Thank you!! Yes, it is my NANOWRIMO project.
1 Like
I don’t know much about MCU admittedly, but I really liked that excerpt! I was trying to picture it like in a [name_u]Marvel[/name_u] movie, and it was cool 
And the names of course, [name_f]Ambrosia[/name_f] [name_f]Lunette[/name_f], wow! And Spyte is really cool for a shadow themed hero.
Deep [name_u]Shadow[/name_u] works better I think, like deep waters, only deep shadows…
2 Likes
Title: Right now it’s called Dream Story because pieces of it are based on a really intense dream I had, but even now at over 300 pages in I really have no clue what to title it.
Targeted Demographic: Adult. Some 18+ content
Genre: I’ve been calling it “Futuristic Pseudo-Utopian Urban Fantasy Romance”
Medium: Novel, It’s already over 300 pages and I’ve still got a decent amount of plot to go
Main Characters:
Summary
Serena Fatima Yiovan, 35, boring office job, Reluctant Chosen One archetype
Vashtarin, unknown age, Underworld demigod
Shon Fernandez Parker, 33, nice, normal civil engineer (or IS HE?!)
Other characters:
Nepthalsa, unknown age but older than Vashtarin, demigoddess of sea/tides
George and Luca, 30s, partners and friends of Shon
Rosa, 33, Shon’s sister and her partner Raul and 2 kids
Jonna, 30s, Serena’s friend
Mari, 58, one of Shon’s mothers
James, 60, Shon’s biological father
Sylvea, 65, and Khalil, 64, Serena’s parents.
Em, 17, Shon’s half-brother
Sersei, 50s, Elder Nepthalsan Sorceress, and her Cadre of Sorcerers, soothsayers, and other members of “the cause”
Synopsis:
Summary
Serena Yiovan lives a normal, albeit lackluster life on Level 7 of Theta Arch until one day, a fate beacon ignites her destiny as she stumbles into a hidden world and discovers a cryptic Prophecy that she is not sure she wants any part of.
CW: Adult themes, violence, mention of suicide, addiction, queer and polyamorous characters
Excerpt:
Summary
(from the Prologue, which begins in medias res)
“I knelt down and bowed my head, black silk robes pooling on the cool, hard ground beneath me. My hair had grown longer in these last few months, and I shivered as a few strands fell out from behind my ears and lightly brushed against my shoulders as I dropped into a deeper bow.
I laid my bare arms across my lap and stole a quick glance around. The vast, dome-shaped cavern enshrouded me, sculpted out of the earth, its ornate walls carved long ago with intricate detail, depicting prophecies, legends, scenes from the past. Figures were seated all around me, but out of immediate view. I could just make out their shadowy forms against the walls. A dim light shone down from the top of the dome, illuminating only my kneeling form and the pool of darkness in front of me.
The water looked like molasses, thick and cloying, barely reflecting any of the light from above. I knew exactly what was about to occur, but I couldn’t shut out the part of me that was terrified. My heart was racing, but I remained still. None of the figures seated around me made a sound, the cavern perfectly silent other than the sound of my breathing and the pounding of my heart."
Questions: How much, as a reader, do you need to understand about the antagonist’s motivation?
Summary
I don’t really make it clear why “the enemy” is doing what they’re doing, except for an increasing lust for power and influence. Is that sufficient or do I need to weave in more details?
4 Likes
Title: Days of Salt and Monsters
Demographic: Unsure, probably 13-18?
Content Warnings: Death
Genre: [name_f]Fantasy[/name_f]
Medium/Format : [name_u]Novel[/name_u]
Plot: Having not actually named a single character, I’ve not written a blurb yet. But basically the concept was that there’s a world plagued by monsters that can only be kept away by salt. At night, salt has to be sprinkled in every doorway and on each windowsill, and if you’re not going to be in a house, a salt circle around your tent or whatever.
When MC, a teen girl with missing parents and three younger siblings (or two and a twin, I don’t know), catches a rumour or two about the whereabouts of her father, she almost immediately believes them, though she’s a little more sceptical of the version where dear old dad is a wizard. [name_m]Just[/name_m] a bit. And being the oldest of the ? siblings, and therefore the oldest confirmed living member of the family, she decides to go and investigate, just like any kid with a death wish would do.
What ensues is basically a whole lot of monsters, salt and some weird kids who’re definitely not quite humans, but what does MC know about part-humans? Literally nothing – all she knows is humans and monsters. [name_m]Even[/name_m] the existence of wizards and witches (counted as humans in this context, like anything that looks like a human – a part-human either has monster traits such as scales or can shapeshift) were basically a mystery to her for a while.
Yeah, that might not make much sense.
3 Likes
So I totally failed nano because [name_u]November[/name_u] just was NOT my friend, but here’s what I’m working on now:
Lifeboat
Summary
A story about five teens who go to a specialized school for kids with depression and anxiety, where their main teacher helps them have more hope. The kids are all inspired by different aspects of me and my own mental health struggles. I’m excited about this one because I obviously connect so strongly to the characters, but I’m also putting this one on pause just for a bit because like I said, real life has been rough lately, and I could use some escapism. But I love my sad children.
