I think escalating it from ghost to ghost (can they be trick or treaters by his door?) some goal from story to story in order to resolve the issue before a deadline (Halloween morning?) could be good, because otherwise, you will be resolving each story and it’s hard to keep reading when you see a story resolution. Or, maybe, like a Groundhog day, same story but different choices. Or he has to figure out which story gets lets him free an innocent soul (a mistake is costly?)
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Hmmm. Groundhog day but as Halloween? Sounds interesting.
So maybe it keeps replaying until he learns his lesson?
Previous years there were ONC prompts that would’ve worked with this concept. Fingers crossed this year we get good ones.
I was reading about Dziady, and damn, it’s long. First time it’s ever been staged in theater in full, it took 14 hours!
I shouldn’t be surprised though. This author is most famous for writing an epos which is essentially a Tolkien-sized novel in a poem form. Brevity wasn’t his forte.
There are 4 parts to Dziady.
Part 2 sounds most familiar, I think that’s the one we read in school (a ritual calling different ghosts).
Part 4 is like a tragic love story. Sounds interesting but I’m not a fan of tragedies so I’m not sure if I want to tackle it.
Part 3 sounds too political. I’m not in the mood for that.
Part 1 was never finished.
So I might focus just on part 2.
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I hope you will have fun with that!
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Looking at the nonexistent readership on everything other than my fanfics, I’m even more so looking forward to ONC.
It’s such a dopamine rush when suddenly people read and comment.
I really want this year to work out. Less than two weeks left! Who’s hyped?
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I’m honestly stuck in this state of wanting to write but also not wanting to dive into something until the prompts release so I can focus on one project.
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Yes. I’m trying to finish my project asap so it’s not holding me back. I want to be able to dive right in when the prompts come out.
If none of them inspire me, honestly, I don’t know what I’ll work on instead. Lots of choices but I’ve been hyping myself for onc so I’m not into them. I’ll think about that when the time comes.
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Hi everyone. I am new to wattpad and this forum and thought I’d stop in and say hello. I write and read full time pretty much so if anyone wants to drop their @ for wattpad so I can follow and read some of your works, I would love that! I heard about the ONC and read up a bit on it. I am working on a project right now and wonder if it’s worth to try and participate in this year’s ONC or if it might be too much on my plate to do that as well as continue writing a chapter a week on my current WIP. Has anyone done ONC while working on their WIP at the same time? Is it realistic to try and do?
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Overall, ONC has a relaxed schedule, so if you are writing full time you can pull it off by scheduling days to work on one or another. That’s said, I find that ONC is better enjoyed fully, as in joining ONC clubs, reading other people’s ONCs, getting yours read… which means writing a bit more in the first and second months, so you have chapters to share through the club and using third month to get that feedback used to finish, polish and drop the pen. However, that’s me, and I totally encourage you to try and find your own way to enjoy ONC. It’s an annual event and skipping it for a WIP you can work on for the rest of the year is a bit wasteful. Like, you can always drop out of it if it’s not your thing or if prompts are not speaking to you this year.
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I am going to just finish one more chapter and tie off my WIP to take a breather before ONC.
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ONC is a great way to connect with other authors and start to build a network on Wattpad (which I found to be one of the greatest benefits of the site: all the friends found along the way) so for a new user I think it’s definitely a good idea to participate if you can swing it :). I will probably also work on my WIP at the same time this year (although my hope is that I can finish that story during February and then focus wholeheartedly on ONC) so I’m kind of in the same dilemma. But I feel like community of ONC is worth the extra effort, if you’re the type of writer who can juggle several stories (I’m not really, but I can do it in a clutch) and produce at least a chapter of each every week (that I think I can do). Just be careful with the steep inclines in word goals for the later part of ONC so you don’t en up having to write like 20k in a week or so…
(I’m lisa_london_ on WP by the way)
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Good points here. I would say, that shopping for a club that you like during ONC is also a great idea.
