Onc 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!

Whether you're a seasoned storyteller or a first-time writer, our ONC Writing Tips are here to guide you on your journey. Prepare for the ONC with expert advice and inspiration - your legendary story starts here!

Three women. Three tangled lives orbiting Mars aboard the Phobos Transit Space Station. Val loses her station operation engineer job under false pretenses, Exo-biologist Cassy is blackballed for doing the right thing, and ex-marine Kate suffers a broken heart. Fortunately, Mavis, the owner of the Starlight Tavern and rescuer of lost souls, is there to help, recruiting the women into her Quilters Guild. But when hostile forces invade the station, the stakes become far greater, and the Guild finds themselves embroiled in a multi-world conspiracy. And they are not about to just stand by and let it happen. Redemption comes stitch by stitch. *** Open Novella Contest Round Two Ambassador Pick *** *** Open Novella Contest Winner - Third Place ***

One likes to fight. One hides the truth. One keeps them all in line. Nadia, Jax, and Angelo are triplets from the imaginary city of New Canton. Their parents have been selling drugs for years, absent from their lives. As a result, the teenagers have learned to sell, fight, and keep everything afloat. Almost eighteen and high school dropouts, the siblings are suddenly faced with a question: how far will you go to find yourself? Written in the POV of each triplet, find out what it takes to fight your demons and put the past behind you. [ONC prompt #4] #perdurableawards

As per tradition, a journal for this ONC.

The empire of Aquila has taken over half of the isle of Prydain, and the young siren Veriel finds himself born in the pool of the conqueror's newly-constructed villa. After the other sirens die, leaving him alone and voiceless, Veri's sole comfort comes from the dream of a human girl who sings to him. Then one day, Veriel surfaces to see that his dream, the sunshine of his heart, is real, standing within his reach. And she's engaged to another. But he's tired living as a prisoner, and he can't let this rare bit of warmth escape without fighting for it. Veriel may not have a voice or song, but that won't stop him from trying to win her heart.

Whether it's your first time or your seventh time, writing a novella in 12 weeks isn't easy. As a 2021 ONC Winner and two-time Honorable Mention (2023/2024), I totally understand. After years of participation and reflection, I have lots of advice to share on how I wrote a winning novella and look forward to writing every year. Inside this guide, you can find everything from insider tips to craft chats to contest commentary. So grab a cup, get your notebook, and settle in: it's time to start writing! Copyright © 2022 Elle Chaika

Arturo Banderas is a cadejo on the run. Framed for crimes he didn't commit, he has to escape his home for the human world, but in order to hide, he'll need to learn their culture, not just their physical form. Doctora Lidia Gutierrez wants to be the first person to understand the culture of the mysterious cadejos. No one has ever found them in the daylight, and those who survived their encounters at night weren't sober enough to explain anything. At least, none who were willing to talk to Lidia. When Arturo discovers Lidia's research he proposes a trade. If she'll teach him how to blend in, he'll tell her everything he knows about the cadejos. And it works just fine until a monster in the forest pushes them closer together. Working together is the only choice they have, but every moment spent together makes it harder to imagine a time when they'll be forced apart. And they will be, unless there's a way to stop the past from catching up with them. ~ * ~ * ~ This is one of the novellas I'm writing for ONC 2023. You can find the rest on my profile! For this story, I've selected prompt #52. "There is someone you dream about every night, but you never imagine meeting them in real life."

In which I give tips and journal about my own writing journey for Open Novella this year.

Every year since the second Open Novella I've kept a writing journal and this is the one for this year.

[CLOSED FOR 2025] Astania's ONC book club dedicated to supporting participants with a stress-free, supportive environment. Anyone participating in the ongoing Open Novella Contest is eligible to enter! You can choose any member's book to read, and receive engagement on your own book in the process! Every month, the most engaged member will receive a shout-out from the profile. For 2025, there is no minimum reading requirement. See our profile for year-round book clubs!

What will you find here? An overview on what the ONC is and how it works and my writing process as I will participate in it. I'll share my ideas with you, please don't copy any of them! The cover is from Pinterest!

#SHORTLISTED 2023 When Ixis became the second in command to the Throneholder of Opalis she expected rules, patrols and structure for her Fire Trait to shine. Not being caught in the middle of a looming war and a botched assassination she should've succeeded at. In an attempt to drown her sorrows and flee from the looming expectations of helping to lead a war against the demons that threaten their world, Ixis is injured through mysterious circumstances. Forced to return home, the last thing she expects to find is the assassin she couldn't kill pleading for her help. ........ Rider wasn't much of an assassin. Burdened by her past, her curse, and the trauma of what the Throneholder of Opalis did to her, she fully expected the reunion with her old flame to go exactly the way she planned. But when Rider has no choice but to flee her quest for answers, the last person she expected to help her was Ixis: Lady Aria's new Regent. Once they were allies. Now they are enemies. But despite their differing loyalties, they are forced to learn a little more about the circumstances and choices that slowly change everything they thought they knew about each other. Especially when Ixis' Fire Trait begins to heal and for the first time in years, Rider's curse decides to let her. When their begrudging respect unravels into more than just a friendship, they both must choose whether duty or revenge is more important than the love that grows between them. But the demons wait for no one.

