Opennovellacontest2026 Stories

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!

ONC 2026 Prompt 84: You were hired to be their companion, nothing more, but as their illness worsens, you're caught between responsibility, longing, and the ache of knowing you can't save them. ***************************************** (UPDATE May 2nd 2026 - I dedicate this story to the F1 driver and paralympian Alex Zanardi who sadly passed today. Alex's story is a real one of triumph over disaster.) ***************************************** Cat's nursing career has been tanked by her strength to call out a senior colleague who was under the influence of alcohol in an emergency operating theatre. It is Cat's nature to stand up for what she believes in regardless of personal cost. Planning her next move a recruitment notice catches her eye and she responds to it. Jeremy Churchill, a distant relative of Winston himself. At 27 years old and a fly-half for the Northampton Saints Rugby Club a routine xray after a heavy tackle has blown his world apart. She slowly starts to battle professional detachment for friendship, and attraction and desire for something more. He trades sullen silence and self pity for moments he realises it's not the sword of damocles hanging over his head. Final word count : 32,694 UPDATE The Bucket List has a soundtrack on Amazon music https://music.amazon.co.uk/user-playlists/71bfeae09df64bdc8c306192fdef981bengb?ref=dm_sh_7VfGpXGh0jYuWvAGPfQmHD5Fx

"A whirlwind of emotions." Do you ever feel like there are outside influences that can hardly be understood, nor perceived? Yet... they influence your decisions? When 17-year aged Veronica Willow Larche graduates high school, with honors, she can't wait to get her future started. Her life's dream of being a flight paramedic/pilot, is taking off. Sweet, energetic, determined, and learns quickly, Veronica's always loved helping people. Be that as it may, while true, is that her only reason? Growing up in a family of some of the most noblest , toughest of emergency personnel, or military veterans, Veronica aspires to become the next generation of best flight rescue paramedic + pilots. Earning a full ride scholarship to Oklahoma University, is no easy feat. Joining the next generation of one of Oklahoma's most grueling programs is an absolute honor. For her, helping those in need, no matter what, is not just an everyday value: it's her calling. But, when a near-fatal accident forces Veronica to face her past, once more, she must answer a difficult question: is her ambition obsession rooted in pure altruism, or regret? This is not just her redemption story; this is her definition of what it means to have true courage. Follow blossoming Veronica, Cael, and Harper, as they learn what it means to grow in their desired roles. *(DISCLAIMER: the new cover shown above is not my original creation. It's based on a rough sketch I did months ago; but, someone by the name if Olivia had it commission). Regardless, I Pray you all. Enjoy!

What happens when Death falls in love with the paramour he is gifted? Cursed to kill everyone he touches, beastly Lord Damien Casteel lives in anger and loneliness. During a rare game of poker, he wins the final hand against a petty criminal named Luca. The prize is a pouch of twelve precious gemstones. But Luca is determined to get the stones back, no matter what. Breaking into Damien's mansion to exchange the real gems for fakes, he is captured and threatened with death. Begging for his life, he strikes a deal: his freedom in exchange for his adopted son, Jemison, who will serve the lord as his paramour for twelve days; one day for each stone. Although he is reluctant to let anyone into his life, Damien is desperate to keep Jem away from Luca's abuse, so he agrees. What he does not expect is to fall for the tormented young man. Prompt used is number 46. We love broken, beautiful people. And it doesn't get more obviously broken and more classically beautiful than you. (Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid) My writing is AI-free. Any emdashes are here because I LIKE them. The poetic purply prose is here because I LIKE it. Computers don't write my stuff. The Muse inside my head who keeps me up till 3 AM and wants to drive me bonkers, does. Warning for: spicy situations, alcohol, some swearing, blood, abuse, and typical Christine darkness. There's no graphic sa, torture, gore, or animal abuse.

