom is hers. They've spent the last decade living separate lives on purpose. Different cities, different people, one annual birthday party where they confirm they're still wildly incompatible and leave again. But Theo isn't leaving this time. And apparently, neither is the possibility of whatever they've spent ten years avoiding. Prompt: You will meet many people in your life. Many will come and go, but some will leave footprints on your heart.

Luke lives alone with his cat - a ginger with a tuxedo cat's pattern - named Darwin. Everyday, Darwin leaves for what Luke calls "Work" since it always leaves around the same time. When a sudden ruckus outside of his door came, he opened it only to see Darwin sitting on the porch with another elusive cat making an exit through the bushes. Curious about the peculiar behavior of Darwin, Luke sets out to uncover his cat's reasoning. Following Darwin, he found a garden out of human touch; through the small gap in between two old houses. Touching a weird looking flower, he collapsed and fell asleep. Only to awaken in another world filled with talking animals, and humans as a merchant's high price labor trade. Darwin, now speaking, now needs to protect the lost Luke. With the help of his cat assistant, Lou.

Anna is the kind of girl people look straight through. At school, on the bus, at home - she exists quietly in the background, where asking for anything comes with a price she learned long ago to stop paying. Even with her best friend, Alice, she never fully steps into the world. She just survives it, carefully and without being noticed. Her life was supposed to stay bland, colourless, manageable. Nothing was supposed to change that. Then she runs into Sophie. And something shifts - not all at once, and not enough to understand, but just enough that it doesn't stop. Anna finds herself pulled toward something she can't name, something her body recognises before her mind can catch up. And the worst part is, she doesn't want it to stop. Highest ranking: #1 literaryfiction 01/03/2026 - Ongoing.

Under the cherry blossoms sits a nimble girl, her face sullen, and her eyes caved in. She was sitting by a gravestone, staring longingly towards where her mother was laid to rest. Guilt, regret and melancholy was all she could feel. Had she known her mother would pass away, she wouldn't have left her in hopes to pursue her dream as a light novel writer. Inspired by her mother's creativity and imagination, she also wanted to walk down the path her mother went. However, her visit to her mother's grave at the first sign of spring soon turned out to be an ordeal when a cherry blossom flower piqued her interest. One touch and she was now in a world where magical creatures walked on land. But, her role as the daughter of the greatest witch follows more troubles and challenges than she had ever anticipated. ------------ An open novella contest entry Main prompt: #2 Other prompts: #11

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.

In a dystopian future, an acidic flood reigns and the only signs of old life lie in the deep. Alex - an outcast with an inquisitive mind and a set of strangely specific skills - must navigate a world where she is shunned from the safety of the domes and stuck in the water. One day, while exploring a set of deep-sea ruins, she is haunted by a mysterious spirit; a spirit that seems to be warning her of something. The problem is, this ancient being doesn't seem to have any memory of its previous life. With a newly-possessed fish at her side, she must now uncover a secret organisation, find out what it means to do and save both humans and spirits from their plans. --- This is my entry for the Open Novella Contest 2026. Prompts used: 93, 86 (I have listed them in the author's note) --- #1 oceanpunk | 19/2/26 #1 explorer | 19/2/26 #1 deepsea | 23/2/26 #1 flood | 10/3/26 #1 climatechange | 30/3/26 #2 acid | 10/3/26 --- © 2026 | This is original work. Any references to other persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Please do not adapt in any way without the author's permission.

An average Wattpad reader winds up in a story―and a sauna. One pair of smoldering eyes and one fire extinguisher later, she has met her male love interest, learned that he's a billionaire mafia werewolf and that she's a millionaire vampire werewolf, and chaos ensues. Will the enemies-to-lovers trope work its magic? Or is she doomed to a failed plot in a story that will forever be left unfinished? Enjoy the insanity. She won't. (But I will complete her story because I'm not that mean of an author.)

When a mage is found dead, and, at a rough measurement, at least a head shorter, the only clue to his fate lies in the key gripped in his hand. A very magical key that sets the leaders in the Guild of Mages, Prestidigitators, Illusionists and General Wielders of Magic (not including Witches) in a bit of a quandary, because none of them want to touch it. Thus, the investigation is left in the thoroughly incapable hands of the three mages in the highly dangerous, very almost deadly on a daily basis, Thaumatological Gubbins Department of the Guild. Accompanied by a young(ish, these are mages after all) member of the Guild tasked with recording the progress of the investigation, the three mages set out on a perilous journey that will involve several belligerent doors, a three cart race, and, probably, a number of people wondering what the Hel is going on and why one of the mages continues to shout 'Power!' at every opportunity. An ONC novella like no other.