Unnamed horror story
Summary
this one I came up with like 2 days ago, lol. Dead people start mysteriously resurrecting in a small town. I will say the monster is inspired by the one in season 3 of Stranger Things, but with a mushroom motif. Mushrooms symbolize rebirth, death, and a place between life and death. There’s also a murder mystery going on, and the inciting incident is the funeral of the victim. The details of the mushroom stuff are super icky, so I’ll leave it up to imagination. I’m aiming for a [name_m]Stephen[/name_m] [name_m]King[/name_m] vibe.
I’ve also been craving a found family story, and wanting to be very self indulgent with giving characters accents.
5 Likes
Series: Isles of Cerevaux
Genre: Swashbuckling fantasy if we’re getting into specifics.
Medium: It’s a trilogy, since I got three notebooks. Whether they get to novel or novella is anyone’s guess.
So there’s twin siblings – [name_f]Zerynthia[/name_f] and Alkaios – who are two of the children of the [name_u]Silver[/name_u] Moon’s last true captain, [name_u]Marinell[/name_u] [name_f]Steren[/name_f] (he’s killed in a mutiny a few years prior to the story). When [name_f]Zerynthia[/name_f] accidentally gives her younger sister half a cursed seashell, it kick-starts an adventure across the seas to find the island where the other half is rumoured to be and fix the shell, therefore ending the curse. Held back because not many people want to listen to an almost seventeen-year-old girl.
(I’ve named the new ship, the one [name_f]Zerynthia[/name_f] becomes captain of, the ‘Sanguine Pearl’).
(Possible) Extract
“You make a pretty terrible captain,” the boy spat, not making a move to free himself from the ropes. “Your whole crew is rioting!”
“It’s called a mutiny,” I sighed. “And at least I have a ship! You’re a prince and haven’t a square foot of land to rule.”
“Your brother has been turned against you. Your twin brother.”
“So has literally every other person on board. He’s not special.”
I’m sure he knew that I was lying to him.
Because the people aboard that I’d known all my life, Alkaios and Coraline… well, they’d fallen under the spell of this foul wench so easily it was almost like they had chosen to, and that idea hurt.
“What do we do, then?”
What could we do? The Sanguine was under the control of an enemy I hadn’t even met, and I only knew that she was a she. No name, no ship (assuming she even had a ship…), no face. [name_m]Just[/name_m] magic, and a pronoun. How on earth was I meant to do anything with that little information?
“I… we’re dead,” I said when the prince glared at me. As though he still had any power. “Dead men tell no tales, you know. You’ve got no clue how lucky you are to be tied up like this.”
“Lucky?” he frowned. “This doesn’t seem too lucky.”
“That’s my point, landlubber.”
Incredibly, he laughed at that. “I didn’t think pirates actually said landlubber anymore. D’you call each other scurvy dogs or something like that too?”
“Eh, not that much. I used to call [name_m]Al[/name_m] all sorts when we were younger, though…”
“Shut up!” someone snapped. “Enjoy this journey, [name_m]Captain[/name_m], because it’ll be your last.”
“Where are we going, then?”
“Nosaroc,” was the answer, and I felt my heart sink. [name_u]Kass[/name_u] would be thrilled to hear news of the Sanguine again so soon, and thus would have a front-row seat to my execution.
The prince’s eyes flashed.
“How far are we from Nosaroc?” he asked cautiously.
The speaker – [name_f]Riva[/name_f] – had such an obvious scowl in her voice I was half certain he’d find a sword in his chest earlier than planned. “A week’s sailing, I should think.”
5 Likes
I am really excited for this one
Title:
Its called One More [name_u]Chance[/name_u] right now but I’m thinking of changing it
Target Demographic:
teen/young adult, fantasy readers, probably around 16-30 but obviously younger and older people will be able to read it.
Genre:
It’s- fantasy but it has romance in it. [name_f]My[/name_f] MC is 19. I would consider it YA though
Names of Main Characters
[name_f]My[/name_f] first main character is [name_u]Legend[/name_u] [name_u]Huxley[/name_u]. [name_f]My[/name_f] story is from her perspective. She is third to the crown of Aurala her home. She has 7 siblings and their names spell out the word [name_f]Beloved[/name_f]. Her father is a Tyrant.
[name_f]My[/name_f] other Mc is [name_u]Fallon[/name_u] [name_m]Saunder[/name_m]. He is the love interest of the story and the crown prince of Wokaven. He is very caring and [name_u]Legend[/name_u] doesn’t always trust him and he tries to help her but she doesn’t let him. He finally breaks and tell her to listen to him.
Blurb
I don’t even know what to put here so I’m just going to leave it blank I have like three pages done.
