Onc2024 Stories

** When their beloved mistress is murdered, a white raven and a black fox embark on a journey for revenge. Will the brave familiars manage to recover the stolen heart in time - or would they lose themselves? ** "Sometimes love is what drives you to take your next breath. Other times, it's revenge." - ONC24EN Prompt #27 - When the guardian of a fairy grove is cruelly murdered for the source of her power, her two familiars and faithful protectors are left broken and lost. But soon, their despair changes, and from this moment on, they are driven by one desire alone: Revenge. They embark on a death-defying journey with the little strength they have left to reclaim the stolen heart. Will the black fox Cian and the white Raven Lir manage together to steal back the soul of their beloved mistress before their magic is used up and their lives are forfeit? Or will they turn back into what they once were and lose themselves forever? Time is running out, because the two nature spirits don't have much fairy magic left, as the cruel thief has his own sinister plans... *** English Version of our german ONC 2024 Entry. Story by BellOfSilence & DearNovalee Cover by Thinkerling

Stories say that the Witch rained curses down on Devil's Corner, that she made the woods grow strange and wild, made shadows leap and dance and snatch up stray children for supper. In a small town on the edge of a dangerous forest, stories are never in short supply, and they are held dearer than truth. Thea lost her hand to the things that live in the wood, and she can't shake loose the voice that lured her there. But her Pa fed her tales of magic and heroes, and promises that even the darkest things have hearts. When her brother is attacked by the Witch's gruesome creations, Thea breaks into her cottage, determined to save him from a fate she knows all to well. In Devil's Corner, stories are true, and Thea knows the greatest one of all: the only way to break a curse, is to kill the witch. --- COMPLETE - 20,000 words Written for Wattpad's 2024 Open Novella Contest. ONC 2024 SHORTLISTER 2025 AMBY AWARDS ROUND 3 QUALIFIER

Whether it's your first time or your sixth 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 did it. 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

[ONC 2024 longlister!] The Midnight Moon...or according to Hereward Slaine's case files...The Case of the Missing Witch Hereward Slaine is a puzzlesolver in the town of Morteton. When the town witch, Mistaria Heath, disappears, it seems he isn't going to be given a moment's peace until he takes the case...which he doesn't really want to do... Written for ONC 2024

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 :)

Aleksander Atwood, an omega with a life full of hardships who just applied for the job of his life, and actually got it! But, what if he becomes the reason his bosses divorce? What if he finds out the father of the kid he is supposed to nanny is actually his fated mate? Rowan Madden, an alpha with a beautiful family and a beautiful marriage, at least that's what it looks like on the outside. What is he hiding? And why is he kind of an ass to who is meant to be his fated mate? Only time will tell in this, thought to be, unrequited love story of broken hearts beating for each other. ONC Prompt #33: a broken heart beats with all its pieces, and it still wants the same person. 🌈I currently upload BONUS CONTENT for this story on Patreon and Ream, linked in bio🌈 ‼️COMPLETE‼️

ONC 2024: In college, it was a case of wrong place/wrong time. Eight years later, they have a second chance. But will they take the leap? ___ Prompt 14: "My muse, believe me, waiting for you has been a form of freedom." ___ Excerpt: "Don't look back." Ian stares at me through the screen with his dark, intense gaze. "Don't long for all the things that might have been. Don't chastise yourself for the decisions you've made." For a moment, his words render me silent. "Appreciate all those little indentations that make you who you are," he says with a tender expression. "And remember your superpower." "What superpower?" "Let yourself dream again." A tender smile crosses his features. "Focus that intense drive of yours on the future like you used to do." He's right. For so long, I've been living in survival mode. One foot in front of the other. Stuck in this nightmare, I haven't been able to see any other way forward. Until now. "You're free now," he says, "to make better choices that will make you truly happy." For a moment, I let my mind take me wherever it wants to go. Right now? It wants to be in Boston, beside him. But can I leave everything behind?

Based on ONC Prompt 53 - The co-worker who irritates you the most just asked you for a big favour. They're not who or what they appear to be. And they know you're not either.

[COMPLETE] ONC2024 Longlister❤️ Using Prompt number 14 "My love, believe me, waiting for you has always been a form of freedom." Alexandra Vasiliu" A guy and a girl have been best friends since childhood, but their destiny parted them. The little girl had to move away with her parents. Years later, they meet again, but the bond of friendship still remains the same. But the young lad has realised that his affection has developed into love, but, he's scared to express his feelings. However, he also feels that the girl has changed a lot. She cares more about money and herself than before. His love remains unwavering and he proposes to her, but she rejects him. He decides to wait for her, letting her take her sweet time. In the meantime, he's always there, supporting her, and scolding her for her bad deeds. He's continually showing her the path of truth, but she's not looking back. He also learns about her past, which has changed her personality. He wants to change things for her, only if she is ready. Slowly, with time, things happen and she realises that she's been trapped in her own net. She realises her mistakes and her best friend forgives her, as they walk through the aisle, starting a new life.

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

Beth Kennedy has her whole life ahead of her, with her mother generous enough to plan out every single step from the perfect college, to the perfect obituary. But unfortunately, Beth can't get herself out of the past. A past she's sworn to take to the grave or otherwise face a life of being called crazy. At least, that's what Beth's delusions have always told her. Until one rainy day, she crosses paths with a beautiful stranger who she starts stalking. Incidentally, she becomes the target of malicious pranks by someone who seems to know more than they should. Lies are exposed, secrets revealed and uncovering the answer behind it all, might cost her the end of a peaceful future before it can even begin.

