Hello my lovelies, I hope you’re doing well! I’m poking out of my writing cave to share my current project, and to update you on a few writerly things. If this interests you, keep reading!
You’re probably wondering what about the Sci-Fi RomCom in the title of this update. If you’re new to my writing, allow me to tell you about a not-so-little writing challenge known as the Open Novella Contest (ONC), on Wattpad.
Quoted from the official ONC profile:
The goal of the Open Novella Contest is to challenge participants to write a novella between 20,000 and 40,000 words in twelve (12) weeks. Participants can enter the contest by writing their novella using one of the many prompts.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I have participated in the ONC every year since 2022. I have always been familiar with the challenge, I just didn’t join the band-wagon until the fourth year the contest ran.
2026 makes 5 years that I am participating. And I strongly feel like my writing has grown and gotten better each time. And side-note: Protecting Myrtle-Rose(2023) and A Spark of Childhood(2025) were both started during ONC challenges, but set aside when I realized which novellas I wanted to carry through to the end of the challenge. There are times when I open the unfinished files and read through the chapters I have, and I want to finish them. I want to find out what happens in the end. But for the time being, they remain on hold.
If you’re following me on The WriMo Blog, you know that back in August I shared my pre-mature excitement for the 2026 season of the ONC. Truth be told, back in January, I was very worried that the prompts wouldn’t be as good as previous years. And to be honest, the 2025 prompts didn’t WOW me the way 2024 and 2023 did. So, I was on the fence about participating.
Another reason I wasn’t sure about participating is, as mentioned in previous updates, because I’ve made it a habit to seek God’s will for each of my projects. I’m still a work in progress, but I trust Him. ♥
That said, when I read this year’s prompts, my excitement returned. They are so good this year. And unlike previous years when I put my favorites into a drawing hat or a PickerWheel, there was one prompt I kept going back to.
Creativity struck and hasn’t dwindled since. And every time I sit at my computer, I’ve whispered a short prayer for God to help me write. That He would guide my pen (or fingers on the keyboard) and that my writing would glorify Him.
How will a Sci-Fi RomCom glorify Him? By staying true to my writing style and not including any content that I shouldn’t. I’ve actually started to include a disclaimer in all of my projects when I share online, and I’m calling The Elijah Pledge.
Since I am writing for ONC2026, I’ve set Project TTAR to the side, and I will pick it back up in May-June. A Dance with Time is currently sitting on 15,000 words, moving into the second Act, and I’m loving it!
That’s all for today. If you’re not already, make sure you’re following/subscribed to The WriMo Blog Substack. That is where I am sharing all of my challenge updates.