Summary
This text will be hidden
5 Likes
aaaaah i’m so excited for this wow!!
title: the fall of a moon (but i mentally refer to it as “space story”)
demographics/ratings: probably an older YA audience, but not really NA
genre: fantasy, space opera, adventure, etc etc
medium: hopefully a duology! but we’ll see how this one goes!
characters:
elske ziegler (mc)
19-20, idk honestly, she/her (head-canonically she/they bc i really don’t want to deal with they/them pronouns in third person), blondish-brownish hair that’s pretty long and usually braided, brown eyes, tanned skin, looks too much like florence pugh. she hates that she has morals, overthinks things too much, determined but simultaneously doesn’t care, a liar, strategic, part of the infamous mercenary group, the daughters of the moon. from the forest moon, runa. biromantic, cis???
mao lijuan
about 19, she/her, wavy dark brown hair that’s about shoulder-length, brown eyes, jewel-toned ruddy complexion. she pretends to be hardened and sarcastic and not care about anyone but herself, but it’s all an act and she’s like really soft and lonely on the inside, very outgoing, needs answers, hates the unknown. hates elske at the beginning of a book because of a falling out a few years ago, also a daughter of the moon, and from the tundra world, valland, but grew up in runa. omni, cis.
roman sokolov
21, he/they, has curly black shoulder-length hair, freckled light brown skin, timothée chalamet + kylo ren vibes. hates everyone, very good pilot. and killer. selfish but that’s because he’s lost a lot and doesn’t want to lose more, very emotionally cut off, blood on their hands, resourceful. half-siblings with elske. grew up on the main planet, zetor. part of the president’s personal mercenary band, the night violets. bi, genderfluid.
calla zografos
20, she/her, corkscrew-curly black hair, dark brown skin, often wears flowers in her hair, total cottagecore vibes. big softie, really sweet but also outspoken and an advocate for herself. factual, smart, ambitious, loving, works best surrounded by others, calm in danger, a natural leader but works great in a team-setting, too. from the nature-y paradise moon, elethia. meets elske and lijuan when they crash-land onto her moon and becomes close friends with them. lesbian, cis.
florencio reyes "fen"
21, he/him, russet-brown skin, short, black hair that’s always a mess, circle glasses, astronomy inspired earrings, freckled. he’s cocky, but in a self-deprecating way, everyone is supposed to kill him, always making horrible decisions. he lives on tosiano, the desert moon. hates roman at the beginning, but they become friends by the end. pan, cis.
(also his nickname “fen” was intended to be a star wars reference then i realized that there’s two other in his name bonus points if you can find them (they’re all references from the sequels))
plot???
basically, there’s the main planet, zetor, and five moons that orbit it: tosiano (desert), arien (marine/marshlands), runa (forest), valland (tundra/ice sheets), and elethia (floral paradise). the daughters of the moon, a zetor-wide mercenary group, directs elske and lijuan to assassinate the son of tosiano’s delegate, florencio. but when they get there to kill him, somebody else is already trying to: roman, elske’s estranged half-brother. lijuan and elske try to stop him, but it’s too late and he’s gone, taking florencio and this strange, golden relic. obviously, lijuan and elske have to find florencio to complete their task, but find themselves tangled in centuries-old magic and curses, along with a huge political plot intermingled as well.
excerpt (pretend this title-thingy is bolded)
Elske’s ribs hurt, which made it hard to breathe, but she pushed on, finally rounding on the outcrop. Lijuan sat there, pressing her coat to her shoulder.
“Let’s go,” [name_f]Elske[/name_f] said, holding out her hand.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to get you to do,” Lijuan grumbled, taking Elske’s hand. She was unsteady on her feet, stumbling into [name_f]Elske[/name_f], but she pushed herself away, brushing her free hand off on her pants. “We need to find Florencio.”
“There’s a lot that we need to do,” [name_f]Elske[/name_f] said. “And right now, our priority is getting off of this moon and bandaging up before we bleed out.”
Lijuan snorted. “That’s a minor inconvenience.”
The ship wasn’t far, only half a mile away. However, with both of them wounded, the journey felt so much farther, with [name_f]Elske[/name_f] limping the whole time and Lijuan clutching her shoulder. After roughly twenty minutes, they arrived.
The door slid open and [name_f]Elske[/name_f] practically collapsed into her seat, the blue vinyl too cold against her hot body.
“Keep your clothes on,” Lijuan said when [name_f]Elske[/name_f] started to pull of her leg armor.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” [name_f]Elske[/name_f] said. “I wasn’t planning on undressing for you, anyways.” [name_f]Elske[/name_f] didn’t pull of the plating though, watched Lijuan roll her eyes.
The florescent lights in the ship were harsh, giving [name_f]Elske[/name_f] a headache. She was dehydrated and needed to drink something soon. The blood loss probably didn’t help. [name_f]Elske[/name_f] grabbed a rag tossed to the side, pushing it against her leg. The rag was stained with oil, but at this point, [name_f]Elske[/name_f] really didn’t care. She sighed.
