Better Left Unwritten (ONC 2025 Entry)
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- Parts 5
Ongoing44m
Last published Mon, Mar 31, 2025
After two decades of success, best-selling mystery author Vivian Caldwell is having a difficult year. Her 50th birthday is rapidly approaching, her last two novels were widely hailed as "disappointing", and she's channeled JD Salinger to plan her social calendar. When Vivian's publisher gives her an ultimatum, she takes refuge in a desert retreat, determined to restore her reputation. Unfortunately, her laptop is cursed and her characters have plans of their own. Her tragic hero wants to be the leading man in a romance novel, her damsel-in-distress is angry about her fate, and the handsome barista at her local coffee shop keeps finding his way into the story.
Truth may be stranger than fiction, but as Vivian struggles to put the pieces of her life and career back together, the fiction spirals out of control. Ultimately, she's forced to rediscover what drew her to craft stories in the first place, and what she's willing to sacrifice in the name of success.
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Thanks to @carolannewrites for the cover images!
This story is written for the 2025 ONC, and based on the following prompt.
99. Imagine you're a cursed author where every word you write changes reality itself. It's thrilling, until your characters rebel. One complains about his "overly tragic backstory", while another demands endless twists and turns your narrative into pure chaos. Can you finish your story without losing your mind, or your control?
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