[Disclaimer: This book is a first draft and is currently on hold as it's in the process of transitioning to a full novel.] How many friends do you have? When a stray thought forces Will Marte to notice the oddities in his everyday life, what follows is a reflection on the friendly relationships he has and had and a contemplation on the question: what is a friend? Having had an unconventional upbringing, he still feels its effects as an adult. Now, everyone around him is aging normally in their conventional life, and he doesn't know how to be rather than to seem. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Published in February 2024 for Open Novella Contest 2024 Copyright © by CrownedMadness (Maddy Alson) 2024

After getting in a car accident a young reserved plant enthusiast must embrace reality in order to make amends with family and be there when his loved ones need him before it's too late. - - - When reserved and plant obsessed 14-year-old Oren Spalding flies down to Georgia to see his other dad for the holiday season, he could have never predicted the trouble that ensues. Still not certain he wants to see the other half of his old parental body, he goes anyway, scarcely embracing the experience. Everything changes when the renuinted family gets into a car accident. He finds his brother hanging to life by a thread and his head spinning like never before, literally. As Oren navigates this alien situation, tensions between he and his dad come to a crescendo. Forgotten words are remembered. Untold knowledge is revealed. He wants to pretend this is all a dream, but he can't deny the truth, of what was said, what was done, and what he can't change. He needs to accept the reality as it is, but life might not wait for him to catch up. ONC 2024 entry Main prompt: #1 - Sometimes words speak louder than actions. Completed: April 26, 2024 Word Count: 20,000 - 25,000 Cover credits to the lovely @BlueStarrySky1 💜

The narrative follows the journey of a man thrust into a bizarre quest to find his identity, only to discover someone else has taken his place. "I Am the Real One, Right?" is a mind-bending, witty sci-fi story I'm writing for ONC2024, inspired by the following prompt: Prompt 23: It's a dark and stormy night, and you're running along the road, overwhelmed by what has just occurred. Suddenly, a strange lightning bolt strikes you, causing you to split into two people. Unaware of each other, one continues forward while the other turns back. Thank you for taking the time to read my story; I hope you enjoy it. Please don't forget to comment and vote. I'd love to hear your feedback.

This is an entry for the Open Novella Contest (ONC) 2024! Dragons and magical beings. A bond like no other. In a town in the middle of the continent, Silver City is home to some of the most powerful magic wielders. Layla Arclight, an ambitious young magus, who possesses the unique trait of being able to wield two elemental affinities instead of one, learns her way around this magical world, accompanied by her ever-present, ever-nagging Azure Dragon companion Notus who steadily helps her one nag at a time to become the strongest magus in the capital However, Layla shoulders a heavy responsibility beneath her adolescent persona. She guards over a strange magical object. A box that contains the power of divinity that could tip over the power balance of every nation permanently. -- Credit to @Farleykins for this amazing cover!

Two souls bound by destiny, a connection woven into the fabric of the mystical realm. The forbidden romance between a werewolf and a devil, a vampire-werewolf hybrid without a heart, unravels a tale of passion, danger, and the delicate dance between life and death. .... Two souls, destined to dance on the precipice of life and death, find themselves entangled in a love both enchanting and dangerous. In a world where soulmates wield the power to resurrect or destroy, our protagonist discovers that their destined partner is a devil with no heart. As they navigate the forbidden intricacies of their entwined fate, they must grapple with the fragility of their own souls and the relentless forces that seek to keep them apart. .... discovers that her fated other half is none other than a devil - a creature with a heart as elusive as the shadows. As their worlds collide, they are thrust into a forbidden romance that defies the very laws of their magical realm. Together, they must navigate the treacherous path between salvation and destruction, love and peril, for their union holds the key to unimaginable power. Will they succumb to the forces that seek to tear them apart, or will their love defy the boundaries set by destiny itself?

Kate thought she was done with Daniel after he shattered her heart and trampled its pieces on the dance floor. Her interfering roommates have other ideas but can she risk the hurt?

Reve just wanted to be alone. After a horrific day, she just wanted to have some time to process her thoughts. Yet, when she laid back down after a late night she found herself sinking into more than just her bed. Like she wished, the world swallowed her and she was in a new one. The land of Erebos was a beautiful, perpetual nighttime where her peaceful moments were stopped by a disaster waiting to happen. She and three warriors from Erebos have to stop another from accidentally destroying the quiet darkness. Main prompt 65: She realized that whenever she let her body fall slowly to the bed, the bed sank and became a portal to another world. Sort of followed secondary: 57. A young girl discovers the world of faeries and must help them save their world from the dark force that threatens to destroy it

In a bleak world, void of both love and heartbreak, a fallen angel must convince a jaded god to break the curse he has cast on the realm. *** Made for ONC 2024 Prompt used: 19. A world with no heartbreaks. In such a world, you fall for someone forbidden. And you're about to experience the first ever heartbreak.

Sam jae Lee doesn't believe in love. What he does believe in is over indulgence and debauchery. The 20 year old is six feet tall, reckless, flirty and 128 pounds of pure unfiltered chaos on a Harley. Sam was set on living his high life an ocean away from the small town that brought nothing but misery to him but unfortunately for him one huge mistake led to him seeking refuge the town he thought he would never return to. Now that Sam is back he is set on ruining William Hartley's life because what's the point of having an arch nemesis if not for turning their life upside down. After all Hartley had it coming. AKA: An accidental snap, a one night stand and the rival who took a screenshot. William Hartly is in way more trouble than he anticipated and it's all because of 'The boyfriend shirt'.