A chaotic cafe owner. A rule-abiding lawyer. A wedding she wasn't supposed to crash. When Haein shows up a day late, thinking it's her ex's, sparks fly with Jungwon, the calm and composed groomsman who might just match her chaos. Messy, hilarious, and full of unexpected romance, some loves are worth bending the rules for. Warning: This story contains strong language and sensual undertones. [SUBMISSION FOR OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 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 art not by me ★Thanks for reading! «Tales Of Yvenia» ~•~★~•~

2026 Leighyeann A. Mies All rights reserved An entry for the Open Novella Contest 2026 (based on prompts #23, #30, #39 and #58) [COMPLETED ON 24/2/2026] *** A group of teenagers find themselves tangled in a series of intrigues, secrets and blunders that can define their journey through what's left of high school for the better or for the worse. From the mysterious transfer student to the cheerful aspiring footballer coming back from an injury, passing through a disgraced social media personality and so much more. Watch their destinies take paths they themselves have a hard time imagining...

2026 Leighyeann A. Mies All rights reserved An entry for the Open Novella Song Contest (based on prompts #44, #50 and #85) [COMPLETED ON 12/4/2026] *** That one letter. Lim Sanggyeom is certain he already disposed of it. No-one was supposed to read it-so, along with it, there went the secret that was sealed on it with ink. So, why are his past and present bound to collide? What is Oh Saeryeong doing at his wedding? And, most importantly, how is Heo Moeun, his bride to be, involved in this mess? A story where love, truth and lies together form a dangerous chain that is on the brink of breaking...

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) --- Open Novella Contest 2026 Longlister. #1 oceanpunk #1 explorer #1 deepsea #1 flood #1 climatechange #2 acid --- © 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.

Every season bleeds into the next in some way. As winter magic melts away, spring magic blooms. As spring magic withers, summer magic begins to glow. As summer magic dims, autumn magic soars. And as autumn magic falls, winter magic starts to freeze. It's the way it's always been. Until autumn doesn't arrive. Even as October dawns, summer magic is just as strong as ever, yet the autumn magicians see no increase in their powers. The answer seems obvious. Something is very wrong in the spirits' realm, and summer is desperately trying to prevent something cataclysmic. It must be. But when Alexander Kristiansen starts seeing a winter spirit that nobody else can, he realises that things may not be quite as they seem anywhere. Not when the spirit is clearly an older version of Denmark's most famous missing child. Not when the summer magicians are losing control of their own powers. Not when the fate of the entire world seems to rest in the hands of a practically mortal boy who already failed the spirit once. Alex knows that he can't risk failing Rune again. But does he have any chance of thwarting the spirits' plans, or will he be the only person to blame when the world inevitably falls apart?

ONGOING! Couture Magazine: the most prestigious fashion publication in the world, where hemlines are sacred, deadlines are deadly, and the coffee runs are... surprisingly literal. Every intern who walks through those gleaming Manhattan doors dreams of landing a full-time position-complete with vision, dental (including twice-yearly cleanings), and an endless supply of designer clothes fresh off the runway. Sure, the demands from editors, photographers, and even the notoriously temperamental writers can be exhausting. But an intern's day at Couture is pretty ordinary, right? WRONG. Alcide Lancaster is about to discover that his summer internship working for the iconic-yet-terrifying Ellen Montclaire comes with a few... unexpected job requirements. Like why he and a select few employees-including the formidable Editor-in-Chief herself-are the only ones taking mandatory two-hour lunch breaks. Why his thirty-to-fifty-something coworkers look suspiciously athletic, eerily youthful, and are borderline obsessed with eyewear that definitely isn't just a fashion statement. And why A-list celebrities who stop by the Couture offices seem less interested in the magazine's latest cover shoot and oddly fascinated with Alcide himself. But most importantly... What does any of this have to do with Alcide's late family, their disturbingly narrow worldview, and the real reason they wanted him out of their lives forever? All excellent questions for a young man trying to survive a summer packed with Fashion Week chaos, superpowered coworkers who treat the office like their personal runway, and a boss who's less Anna Wintour and more fierce-but-loving grandmother. Between navigating new friendships, an unexpected romance, and enough secrets to fill an entire September issue, Alcide is about to learn that in the world of high fashion... Not everything is just an illusion.