“We need to go,” [name_f]Elske[/name_f] said, buckling her safety restraint. She began to flick the switches to start, but Lijuan held out a hand.
“I don’t know if I can drive.” Her eyes looked far away, like she was sleep deprived.
“Are you going into shock?” [name_f]Elske[/name_f] asked, leaning towards her. “Tell me you’re not—”
“I’m fine,” she said, scrunching up the features of her face. “I’m just dizzy. The blood loss. I need you to fly us out of here.”
Anxiety shot through Elske’s nervous system. Her fingers froze, panic stepping on her trachea. Lijuan was recruited for a job because she was a damn good pilot. [name_f]Elske[/name_f], on the other hand, wasn’t a damn good pilot. She was barely a pilot at all. It would be a wonder if the two of them even left [name_f]Runa[/name_f] [the moon they were on] alive.
“Um, okay,” [name_f]Elske[/name_f] said, her voice shaky. She’s just beat up an assassin, so why couldn’t she pilot a ship? It wasn’t her first time, and all this hesitation was causing them to lose blood faster. Focus, Ziegler.
[name_f]Elske[/name_f] gripped the throttle, slowly pulling up.
“You’re doing it wrong,” Lijuan said. She took off her gloves, tossing them on the dashboard of the plane, then leaned forward, clicking some buttons [name_f]Elske[/name_f] had missed. The blood from her wounds stained them.
“And you’re getting blood everywhere,” [name_f]Elske[/name_f] said, holding the throttle tighter until her fingers felt tingly. If they both survived this mission, [name_f]Elske[/name_f] would be amazed.
extras: um this is honestly star wars + she ra and the princess of power + indiana jones + black widow mash up and i’m literally so excited to write it. i’m super excited for elske and lijuan to finally come to get along (and um probably fall in love) and for elske to get over all the hatred she has towards roman when they finally have to work together. there’s also a magic sword involved that has the power to save or destroy the entire zetor system that i forgot to mention, so… it’s a lot of fun so far.
question: would it make more sense for elske’s name to be spelled elska since that’s how it’s pronounced and technically is a valid spelling? or should i just keep elske because the vibes fit her better?
4 Likes
This sounds super cool and I’d be really excited to read it! I think what I find most fun/interesting is that my current project is also loosely based on SPOP and it’s completely different in terms of plot and yet I can still see some commonalities! I’m always down for some good sapphic literature.
So I would know how to say [name_f]Elske[/name_f] because I’m familiar with the name but I wouldn’t bet on the average American/English-speaker knowing that. I completely understand wanting the ease of [name_f]Elska[/name_f] but I also don’t think we as writers should sacrifice cool names for the sake of an ignorant audience. Especially if you could see yourself having a pronunciation guide. And it’s not like it’s hard to pronounce, just not intuitive. I’d say keep it and have that question in your back pocket for alpha/beta readers, and if it bugs you enough when the time comes, then you can change it.
2 Likes
Title: The Cousin Problem
Demographics/Ratings: I don’t really know? Young teen/teens maybe?
Genre: Fantasy, fiction
Medium/format: I was kinda thinking a series in my head. But every time in the bathroom I imagine it as if it was a movie series.
Characters:
1. Chase a.k.a. Junior (18, brown hair, green eyes) who can turn invisible (siblings with Lena and Cassia)
2. Lena (19, brown hair, hazel eyes) who can levitate objects
3. Cassia (10, brown hair, green eyes) who can fly
4. Ash a.k.a. A.J. (20, brown hair, grey eyes) who can see far away things
5. Levi (15, blonde hair, grey eyes) who can make any object he wants appear
6. Jessica (17, brown hair, blue eyes) who can break and fix any object
7. Eli (12, black hair, hazel eyes) who can bend water (his sister is Pearl)
8. Pearl (17, black hair, green eyes) who can make things into glass or stone.
9. Arlo (22, black hair, bright blue eyes) who can detect anyone’s #1 special talent
Blurb: Once upon a time there were 5 siblings. The oldest, Anny Johnson, second, Baxter Johnson, third, Junie Johnson, fourth, Penny Johnson, and the youngest, Chase Johnson. They were all at a party but Chase, who died in a car crash trying to get to the party.
Then Chase’s wife, Jenny hated everyone else because they didn’t come to Chase’s funeral and moved away with 3 kids, the oldest, Lena the oldest who can levitate things, the second, Chase, a.k.a. Junior, who can turn invisible and Cassia the youngest out of the three, who can fly.
Anny is single, and has a boy named Ash a.k.a. A.J. who can see from a long distance. Junie is also single and has a boy named Levi who can make any object like thing he imagines appear. Junie is dead because someone killed her so Levi is living with A.J…
Penny married a guy named Ronald Brown, and had a girl: Jessica, who can repair and break objects. Baxter married a girl named Annie Jefferson and had 2 kids: Eli, who can bend water and Pearl who can make things into glass or stone.