Abrie Warren never expected a Portland synagogue wedding to change her life - but that was before Judd Nelson walked in wearing sunglasses indoors and looking at her like she was a plot twist he didn't see coming. Abrie finds herself swept into the warm, chaotic orbit of Judd's sisters, his unhinged actor friends, and the kind of chemistry that feels like a long‑take in a 90s indie film.

She wakes up with a lot on her mind, but also nothing. She wakes up in the middle of a lab, inside a giant tube filled to the brim with greenish liquid. There are countless wires attached to her. How did she get there? Where even is she? Who is she? There is one thing in her mind, the one thing that is also attached to nothing: Persephone. Note: Chapters with "Persephone" written next to their number are chapters from Persephone's perspective, and chapters without "Persephone" written in their title are chapters from the original character's perspective. Submission of ONC 2026. Based off of Prompt #110, Winter. Cover Art by @JadeRabbitYuTu

Cassidy Marlow is a senior who likes to keep her life simple and fun. School, music, friends, and books are all she needs to stay sane. Between scrolling through posts and daydreaming, she doesn't expect much to shake up her carefully balanced world. That is, until, the new kid appears and Cass just so happens to be interested. Asher Park, a senior as well, likes to keep to himself. He struggles with isolation, hiding behind his careful smiles and guitar. And beneath everything...lies a secret that's captivated millions. Starting at a new school feels impossible, until he notices the one girl who actually tries to see him. As Cassidy's and Asher's worlds collide, identities and growing feelings start to develop. Shadowy online threats, comments, and bullying starts to hit at them relentlessly and puts them both at risk. Cass must navigate her own heart while helping the boy she's coming to know, bit by bit. Maybe some connections are worth risking everything for. ----------- Open Novella Contest (ONC 2026) - Prompt 23: You discover the quiet transfer student in your class is actually a world-famous pop star hiding in plain sight, and their secret begins to reshape both your lives. - Prompt 78: You begin to realize that nothing is quite what it seems.

ONC2026 Entry. Sidharth is Parvathy's safe place. He's her best friend, her winter comfort, and the one person who makes Canada feel like home. But he's also off-limits, dating someone else and firmly placed in the "friend zone" to protect her heart. When her mother introduces her to Jithin, a stable, kind potential groom, Parvathy agrees to give him a chance. It's what her family wants. And maybe, just maybe, it will finally help her move on. But dating Jithin doesn't erase her feelings for Sidharth. And when Sidharth's relationship starts to fall apart, the careful boundaries of their friendship begin to blur. Caught between keeping everyone happy and following her heart, Parvathy has to decide: Will she stay safe in the life others chose for her? Or risk everything for the love she's been hiding all along? Tropes: Friends to Lovers | Slow Burn | Unrequited Love

Aira, a soft and funny girl, is broken by the people she trusted, loved, and genuinely cared for. Everyone expects her to crumble, but instead, she makes a powerful glow-up and an unforgettable comeback. A teen, funny, and relatable story about love, friendship, and finding yourself. Sometimes pain is the only way to find your true strength. This is my journey through heartbreak, hardship, and self-discovery, and how I became stronger than I ever imagined. "This Story is Participating in ONC 2026" Main prompt - #78 Other prompt - #28

When Teia Cloto travels to Naples, Italy, hoping to steady a life already quietly unravelling, the last thing she needs is blind date that turns into an easy, unexpected friendship. Alden instantly makes the city feel strangely familiar in ways Teia didn't know she needed. Drawn deeper into Naples' ancient past and her own unsettling sense of déjà vu, the line between coincidence and destiny begin to blur. Staying friends is simpler. But Teia must confront whether destiny is a story we inherit, or one we choose to rewrite, no matter the cost. Water and Sand is a contemporary love story that reimagines the myth of Theseus and Ariadne through wit, longing, and the complicated reality of choosing love when friendship feels safer. Updates ongoing as part of the #ONC2026 contest. Prompt #24: Staying as friends is meant to be safe, but that doesn't mean it's the path you're meant to take.