Sonja Nehalenniasdóttir is finally free. After a daring escape from servitude and a sharp rise to first mate of the North Sea's most notorious pirate crew, she's survived punishing storms, several double crosses, and even diffused a mutiny against the cunning Captain Strijk, to whom is she is unwaveringly loyal and ut...
The fire has chosen Ayaka, a mine slave with nothing to lose. Now hunted by the shogunate's deadliest warriors, Ayaka must master her devastating new powers before they consume her. She has only twenty days until the fire burns out - burning her away with it. ONC2025 Prompts: 131. »This girl is on fire.« 110. 20 days...
🏆Round1 Winner 🏆 Veyr Thalric was born beneath a blood moon, his fate inked in the past and bound to a future he cannot escape. The son of the slain Wolf, he has spent his life hidden in the shadows, waiting for the moment he can claim vengeance against the one who stole everything from him-Rowan Ashwood, the legend...
The Open Novella Contest is back for 2025! Join a society of writers and take on the challenge to create a timeless 20,000+ word novella in 12 weeks! Your epic quest begins February 1st, 2025 - so mark your calendars with this date!
A soldier being eaten alive by the curse that ravages at the front. A writer who serves as the perfect mouthpiece for the cause of war. A hundred truths silenced. Cyrice Marzanne, a bright young journalist and war correspondent, prizes the word as her strongest weapon against enemies, and to wield it, she risked her l...
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...
Are you wondering what prompts we've used in past ONCs? You can find them in this book as we gathered all the prompts used in the past installments. You may use these prompts as inspiration for any story you want to write - no credits necessary! Have fun!
A woman seeking vengeance A detective chasing truth Death and secrets of the past following their every step 1920s, Prague Milana has lost her home twice. The first time, when she was forced by her husband to leave St. Petersburg. The second, when the last shards of fragile affection between them died in their exile...
𝑺𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒆─𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒕? In the heart of Rome, Jaden Moore's business trip unfolds unexpectedly when he encounters Riley Greenwell, a company rival whose presence ignites a spark of competition. At a music conference, their complica...
𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑵𝒐𝒘, 𝒔𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔. In a world of shimmering glass, Serenity Nightingale's perfect life hides dark secrets. When a charming stranger replaces her reflection, she embraces his presence, blind to the dangers that loom. Casp...
There are countless worlds, all breathing at once. Time does not exist. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩, 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪? Sybil Caelthorne was never meant to exist. Not born, but forged. Abandoned by parents who vanished without a trace, she was shaped into a weapon-an assassin with on...
When an infamous hitman learns of his estranged twin sister's death, he doesn't expect to have to care for a fifteen year old girl. Still, it's his sister's last wish and he's willing to protect the kid with his life. Even if it means coming out of the shadows and learning how to live an ordinary life. There's just on...
When Rosalin arrives in the imperial capital, Livia, she carries with her a burden of secrets. Her purpose is not what she says aloud. But Rosalin is not the only one shrouded in lies: there is no sign of Empress Cassyna's twin sister, Servina, and everyone speaks of her as if she is a ghost. What Rosalin hoped wou...
Reverse Handmaiden's tale set in a fantasy medieval land. *** Fynn of Teleni is an orphan born and raised within the Great Kingdom of Teleni. The particularity of his home is its rare breed of virgin male soldiers. Currently stationed in the same barrack for nearly five years, Fynn is determined to climb in grade and...
Celeste Hart, a rising music star, watches her dreams turn into a nightmare when she uncovers the dark truth behind her sudden fame. Lorelei Voss, a powerful and enigmatic industry mogul, is more than just Celeste's boss-she's a vampire who chose Celeste not only for her talent but because she is her fated soulmate. B...
When a mysterious thief steals a treasure from a reckless prince, his knights spring into action. They're hunting for the precious necklace intended for the prince's bride, but the prince knows better. His heart was stolen, and his heart is priceless. The only way he can recover from this loss is to find his thief bef...
As water is depleted for its magic, a vigilante uses a cold heiress to infiltrate high society and steal their water before the world--and her family--burns. 🜄 After washing up in the desert, nearly dead and with no memories, twenty-something-year-old Lana had a feeling she was involved in something dangerous. "Vigil...
Trapped in a zoo where silver-laced drugs twist their transformations into agony, werewolves Weizan and Clover have nothing but pain and each other. With their strength fading and time running out, they must escape before they lose themselves entirely. But freedom comes at a cost-and survival is never guaranteed. ~•~~...
Markus has left everything behind to live in a remote cabin near a lake. He wants to be alone, but in the middle of a snowstorm, a stranger knocks at his door and asks for shelter. Prompt 44: In the middle of a storm, a stranger arrives at your cabin, and you offer them shelter. But the storm's forecast says you'll be...
** 𝑰𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉? Robin and Marian's feelings, together with their convictions, are put to the test when the bloodthirsty rat king threatens not only the rebellion but also the fate of all England. ** "Just one dream can wake a nation Just one man can break down a door A single light can be los...
[Round two winner] Sora Yōmei was the first female heir to the Veozian throne-until her step-brother's birth turned her world upside down. With her claim to the throne in jeopardy, her brother seeks to slay the mythical mountain serpent Vraniscar, hoping to claim its power and unite the kingdoms of mountains and sea...
Evelyn's quiet, unsatisfying life as a librarian is upended when she steps through a mysterious door into the decaying Kingdom of Thorn. Gifted with powers beyond her comprehension, she learns she is the kingdom's last hope against an ancient curse. Guided by Rhiannon, a fierce warrior with a painful past, Evelyn must...
In the aftermath of a long and bloody war, the daughter of a king, no longer a princess, Mussumi, has to bend the knee to the man who has defeated her father. With only a small escort to lead her back to her homeland, Mussumi soon realises that the warlord does not intend for her to reach home alive. Only the interven...
Not all who die go to heaven. And of those who do, fewer become angels. They are known as The Transcendents. For thousands of years Angels and Demons have fought over mortal souls to be claimed for Heaven or Hell. But when a Transcendent Angel, Helen, finds herself in a perilous situation, she is saved not by her k...
An amnesiac goddess must rewrite her destiny before the evil reaper strikes out her existence. ••• 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙢𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙖 𝙙𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩. When Ira wakes up in the corner of a dusty room with nothing but glowing rectangles around and no memory of h...
Where 'ABC' by Gene Luen Yang meets 'Starry River of the Sky' by Grace Lin... Kieran Fu and Katharyn Kuang have been inseparable since Day One, building their friendship on shared stories of ancient folktales and a love of home-cooked, non-American food. But they're more connected to those old fables than they think:...
1893. In Victorian London, a world marked by deep class divisions, young worker Henry Hops stumbles upon a secret manuscript by an unknown thinker. Fascinated by the radical ideas regarding the liberation of the working class and the contradictions within society, Henry embarks on a quest to find the mysterious author...
Supervillain Ranvi De Witt is somehow not in prison yet, but her superhero nemesis is. When he asks her to consult on a murder-case that could free him, at first, she's thinking only of the money (well, at first, she laughs in his face, but after that, she's thinking only of the money). But when her dim-witted minion...
[ONC 2025] Two college roommates search the city looking for a hidden Taylor Swift concert while using a glitchy Spotify playlist as their guide. ••• Draya, a struggling college student, is desperate to pay her tuition before the final deadline. With no other options, she and her best friend, Emily--her outspoken, cul...
Haunted by the past, Rhiannon Carmichael returns to her hometown for her father's funeral, only to uncover a web of secrets and a possible murder, forcing her to confront the family she left behind. *** Victor Carmichael, the titan of local construction industry...