And when the eight cousins meet and are all being mysteriously followed by a man, they all take shelter at a hotel, until that man appears there too…
Excerpt: “Jess! We’ve told you a thousand times not to get into fights! And what were you just doing?” my mom asks.
“I was being yelled at by Mai. And I was on the ground. So technically I wasn’t fighting.”
“What were you doing before you were on the ground?”
“Battling the ground? Oh and talking!”
My mom groans. “What am I going to do with you? You’re already in summer school. And so is that other girl.”
“Maisie.”
“Yes. Maisie. You have community service given by the judge, and you went to jail once for a week. What else are you going to add to your list huh Jess?”
“Get ice cream?”
“Jess!”
“Okay I’ll try not to defend myself so much I have my jaw cracked. Okay? Happy?”
“Much better. Now let’s go home before the doctor sends you to jail.”
On the way there, through the window of the car, I see Pearl and Eli, my two most boring cousins walking, looking over their shoulders. I look at who Princess Pea is looking at. She’s looking at the park. Or at a boy with eyes so bright you could see them from miles away. It’s probably Pea’s newest crush. I shake it off and focus on how I’m going to explain everything to my dad. I wish that instead of my power being breaking and repairing objects, it would be being able to travel back in time. That would help my life a lot.
Extras: none
Questions: none
1 Like
Title: [name_u]Sun[/name_u] and [name_f]Moon[/name_f]
Demographics: YA
Genre: Romance, fantasy, tragedy
Medium/Format: [name_u]Novel[/name_u]
Characters:
Ellio “Elli” [name_f]Audra[/name_f] [name_m]Sulien[/name_m] - the willful, independent and rebellious daughter of the tribe’s Sunman. She is seventeen with fair skin, copper hair, and blue eyes.
[name_u]Nyx[/name_u] [name_m]Otieno[/name_m] [name_m]Duald[/name_m] - the quiet, studious son of the tribe’s best warrior. He is seventeen with tan skin, dark brown hair and green eyes.
[name_u]Senna[/name_u] Vetra [name_m]Sulien[/name_m] - the outgoing, polite and ‘perfect’ sister to [name_f]Elli[/name_f]. She is nineteen with fair skin, freckles, long blonde hair and blue eyes.
[name_m]Orpheus[/name_m]: the antagonist of the story. He terrorizes the land on which both [name_f]Elli[/name_f] and Nyx’s tribes live after being sent into grief by the death of his husband. He is the [name_f]Earth[/name_f].
Blurb: [name_f]Elli[/name_f] and [name_u]Nyx[/name_u] know the rules. They know they cannot survive like this, can’t live the way they are. But when in the shadow of death, war and destruction, what else can they turn to except love?
Excerpt (takes place when [name_f]Elli[/name_f] and [name_u]Nyx[/name_u] first meet): A branch cracks sharply, scattering my thoughts and my reflexes kick in. [name_f]My[/name_f] bow is drawn when someone yells.
“Please don’t shoot!”
I lower my bow cautiously, although I don’t let the arrow go.
“Who are you?” I shout back to the voice.
“A human.”
“Smart. Your name?”
“Nyx.”
“You’re three miles over the border, [name_u]Nyx[/name_u]. Go home.” I pause for a minute, trying to locate where the voice is coming from. A head pops out of a bush to my right, and my bow is quickly aimed at it.
“Calm down, it’s just me.”
“I still don’t know you.”
The boy laughs. “I told you my name, though!”
“A name is not everything, [name_u]Nyx[/name_u] of the Moon.”
His face becomes startled, then pained.
“Don’t call me that.”
“Ok,” I say, shocked by the sudden change in his demeanor. “My name is [name_f]Elli[/name_f]. Ellio, actually, but call me Elli.”
[name_u]Nyx[/name_u] smiles. “Hello, Ellio of the Sun.”
I smile back, noticing how his eyes crinkle around the corners in a peaceful way when he smiles. “It’s actually not nice to say that in a [name_u]Sun[/name_u] village, [name_u]Nyx[/name_u]. People find it offensive, in the summers especially.”
He laughs. “Even the [name_u]Sun[/name_u] people can’t stand the sun? [name_m]Orpheus[/name_m] should do something about that.”
[name_f]My[/name_f] mood sombers at the thought of [name_m]Orpheus[/name_m]. Once thought of as the kind overlord who gave us life, we now know his true power. Our lands are beginning to shrink, with the world being overrun by the darkness. He wields it as his tool to rule us, and causes strife for fun.
“Orpheus won’t do anything but make it more unbearable. You must know that, Nyx.”
“You’ve felt it too, then? The darkness slowly creeping up, the shadows becoming longer earlier?”
“You can’t tell anyone. Our Sunman told us not to tell anyone the troubles we’ve been having. But you have noticed it as well?”