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Thank you for the advice! How do I find clubs for ONC? I do think I will give it a swing since I am new with more or less a bare profile on wattpad. I would love to join communities that participate in it, though I have no idea how to start other than this forum right here.
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I’ve followed you!
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Hey, so I saw your post and congrats on joining ONC. I saw your question and I can try and help you out and give you a few answers:
It’s not exactly a club, but here is the official ONC page on Wattpad:
You can check out their page, and follow people who have started conversations there, or just ask them some questions, or have a general look at past winners’ entries.
They also have an “information book” of sorts related to the contest, that can be found here:
(Just don’t forget to add it to your library for updates).
This should give you a start on the contest, and the rules and what it’s about.
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Thank you! I am doing as much research as I can about it… I must say, I’m a bit nervous. Any tips for the ONC?
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I’d personally recommend only doing one story for ONC (aka not entering more than one book). Because of the deadline it can be very hard to keep up with it at times just with one book.
If you have more than one idea for a book from the prompts write them all down (the ideas and prompt) and try to write at least 100 words (of the first chapter) for each idea. The one you have the most inspiration for I would choose as your ONC project and shelve the others for later.
Definitely, set a reminder for when the first round ends and a timer or something to remind you to submit your book before the deadline.
Include your main prompt in the blurb of the book. A lot of people want to see how others did the same prompt as them or as other writers.
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Have fun with it! I feel like that’s the main thing. There will only be one grand winner but everyone participating can win by enjoying the process and connecting with other authors. The fun part of ONC is to write that story you never had imagined you would write and seeing it take shape during the contests.
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Read other’s stories. I don’t really do clubs (as I don’t like critique while I’m still writing a story and I also don’t like feeling forced to read certain stories) but I try to pick up stories I think look interesting (and of course I read many stories from people I have come to consider friends). Since many others do the same, it’s very possible that some authors will check out your stories if you checked out their. Check the #ONC2023 tag for stories to begin with or maybe check the profile’s of people commenting in the ONC book (or the list of qualifiers later on). Comments at that stage are usually expected to be “reaction comments” (basically you as a reader reacting to the events of the story and perhaps a few words about what you feel the author did well, like “I love the way you describe the nature of this place!”) rather than critique of the story (a lot of people don’t appreciate such comments while a story is still taking shape and they may have specific trusted readers they go to for such feedback). (Pointing out spelling errors is usually fine, but again, the author may not be at a stage of writing where they feel like that is what they need to focus on)
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Write ahead of the deadlines. Just cause the first deadline is 2k doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to have more than that by that date (it just means the judges won’t read more for that round). To be able to craft a full story where the ending doesn’t feel rushed I feel like it’s important to keep an even pace throughout the story, so you don’t have to hustle the last few weeks to cobble together an ending. Making a basic outline is great to know where in the story you’re at and how much further you have to go (I used a basic Save The Cat beatsheet for my story last year and I think it worked quite well).
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Hey there! Welcome 
I’ve only done ONC once, but the most helpful thing for me was having a writing friend/group I could do word sprints with. They’re a great way of pressuring you into abandoning your inner critic and writing as much as you can in a short period of time, and it’s super helpful with getting first drafts down. I can say they’re probably the only reason why I was able to get my novella finished in time 
so I’d recommend doing them if you’re tight on time or feeling a little too self-critical of your story! (And if our schedules ever align, I’m more than happy to do some with you!)
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They will pop up as soon as ONC starts. Big communities like Dreamland usually put one up.
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As others have said, ONC can be really good fun, but it can get a bit overwhelming, especially if (like me, last year) write more than one story for it.
If you’re used to juggling several stories, then you should be fine.
Definitely keep your eye out for the communities who help people through ONC and give some amazing support.
Good luck!
(Oh, and my @‘s for my accounts on WP (I have 2 
) are @Kymeraent and @JanGoesWriting)
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