Every time she lights a match, she escapes into a new world. *** Alicia Robertson is a high school student who is constantly treated like an outcast. Bullied at school and neglected by her parents, her only solace is in her matchbox. One lit matchstick and she is transported to a world of her choosing. Things start to change when the mysterious new boy starts to take interest in her. It's all fun and games until she opens a dimension that was meant to stay shut... FOREVER!!! ********** Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are purely the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. ********** This book is entered into the Open Novella Contest (ONC) 2020 Under the Fantasy and Science Fiction Prompt #26 ********** Other relevant prompts are: Fantasy and Science Fiction Prompt #24 Horror and Paranormal Prompt #49 Mystery/Thriller and Action Prompt #54 ********** Release will span through February to April

⭐Featured on OpenNovellaContest 2021 Round 1 Ambassador Picks|| Bea, Ali, and Sez travel far across the Pacific ocean with their parents to live with their sick Lolo who owns a mango farm in the Philippine province. The siblings--foreign to the new land, language, and customs--find it difficult to adapt to their new home. One dewy morning while following a trail of ants in Lolo's small mango shed, the younger child Sez discovers a peculiar insect and catches it, but to his surprise, the insect screams. A tiny human girl scream. But the fairy was hurt and cannot walk nor fly. With the help of her new friends, the children decide to help the fairy find her way back home before she misses her coronation and her fairy family realizes she's missing or else something bad will happen to Lolo's mango farm. ONC prompt #7 Children's Fiction

When Bryony -- herbalist extraordinaire -- goes missing, Bella knows one suspect stands above the rest. The village's aspiring second witch, Daphne, comes from a family that's tried to take Bryony down before, and Daphne seems determined to carry on that legacy. For someone who's always been terrified of Bryony, she's a little too keen on looking into the disappearance. There's just one problem. Bella's insufferable fellow familiar thinks the kid is innocent... and he's been right about worse things before. If Daphne herself is to be believed, clues on the disappearance lead a whole lot closer to home than Bella would like. As the evidence mounts, Bella must choose to either stand by her values and the woman who raised her, or seek what might be a truth she would rather not uncover. Prompt #81: The town's witch has gone missing and no one is looking for her but her two familiars - a crow and a black cat, plus the teen who has always been scared of her. ❖❖❖ Written for Wattpad's 2024 Open Novella Contest. Longlister. Complete. Comments and critiques are both welcome and appreciated. I write characters from many different backgrounds, with many different experiences. If you share those traits and find that I have misrepresented anything, please let me know! I am feedback-friendly and here to learn :)

Rachel worked hard, looking forward to the vacation she saved up for, a break from family troubles, only for troubles to find her as the paparazzi take an interest in a certain pop idol and some of the other things going on at the Pokemon Resort, including her brother's friend group which includes a not-friend but rival who believes his mother is an alien. Because while Pokemon exist, aliens don't, right? Disclaimer - I don't own Voltron: Legendary Defender or Pokemon Concierge. This is one of my Open Novella projects for 2024. The main prompt is prompt nine, "After some long months of working harder than ever, you finally get to your well deserved vacation getaway but when you arrive at the hotel there is this one star that brings all the paparazzi and trouble with them and makes your vacation a one to remember." I'm also working with prompt four, "When life gives you ballons, you fly up into the sky," prompt thirteen, "Every family has that one member of whom no one speaks, and that's you, prompt thirty-one, "'Your Mom was an alien.' Exactly what a child needs t hear from their father as a bedtime story," and prompt thirty-four, "You wanted to go to the moon, see the silvery white glow of it for yourself. Instead, the moon came to you. One day, at your door."

In a world where the majority no longer dream, and happy thoughts are easily lost, nineteen-year-old Eli sells memories. With no family or home, the young man travels the country dealing to those in need. When he runs out of memories to sell, Eli heads to the town of Los Demonios hoping to find someone to harvest from. Ashlyn carries dreams which others have lost inside her. Her thoughts are filled with recollections belonging to people she's never met. Haven is an albino Kadisin, a half-mortal, half-angel who must kill in order to survive. He is a man plagued by seventy years of things he's seen and done. Welcome to my entry for the 2021 ONC! I'm using prompt number 29 "I am in the mood to dissolve in the sky." -Virginia Woolf ONC Shortlister 2021. Added to The Badass King reading list on @BadassReads. Second place in the @PrettyInPunk Mystery and Thriller awards. Warning for typical Christine darkness, swearing, some sexual and romantic themes.

ONC Longlister || Shortlister || Round 3 Ambassador Pick When the sacred Wind Scepter is stolen, the elven kingdom of Everdaile is plunged into chaos. Varelor, a disgraced prince, must uncover the truth behind the theft but his quest unravels a conspiracy that might paint him as the world's greatest threat. ❥๑━━ In a world on the brink of ruin, two elven brothers are bound by heart but torn by destiny. Varelor, the shadowed one, craves a throne that was never his and a legacy slipping through his grasp. Livian, the golden prince, fights for honor, blind to the darkness growing beside him. Caught between them is Kaelira--her touch, salvation; her words, poison. As kingdoms fall and betrayal cuts deeper than any blade, Varelor must face a devastating truth: to save the kingdom, he might have to destroy the one person he loves most. What makes a villain--the choices we make or the truths we can't outrun? ❥๑━━ ONC prompts used: 121. Unstoppable by Sia 125. Fear is the mind-killer. 126. Because you're you, and I'm me, and we just don't fit. 129. The ink of our souls binds us beyond the pages of time.

[ COMPLETED ] - WATTPAD FEATURED STORY ON GENERAL FICTION - ❝Beneath every melancholic soul lies one brimming with past radiance.❞ Once upon a time, Kaylee was happy. Once upon a time, she had everything; a loving family and numerous friends. But that was long ago, back when her life was a fairytale. Now all remnants of her fairytale were in the depths of her dreams, where she'd travel to everytime she falls asleep, where her life was still a fairytale. Then one day, golden boy Gabriel appears in her dreams and speaks the three words she had never expected from him, ❝I am suicidal.❞ Open Novella Contest III | entry • Round Two qualifier • Copyright 2020 © Felicia Chen Zhihan