“Yes. Our crops are growing worse, water is freezing earlier in the season each year, the ice doesn’t melt until [name_u]August[/name_u] sometimes. It’s hurting us. The elders are weaker, not able to recover from the colds they catch as easily as the rest of us.” He pauses, and listens to a bird call that comes softly floating through the air. “I have to go, [name_f]Elli[/name_f]. You cannot tell anyone of my tribe’s issues, and I shall not tell anyone of yours.”
4 Likes
Title: Murder story (Not really sure)
Demographics: Teens/Tweens
Genre: [name_f]Mystery[/name_f], [name_u]Drama[/name_u], Romance
Medium: [name_u]Novel[/name_u]
Main Characters: [name_m]Kurt[/name_m] A boy coming from a big LGBTQ+ family. He likes to skate, and dosen’t really have a friend group [name_f]Fabia[/name_f] Kurt’s best friend/ex; Ayden’s GF [name_f]Cherish[/name_f] Popular girl with more too her than meets the eye. [name_u]Everly[/name_u] A goth with a lot to say. [name_m]Rowley[/name_m] Heartbreaker, handsome and mysterious. [name_u]Ayden[/name_u] Lonely, Nerdy and with a wicked plan
Blurb: They used to be best friends. [name_m]Skip[/name_m] 3 years and one of thems dead. After Ayden’s death, four used to be close friend re unite to discover the secret behind his death
Excerpt (From Kurt’s POV)
Me and my little sister [name_u]Jett[/name_u] sit on the couch, binge-watching the big bang theory. [name_f]My[/name_f] sister bites her black nails, watching [name_u]Penny[/name_u] anxiously, her favorite character. [name_u]Lorin[/name_u] comes in and ruffles Jett’s hair. “Hey! This is rated 15.” She frowns
“You’re 12, [name_u]Jett[/name_u], you should know better [name_m]Kurt[/name_m]. Turn it off.” [name_u]Lorin[/name_u] says, worrying like she always does. “It’s fine Mom, calm down, it’s not even bad!” [name_u]Jett[/name_u] whines. [name_u]Lorin[/name_u] rolls her eyes but lets us keep it on. [name_f]Patti[/name_f] bounces in and plops herself down on the sofa.
“I’m drawing the line here!” [name_u]Lorin[/name_u] complains. “Your 9-year-old sister is not watching the big bang theory!”
“But Mommy, I watched an 18 when you and other Mommy were out!” [name_f]Patti[/name_f] says. “KURT!” [name_u]Lorin[/name_u] yells. [name_f]Patti[/name_f] clasps her hand around her mouth. “Oopsie daisies!”
2 Likes
Title: A Rational [name_u]Magic[/name_u]
Medium: [name_f]Novella[/name_f]
Demographic: It’s meant to be aimed at under-10s. Whether I’m doing well with that is another question.
Genre: [name_f]Fantasy[/name_f]
Characters: So far the characters are:
[name_f]Lani[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] and [name_f]Anya[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] Ferrin (12)
[name_u]Mercury[/name_u] [name_m]Harker[/name_m] (13)
[name_f]Jessica[/name_f] Ferrin (Lani and Anya’s aunt)
[name_f]Sara[/name_f] [name_u]Grey[/name_u] (Jessica’s girlfriend)
Unnamed boy (11, Sara’s son)
Mr [name_u]Kerrigan[/name_u] (antagonist, first name TBD)
Blurb:
When they’re sent to stay with their aunt [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] for the whole summer holidays, [name_f]Lani[/name_f] and [name_f]Anya[/name_f] Ferrin don’t quite know what to think.
Nothing ever seems to change in Terrenfell, but nothing’s the same anymore.
Between a new aunt and cousin and the strange rumours in the air, things already seem to be unnaturally interesting, but the stories of the old well in the woods are the most fascinating of all.
Though some secrets stay far below the surface for a reason…
[name_m]Can[/name_m] [name_f]Lani[/name_f] and [name_f]Anya[/name_f] solve the mystery of the well, or will they become the first disappearances linked to it?
So it’s for the Open [name_f]Novella[/name_f] Contest on Wattpad, and has to adhere to this prompt:
Twins can be very different despite their likeness. One believes in fairies and magic, the other in science and rationality. Only together can they solve the mystery of the ancient well.
Extract (Lani’s perspective):
I sit like that for a while, one eye on the clock and the rest of my focus in the world of fiction. Because there’s nothing else to pay attention to, really. [name_m]Just[/name_m] people doing things, and I’d really rather not freak myself out over whether this boy is actually this man’s kid or not. [name_u]Or[/name_u] like a nephew or something.
He’s probably our age, if I had to guess, maybe a bit older, and it doesn’t make me feel better about letting [name_f]Anya[/name_f] go off alone.
And he’s seriously… like, they don’t actually look much alike, if I really look. I don’t know what I could do about it, but-
Oh, that’s [name_f]Anya[/name_f].
