_marmoris_
THE WORDS WE BURN made it to the shortlist! I didn't expect this at all but I'm so happy this little project made it this far
_marmoris_
_marmoris_
THE WORDS WE BURN made it to the longlist!
honestly, i wasn't so sure about it and still don't know how far it will come. so, keep your fingers crossed it'll get on the shortlist as well!
as for the meantime: i'm already editing TWWB in the background, giving a few scenes more time to breathe and perhaps adding in a tiny subplot.
on the other hand, WHAT DEATH CANNOT TOUCH should soon be finished, and i also didn't forget THOSE WHO HUNGER which i want to finish as well. maybe one or more stories will make it to participate in the wattys. let's try. i'm motivated but for many reasons this motivation is fragile at the moment. wish me luck it sticks with me
C_the_Dreamer
@_marmoris_ @Chaoskuss I didn't know either how the Wattys work until recently, but there are books with all the informationen that really help! Look into "The Wattys 2025" and "Road to the Wattys 2025", you'll find them first thing in my reading lists too. ;D
C_the_Dreamer
@_marmoris_ <3 Yes, life just throws you around sometimes that when you finally have time to breathe, you are just too exhausted to read or need a comfort read, at least in my case. x'D It depends on my mind and mood though, sometimes I don't care at all if someone is brutally murdered orher times I get sick at the implication that something could happen, it's so weird. x'D
_marmoris_
@C_the_Dreamer Thank you! And again, thank you so much. I know sometimes it can be hard to keep up with all the reading. And I totally get it might be to dark for you :)
_marmoris_
THE WORDS WE BURN just got finished! And this year, surprisingly, I did very well with the deadline. No last minute submitting.
I'm not entirely happy with it, to be fair. So many things I wish I could've explored more in depth, and I honestly don't know how high my chances are with this one. Still, I enjoyed this journey which was again so different to those the last two years. In the not so easy times I currently face, this world has been an a safe haven—as paradoxically it sounds, thinking about TWWB's dark premise.
I'd love if you take a look at it, and share your thoughts. And I now finally have the time to read all your entries as well! <3
C_the_Dreamer
@_marmoris_ That's true, ypu're right. I was just thinking of the rounds, but it counts too xD That's a lot too! I wrote a little over 10K words (I think) for Playing Cupid too and a few thousand words for my german story, making it over 34K words in April alone too. That's way for than I expexted too xD Mine is far from perfect as well, but we did it and that's all that counts. ;D
_marmoris_
@C_the_Dreamer Yes. I dropped out pretty quickly with story 3, but I started it so I'd say that counts a little :'D Same! I feel a very big chunk of the story was written in April alone. For me it was from 9k to 36k! I didn't expect I'd be able to write 27k in one month in English, even though it's far from perfect tbf ^^"
C_the_Dreamer
@_marmoris_ <3 But you only submitted two for the first round, right? That's what I meant xD Me neither, I really thought either both or Playing Cupid, that Touch Me, Mark Me grew so much in such a short time (from 10K to 27K in april) AND found an end, surprised me too xD
Jannyferr
Hey!
I just wrapped up your story and wow I really loved it. The way you wrote the scenes made everything feel so alive, like I was watching it all unfold right in front of me. As I was reading, I kept thinking how awesome this would look as a comic.
I'm a commissioned artist, and I’d honestly be super excited to help bring your story to life in that format. Just imagine your characters in full color, expressive panels, with all the energy and emotion really jumping out at readers. I think it could be something really special.
Of course, no pressure at all if it’s not something you’re into but if it sounds even a little interesting, I’d love to talk more! You can find me on Discord haito8359, and I’d be happy to share my portfolio and socials so you can see what I do.
Would be awesome to connect!
Take care,
Haito
xapawow496
I just wanted to say I really loved your story. It was so vivid and immersive, I could see everything playing out like a movie in my head. Honestly, it made me think how amazing it would look as a comic.
I’m a commissioned artist and would be super excited to bring your story to life visually. With your storytelling and some dynamic panels, I think it could really stand out and connect with people.
No pressure at all, but if you're ever interested in exploring that idea, I’d love to chat more. Feel free to reach out. I’m on Discord at evelyn_scott.11. I can also share my portfolio and socials if you’d like to check out my work.