ALIEN AMONG US is a contemporary sci-fi novella that will give you the giggles, tug at your heartstrings, and leave you wondering if there really is life beyond the stars. ************************************************************************ Entered into the Open Novella Contest 2026 | @OpenNovellaContest - Rules & Guidelines: here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/406004197-open-novella-contest-2026 **Main Prompt** 25. You live with four other housemates, but one of them is secretly an alien trying to learn how to act human. ©2026 E. S. Elias, All Rights Reserved. Book Created & Published to Wattpad: 02.01.2026 Book Marked as Completed: 00.00.2026 Book Cover: Me @DesignsbyEH Word Count: 2,222 / 20,000 Goals: ✔ Round 1 ✔ | 2,000 words ✔ | Round 2 ✔ | 8,000 words ✔ Round 3 _ | 20,000 words LONGLIST _ | SHORTLIST _ Round Winner? _ | Honorable Mention? _ | Ambassadors' Pick? _ Mentioned in Ambassador Newsletter _ Top-5 Winner? _ Rankings: #ONC2026: #ONC #2 02.03.2026

If you got anyone to describe Jessie Reynolds-Somber in one word, it would be 'lucky.' She survived childhood leukemia (twice), has the best friend-slash-roommate in the world, and she's studying something she loves at the university she's forever adored. But not even November can describe why she feels so incomplete, as though she's forgotten to do something she'll never get a chance to do. Why she feels like she's failed---no, worse, like she's a failure. [FORMERLY AN ENTRY FOR THE 2026 ONC]

Prompt 78 - You begin to realize nothing is quite what it seems.

Jane's debut book, based on the true story of her difficult life, was a spectacular failure. Heartbroken and disappointed, she flees to a remote village in southern Japan...only to meet a mysterious young man who insists that the only secret to becoming a great writer is to do the exact opposite of what she did: to tell lies. This is my first Open Novella Contest. I hope you enjoy my story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Maya Seymour closed a painful chapter that left her helpless in grief, named Foxer Klein. After three years of searching, Elliot Leaf healed the girl's heart that needed closure and a new beginning. But Foxer came back. Alive. [ Prompt 79 and 82 of ONC2026 ] [ Updates follow the ONC timeline ] [ To be proofread soon ] [ Book cover will change ]

When Aspen Park goes missing at a party, everyone assumes she ran away, but her two best friends, Luna Torres and Miriam Bykowski, know that there's something more to the story and set out to uncover the truth. Open Novella Contest 2026- Prompt #51

Written for the Open Novella Contest Prompt #25 Spring You live with four other housemates, but one of them is secretly an alien trying to learn how to act human. A new dawn rose above the horizon. I vowed to never miss another sunrise or sunset for as long as I was alive. It never occurred to me how precious each moment was until it was too late... English major, Callie Rose has lived with her friends off campus since sophomore year. When one of their roommates leaves them hanging, they find another to take his place. Hayes Kane checks all the boxes on paper to be a perfect roommate, but there's something odd about him. When he saves Callie from almost falling off the roof, she starts to notice that the six-foot man doesn't quite act human. Who is he and what is he hiding? And why does she suddenly feel attracted to him?

They were born to oppose each other. Arin Valen was raised by the Order....disciplined, loyal, destined to inherit a legendary weapon said to end wars. Lyra Veyl, she was everything he despised..reckless, sharp-tongued, and openly defiant of destiny itself. When the ancient weapon finally awakens, it delivers an impossible truth. It chose both of them. Bound by prophecy and rivalry, the two sworn enemies discover the weapon will not activate for one heir alone. It demands unity. Trust. Cooperation. Things they do not have. Forced into an alliance neither wants, they must survive assassins, secrets, and a weapon that reacts dangerously to their emotions. Every fight pulls them closer. Every argument pushes them apart. If they fail to work together, the weapon will destroy itself- and take the world with it. Because some legends are not wielded by strength alone. They are forged by two who never wanted each other... but might need each other to survive.

SarahLynn Isabella Solsken (annoyingly known to most as Sis) is content living alone, tending her roses, and working with grumpy dragons on the scale collection ranch. Her life is perfectly uncomplicated until one night, she discovers a hatchling fire dragon (the most valuable breed of dragon) at the edge of her rose garden. Threatened by a stranger who wants the dragon for themselves, she seeks help from the true owner of the hatchling and the dragon dairy farm, Cliff (Clifford, though no one uses his full name and stays in his good graces) Rosso-Cane. Together they must face dangerous enemies, distracting attraction, and secrets that will shake the foundations of their society and their identities. A happy ending may not be possible.