Walking right up to them like a crazy person.
I can’t hear their conversation, but it’s not going too badly. I mean, [name_f]Anya[/name_f] looks pretty calm.
And then she shoves something at the boy and begins to scream.
Against all logic (which, in fairness, is Anya’s thing anyway), I’m on my feet within seconds, leaving our bags behind in favour of working out what just changed.
The sound is certainly a great attention-grabber — everybody is looking at them — and there are also adults on their way over.
Oh God, are you alright?" is the first thing out of Anya’s mouth when I almost crash into her, pulling her into a hug like nothing we’ve done before. I am scared, the fear chilling me right to my bones, and yet she is alright, and she is worried about me.
“What happened?”
“Logical ruse,” she whispers, so only I can hear, and then continues shouting.
I’m listening to words now, not just endless high-pitched shrieking, and they are as cold as the fear.
And I take a moment to study the boy (holding a WHSmith bag, which has to be what [name_f]Anya[/name_f] shoved at him), and the man, and both have very different expressions on their faces. The boy looks relieved, mostly, while the man is just… angry, I think, but it could be fear.
Which, honestly, I hope he’s scared. Because [name_f]Anya[/name_f] is yelling “Kidnapper!” and I’m sure that’s actually a police officer making their way over.
The man moves his hand towards his pocket, and again, I react, in a way that I never would normally.
I am a thinking sort of person, not a doing. This is Anya’s expertise, not mine, and yet I am moving.
Uh… yeah. [name_f]My[/name_f] sister and cousin seem mostly fine with it, and they’re in the age range it’s meant to be aimed at, so I guess I’m alright.
1 Like
Title: at least it’s all about you
Demographic: YA or potentially late teens (I haven’t decided if I’m including more “spicy” bits) most likely queer women.
Genre: YA romance
Medium: probably novel, maybe short story depending on my motivation level.
Characters: Main Characters: [name_f]Saffron[/name_f] [name_m]Colbert[/name_m], [name_f]Alexia[/name_f] Stoll. [name_m]Minor[/name_m] Character: [name_f]Laura[/name_f] Vasquez, [name_f]Olive[/name_f] [name_m]Cheng[/name_m], [name_u]Theo[/name_u] [name_m]Greene[/name_m], [name_u]Eli[/name_u] [name_m]Washington[/name_m]
Blurb: [name_f]Saffron[/name_f] Colbert’s senior year is going great. That is, until her biggest secret comes out. Suddenly her friends dump her, her debate team unanimously boots her off, and one of her only chances of a good future slips out of reach. [name_m]Little[/name_m] does she know that this whole fiasco leads her to team up with the one person who swore would never help her.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you guys like the names? They’re the one thing I’m constantly struggling with.
1 Like
Ooh this seems awesome
Title: The google doc is called Please Excuse Ash and Briar. They Have To Save The World. I’m not totally sold on that though. I usually just call it the Ash and Briar story.
Demographic/age group: Tweens/early teens. Probably a PG rating. There’s no swearing, although Taika comes close with her “Shi…taki mushrooms”. Melantha (my villain)'s plots are really dark and twisted and despair-focused, plus she’s had seventeen years trapped in a single moment to develop them, so things get pretty heavy and sad sometimes. A very traumatic event that didn’t actually happen kinda messes with Ash’s life.
Genre: Middle grade fantasy, definitely. It’s what I read, so it’s what I write. Although some of my ideas might be a bit dark…
Medium: Novel, I think a series, due to my large amount of IDEA that I can’t usually figure out how to express in a manner that makes sense.
Characters: My main characters are Ash and Briar Wood- they’re twins, 12 years old at the start of the story. They’re also demicreatures (basically everyone is- it means they can turn into specific animals and also have a half-animal form). Ash is a demiwolf, and Briar is a demicorn (demi-unicorn). Also important are Taika Amberflaw, an awesome time-traveling demicat and Melantha Amberflaw, my villain and Taika’s twin sister who was stuck in a Y time warp- physically, she’s 13 like Taika, but mentally 27. Other characters with names I like are Io Mia and Ivy Ra (Briar’s demicorn friends), Eleonora Whistlecheer (Briar’s group leader, who is so far from cheery that she would never be caught dead whistling), Strix and Corvus (minor characters who get more important later on- literally night and day and somehow also twins), and Juniper “Juno”, Rowan, and Mairiam Anderson (Juno is Briar’s school best friend).