Hope to hear from you
Cheers,
evelyn
_marmoris_
good news! i made it to round 3!
honestly, i'm still having a hard time with productivity at the moment, in well...every aspect of life. but i hope with the little break i have now that'll change. and to celebrate making it through round 2, here comes another chapter!
https://www.wattpad.com/1532189657-the-words-we-burn-onc-2025-v-allies-or-enemies
_marmoris_
@LoveCatxO Answering way too late here: Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear you're feeling better ❤️
LoveCatxO
@_marmoris_ Of course—your health and personal life come first. I’m really sorry to hear that you haven’t been feeling well lately. I feel like I’m slowly getting past the worst of it, and things are getting a little better each day. I truly hope it’ll be the same for you very soon♥️ ✨Wishing you a speedy recovery and lots of inspiration!✨
_marmoris_
new chapters of THOSE WHO HUNGER and THE WORDS WE BURN just dropped, and twwb even got submitted already for round 2!
i honestly don't think i'll be making it with twh. i'm exhausted, should be focusing on uni and my health at the moment. but don't worry: it will be continued and finished! (just most probably not for the onc)
how are your entries going?
C_the_Dreamer
@_marmoris_ It does, but we'll get trough the hard days, then better days follow ;D Thank you! <3
C_the_Dreamer
@_marmoris_ Some day's real life grabs and shakes me too though, it's not always that easy. But yeah, it's easier for me, being mostly my own boas apart from my parents xD I wish you the best for the next two weeks then, may they be productive and restful! ;D
_marmoris_
updates are out now for THOSE WHO HUNGER and THE WORDS WE BURN! make sure to check them out!
____
seriously, this year's onc is HARD. even harder than last year. my inspiration and motivation are fluctuating, always ready to throw me into my next writer's block. i'm still stuck with my old laptop which is so incredibly slow it doesn't make working easier. and then there's the background noise of new medication that affects my inspiration and uni work. but i'm trying very hard to make it!
how's onc going for you? (hopefully better than for me)
C_the_Dreamer
@_marmoris_ Not really actually, I didn't even read the whole part, but what I read was just very... detailed and shocking x'D Me too! ;D Hope it get's better! <3 I think "Husband Material" (the secon book of Boyfriend Material), I'm not entirely sure though. And I don't know what the other thought while writing that, it was just way to weird and confusing for me xD
_marmoris_
@C_the_Dreamer ohh...was the thriller that dark or something? Sometimes even the expected can be shocking ^^" A love readers like this! Somewhat...but there is still some not so nice stuff I have to deal with :/ thank you! I'm glad it helped! Which book was that? It definitely sounds interesting and like there was an idea behind this
C_the_Dreamer
@_marmoris_ Hey! Your comparison with Ilya and Ulya gave me the perfect idea! "Jay" the friend is now called "Ray". xD And now I even have a "Sia" and a "Ria" in the story. xD Changing one letter is sometimes enough. ;D It could still be confusing, of course, but I don't think it'll be too bad. As long as the characters are different enough, it shouldn't be an issue xD I just remembered! I read a story once were two characters had the same name and where in a relationship together, but it was sooo confusing who was who. x'D
_marmoris_
I finally did it!
My two entries this year are out which are:
1. THOSE WHO HUNGER
A crime and forbidden love story set in 1920s prague, with a few allusions to Anna Karenina
2. THE WORDS WE BURN
A fantasy novella centering a war, book bans, magical typewriters, and a soldier-eating virus.
Any graphics like aesthetics are yet to come.
I planned to post a third story, too—my Gothic novella about an old mansion and a protagonist finding the person in the mirror might not be herself. But I'm currently keeping that to post somewhen in the future and not for the ONC. Tbh, this first round was horrible. I'm still kind of stuck with writers block and my old laptop which is as fast a dying snail (bc my regular one sure knew the right moment to quit working), and uni keeps me busy, too. I'm truly not sure if I will make it to the end this year. Anyways, I have a bunch of good entries to read now!
But what about you? Did you submit (or will in the last hours)?
_marmoris_
@Eleanors_library Ahhh thank you so much. That's really motivating me right now! My inspiration is sadly a bit treacherous at the moment, but maybe with a little luck, I'll manage to finish my entries! Ohhh let me know when/if you do. I'd love to read it! :D
Eleanors_library
I love it, it’s amazing! Your writing never fails to amaze me! I wanted to submit something, really, but my creativity and motivation abandoned me in just the right moment. However, around one quote an idea has formed, that I am outlining right now and maybeeeeee I will write that down in peace and without a contest…
C_the_Dreamer
Hey!
How is your ONC story going? Will you publish and submit one or not?
I still have to edit mine, but I'm on the way and should be able to finish in time. ^^
Best of luck,
C
C_the_Dreamer
@_marmoris_ I read your announcement too, those things are really unlucky, but you still managed two, that's amazing!
_marmoris_
@C_the_Dreamer Yes! I planned on three—to then stick with one or two until the end. But uni, some technical issues, and writers block made me keep the third one for later, eventually, though I even thought this would end up THE one ^^"