National Novel Writing Month Rules Novels & Stories

I was the top engineer at the National Deep-Sea Institute—and the only person in the world with real deep-sea rescue experience. When my younger brother's submarine went down and he called for help from 35,000 feet below, I hung up on him. Then, calm and unhurried, I went straight to the police station and turned myself in for leaking classified research data. A few minutes later, my father called, furious. "Your brother's life is hanging by a thread—where the hell are you?! I demand you to get to the site and save him right now, or you won't see a single penny of the family fortune!" I pulled the blanket over myself and said into the phone, perfectly composed, "Busy. Don't bother me—I'm trying to sleep."

Rhea Hale, a young art restorer at the old Elaria gallery, lives a life of near-perfect calm—canvases, colors, and classical symphonies that fill her every day. But when she touches a mysterious painting titled The Moon Painting, something inside her begins to shift. Strange visions, eyes watching from the fog, and wild emotions she can't explain slowly start to unravel her peaceful world. Across the city, Kaelan Viero—the national hockey team’s captain—carries the charm and composure of a champion. But beneath the arena lights and public spotlight, there's a side of him he never shows… until his eyes lock with a stranger’s in the stands. That brief moment sparks something long buried. And from then on, neither of their lives remains the same. "One glance started it all. And after that... there was no turning back."

I was the top engineer at the National Deep-Sea Research Center, and the only person in the world with experience in deep-sea rescue. When my sister’s submarine malfunctioned and was stranded ten thousand meters below the surface, I hung up on her distress call. Then I calmly walked into a police station and turned myself in for leaking classified research. A few minutes later, my father called. His voice was frantic and furious. “Your sister is missing. Where the hell are you? I’m ordering you to get to the site immediately and save her, or you won’t see a cent of the family inheritance!” I calmly pulled the blanket over my head and said into the phone, “I don’t have time, and you’re interrupting my sleep.”

Fresh out of the National Research Institute, I loaded up on my wife's favorite snacks and ordered a vibrant bouquet of roses, eager to surprise her. I stashed the treats in her office, then stepped out to grab the flowers. But in those fleeting minutes, a stranger had ripped open every package and devoured everything. I glared at him. "Who gave you permission to touch those?" He shot me a look of pure disdain. "Buzz off, flower boy. Drop your crap and scram!" The secretary at the door snickered. "You heard the man. He's Ms. Bowman's husband. Better run before he leaves a bad review." I pulled out my phone and called my wife. "Who is this guy in your office?"

After joining the nation's top research lab as a sophomore, everyone assumes I've taken shortcuts to get there. Mom throws away the handmade gift I had spent days crafting and says with disdain, "I don't have a daughter who's this shameless." Andreas Fitzgerald, my fiance, doesn't hold back, either. He warns coldly, "Remember your place as Mrs. Fitzgerald." Later, when my younger sister, Elaine Wilde, destroys my left hand, they all pressure me to drop the matter. I wake up in the hospital, pain crawling up my arm, and I know exactly what I have to do. Without hesitation, I dial my mentor, George Landon's, number. "I'm ready to join the classified national rocket program."

"Hey mister, can I ask you for a favor?" A lady asked with her sweet and intoxicating voice, causing the man who was walking, to turn around and stare at the young lady. "Can you be my boyfriend for just one month, and I promise to pay you handsomely." Cecelia said smiling. **** Cecelia is an upcoming actress. Her parents had threatened to choose a suitor for her if she didn't hasten her steps and find one for herself... Edward is a founder of Charles diamond company who agreed to be Cecelia's fake boyfriend for a month not because he feels like, but because his parents were also planning on looking for a lady for him. Edward has had a traumatic experience during his childhood, which causes him to shut his mouth, as he goes through different attacks, unaware that it would lead to him being unable to talk. When their plans start to unravel will Cecelia fall in with her parents' plans? When feelings get involved will things still work out as they planned?

“Calder wanted to divorce. But I got him to agree to something crazy first.” My friend Lena's brows lift. “What is it?” “One last month,” I say. “I am going to really have him… as his real wife.” Her eyes widen and she grins. “He agreed to be your husband… in every way?” Three years ago, my husband Calder was supposed to marry my sister. On the wedding week, she vanished. So, I became the replacement bride. But Calder never saw me as a woman, just Yara’s little sister. We live like roommates while I pine for him. “Mia, you do know what you’re doing? Yes? I’m worried you’re going to get hurt,” Lena says plainly. “I’m not a child anymore, this is my choice.” She searches my face. “And after the month?” “I’ll move forward,” I say. “With or without him.”

By month four of my IVF treatments, my husband's childhood sweetheart posted a picture of herself cradling her baby bump. The caption? [Having a happy ending with my first love. A family of three.] And there he was—his hand in the shot, making a cutesy heart with hers. Oh, and the cherry on top? He was still wearing his wedding ring.

Mia has no idea what she is in for when she gets a job working with her favorite player, Mathew Rossi.

"Holding out for a hero? Eh, not so much. Felicity Hart doesn’t have the time or inclination for love. She’s too busy working her butt off to complete her Master’s Degree. So what is she doing at a Halloween party dressed like a Cinderella-wanna-be when she could be home studying?—or better yet, sleeping. Oh, God, yes. Sleeping Beauty had the best idea. What’s the worst that could happen if she catches a quick nap in the host’s bedroom? Well… Caught by the panty-dropping homeowner, Jared, her first instinct—aside from dying of embarrassment—is to run, but her sexy prince convinces her there’s no need to rush off into the night. There’s plenty of room in his bed for two. When she wakes up the next morning wrapped around him like a vine on Rapunzel’s tower, it’s not just her shoe she leaves behind, but her whole dress—and maybe, just maybe, a tiny sliver of her heart. With a little help from friends, Jared tracks down his runaway princess so he can return her dress. Over lunch they discover have much more in common than just sexual attraction. Jared might be a workaholic attorney, but his fun side is ready and willing to play…in the hot tub, in the shower…He’s the kind of man Felicity never thought existed: A damn good man with a bad boy’s soul.But can a fairy tale romance survive when the pressures of real life interfere? Or is happily-ever-after just make-believe? Legally Charming is created by Lauren Smith, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author."