Blurb: I came up with this on the spot so we’ll see how it goes…
Twins Ash and Briar are pretty confused. First, their new classmate, Taika, threw magic sand at them and now they’re demicreatures and can turn into a wolf and a unicorn respectively at will. Now, Taika’s telling them that they have to save the world. Not to mention, they’ll have to complete dangerous quests to find a magic sword that isn’t a sword before Taika’s evil twin sister uses it to destroy the world, not that they know what that’s supposed to mean either. And wait- there’s more. An ages-old prophecy about Sparklegirl and Shadowguy is apparently about Briar and Ash respectively, and Ash is going to have to decide whether he destroys the world instead while Briar tries to prevent said destruction at all costs. What they do know is this- their newfound abilities will be necessary to stave off the end of the world as we know it. And their talents, bravery, and friendship will be pushed to the brink. The fate of the world depends on a brother and sister from tiny Maple Tree, North Carolina, a time-travelling demicat girl named Taika, and their plans for the powerful Sword of Lilah Wren. Pressure, much? But they’ll make it work- they have to.
Excerpt: I’m gonna go with:
["M]y true appearance has a tail and ears because I’m a demicat.”
“A what?” Ash and Briar asked simultaneously.
“A demicat,” Taika repeated. “I can turn into a cat.”
“What? Is this a joke?” Briar asked again. Taika turned into a cat.
“Ah!” Ash shouted, surprised. Briar was also surprised- VERY SURPRISED!
Not the greatest but it gets the point across.
More stuff: Bad things happen to Ash a lot. Such as, every twelfth day of school, he nearly dies. Like, every single time. One of these so instances was a car crash, when Ash and Briar were nine. Their father died, and Ash came really close. Oddly enough, Briar was the one who both was relatively minimally injured, and ended up with a noticeable scar on her face- it’s her left cheek, from broken glass. Also, my teacher embroidered Briar’s unicorn form onto my favorite jacket, which I’m wearing right now, so that’s fun.
Advice: Is any of this too cliché? That’s my biggest worry. Also, some of this stuff seems too dark, like (SPOILER) Melantha making Ash think that Briar is dead so as for Ultimate Despair- Ash thinks Briar is dead, which is really traumatic for him and he basically just abandons life and people and anything except for sad Taylor Swift songs and cheese. Briar isn’t dead, but she’s hidden from view and so has to watch Ash and his despair, which in turn causes her to despair even more than Ash’s death would. Melantha knows that Briar would be so much sadder watching Ash in pain and being helpless than for Ash to just die, like that. So yeah, dark. (END SPOILER) Plus the car crash that killed their dad. I’m thinking about including a flashback chapter about it, but I’m not sure if nine-year-old Briar basically watching her dad’s death is exactly appropriate for middle grade. Okay, thanks!
1 Like
I love those names!
Title: Her Gasoline [name_f]Heart[/name_f]
Demographic: rated T for teens!
Genre: YA…magical realism?
Medium: [name_u]Novel[/name_u]
Characters: The main character is [name_f]Helen[/name_f] “Nell.” Her best friend is [name_f]Maisie[/name_f], her little siblings are [name_m]Louis[/name_m] and [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] “Minnie” Her boyfriend’s tentative name rn is [name_u]Rye[/name_u].
Blurb: When fifteen year old [name_f]Nell[/name_f] said she wants to watch the world burn, she didn’t mean it literally. She’s always had anger issues, but one day finds herself literally bursting into flame when provoked. With her anger more dangerous than ever, she can learn to control herself in healthier ways or give in and watch the destruction in her wake. It’s as much a liability as it is a super power. With her life falling apart as her best friend [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] abandons her for the mean girls, triggering old fears of abandonment dating back to her father, can [name_f]Nell[/name_f] keep her cool?
2 Likes
Ooh that sounds interesting! I don’t know that I personally would read it at the moment, but if I were more comfortable with more mature topics, I’d definitely pick it up.
1 Like
Watch me completely revamp my story lol
Title: no current working title, it’s literally just saved under “Story :)” in my docs
Demographic: Teens/YA, mainly because it talks about some less savory topics
Genre: Romance
Medium: proabably short story, maybe novel if i have motivation
Characters: my main characters are [name_f]Selina[/name_f] Olmsted and [name_f]Violet[/name_f] “Vi” [name_m]Preston[/name_m]. (Some) of my side characters are [name_u]Josie[/name_u] Dumont, [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_u]Park[/name_u], [name_m]Xavier[/name_m] Wynn-Davies and [name_u]Theo[/name_u] [name_m]Brown[/name_m]
Blurb: [name_f]Vi[/name_f] [name_m]Preston[/name_m] would do anything to cement herself as a prominent member of Clayton’s political structure. So when a less-than-pleasing marriage with some stuck up daughter of a businessman offers her the in she’s been looking for, she accepts without hesitation.
For [name_f]Selina[/name_f] Olmsted, a stubborn girl who prefers hanging around with her “street rat” friends instead of participating in the posh lifestyle of Clayton’s high-society, a political marriage is her final chance to stay in her family’s good graces (and the only life she’s ever known). Unfortunately for her, the girl she’s marrying is a total prick.
It’s not to well developed at the moment. Really just a lot of ideas and a few dialogue blurbs here and there. What do you guys think of it so far? Does the story seem compelling or should I raise the stakes more? And how do you feel about the character names? I’m never confident about them.
2 Likes
Tysm!