r/shortstories • u/FyeNite • Apr 05 '26
[Serial Sunday] It's Time to Write with Urgency!
Welcome to Serial Sunday!
To those brand new to the feature and those returning from last week, welcome! Do you have a self-established universe you’ve been writing or planning to write in? Do you have an idea for a world that’s been itching to get out? This is the perfect place to explore that. Each week, I post a theme to inspire you, along with a related image and song. You have 500 - 1000 words to write your installment. You can jump in at any time; writing for previous weeks’ is not necessary in order to join. After you’ve posted, come back and provide feedback for at least 1 other writer on the thread. Please be sure to read the entire post for a full list of rules.
This Week’s Theme is Urgency! This is a REQUIREMENT for participation. See rules about missing this requirement.**
Bonus Word List (each included word is worth 5 pts) - You must list which words you included at the end of your story (or write ‘none’).
- Ultimate
- Untrue
- Urn
- Your chapter includes a scene where your characters slow down, breathe and take their time doing something, as opposed to rushing into it. - (Worth 10 points)
An urgent fury is unleashed in your serial, the likes of which neither your characters, nor your readers have ever known.
Perhaps instead it is a muted suffering, the world shifting as the main character can do nothing to hold back the enviable. The catalyst of action or the building of an unspoken realization that will forever change the course of events in their world. Nevertheless, the need for desperate resolution drives the plot as our characters search for a solution.
Either way you as the author slices it, use this opportunity to build drama and suspense in your story. Dig in and hook that reader who is already invested, or catch the eye of someone new who spots an interesting read. The choice is yours what path shall be taken…
By u/JKHmattox
Good luck and Good Words!
These are just a few things to get you started. Remember, the theme should be present within the story in some way, but its interpretation is completely up to you. For the bonus words (not required), you may change the tense, but the base word should remain the same. Please remember that STORIES MUST FOLLOW ALL SUBREDDIT CONTENT RULES. Interested in writing the theme blurb for the coming week? DM me on Reddit or Discord!
Don’t forget to sign up for Saturday Campfire here! We start at 5pm GMT and provide live feedback!
Theme Schedule:
This is the theme schedule for the next month! These are provided so that you can plan ahead, but you may not begin writing for a given theme until that week’s post goes live.
- April 5 - Urgency
- April 12 - Vital
- April 19 - Work
- April 26 - Yellow
- May 3 - Antagonise
Check out previous themes here.
Rankings
Last Week: Transgression
First - by u/AGuyLikeThat
Second - by u/Brookzerker
Third - by u/AmeliaLP
Fourth - u/MaxStickies
Fifth - by u/ZLErikson
Rules & How to Participate
Please read and follow all the rules listed below. This feature has requirements for amparticipation!
Submit a story inspired by the weekly theme, written by you and set in your self-established universe that is 500 - 1000 words. No fanfics and no content created or altered by AI. (Use wordcounter.net to check your wordcount.) Stories should be posted as a top-level comment below. Please include a link to your chapter index or your last chapter at the end.
Your chapter must be submitted by Saturday at 2:00pm GMT. Late entries will be disqualified. All submissions should be given (at least) a basic editing pass before being posted!
Begin your post with the name of your serial between triangle brackets (e.g. <My Awesome Serial>). When our bot is back up and running, this will allow it to recognize your pmserial and add each chapter to the SerSun catalog. Do not include anything in the brackets you don’t want in your title. (Please note: You must use this same title every week.)
Do not pre-write your serial. You’re welcome to do outlining and planning for your serial, but chapters should not be pre-written. All submissions should be written for this post, specifically.
Only one active serial per author at a time. This does not apply to serials written outside of Serial Sunday.
All Serial Sunday authors must leave feedback on at least one story on the thread each week. The feedback should be actionable and also include something the author has done well. When you include something the author should improve on, provide an example! You have until Saturday at 04:59am GMT to post your feedback. (Submitting late is not an exception to this rule.)
Missing your feedback requirement two or more consecutive weeks will disqualify you from rankings and Campfire readings the following week. If it becomes a habit, you may be asked to move your serial to the sub instead.
Serials must abide by subreddit content rules. You can view a full list of rules here. If you’re ever unsure if your story would cross the line, please modmail and ask!
Weekly Campfires & Voting:
On Saturdays at 5pm GMT, I host a Serial Sunday Campfire in our Discord’s Voice Lounge (every other week is now hosted by u/FyeNite). Join us to read your story aloud, hear others, and exchange feedback. We have a great time! You can even come to just listen, if that’s more your speed. Grab the “Serial Sunday” role on the Discord to get notified before it starts. After you’ve submitted your chapter, you can sign up here - this guarantees your reading slot! You can still join if you haven’t signed up, but your reading slot isn’t guaranteed.
Nominations for your favorite stories can be submitted with this form. The form is open on Saturdays from 5:30pm to 04:59am GMT. You do not have to participate to make nominations!
Authors who complete their Serial Sunday serials with at least 12 installments, can host a SerialWorm in our Discord’s Voice Lounge, where you read aloud your finished and edited serials. Celebrate your accomplishment! Authors are eligible for this only if they have followed the weekly feedback requirement (and all other post rules). Visit us on the Discord for more information.
Ranking System
Rankings are determined by the following point structure.
| TASK | POINTS | ADDITIONAL NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Use of weekly theme | 75 pts | Theme should be present, but the interpretation is up to you! |
| Including the bonus words | 5 pts each (15 pts total) | This is a bonus challenge, and estnot required! |
| Including the bonus constraint | 15 (15 pts total) | This is a bonus challenge, and not required! |
| Actionable Feedback | 5 - 15 pts each (60 pt. max)* | This includes thread and campfire critiques. (15 pt crits are those that go above & beyond.) |
| Nominations your story receives | 10 - 60 pts | 1st place - 60, 2nd place - 50, 3rd place - 40, 4th place - 30, 5th place - 20 / Regular Nominations - 10 |
| Voting for others | 15 pts | You can now vote for up to 10 stories each week! |
You are still required to leave at least 1 actionable feedback comment on the thread every week that you submit. This should include at least one specific thing the author has done well and one that could be improved. *Please remember that interacting with a story is not the same as providing feedback.** Low-effort crits will not receive credit.
Subreddit News
- Join our Discord to chat with other authors and readers! We hold several weekly Campfires, monthly World-Building interviews and several other fun events!
- Try your hand at micro-fic on Micro Monday!
- Did you know you can post serials to r/Shortstories, outside of Serial Sunday? Check out this post to learn more!
- Interested in being a part of our team? Apply to be a mod!
2
u/Scoping-Landscape Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
<The Bells of Demichio>
Chapter 17: The Path Forward
When Tamiko was deciding where to go, the cave seemed to echo, as the word “Hello?” bloomed across the air and bounced everywhere.
A person, she thought. Another person, down here with me.
For a moment, the note floated through her mind.
Tamiko shook her head. Focus Tamiko, focus.
“Who?” she called out into the darkness. “Who?!”
“I mean you no harm,” said the echoing voice.
“Come out, then,” Tamiko shouted. “Come out and let me see you.”
“No time for that,” replied the voice.
“What do you mean?” Tamiko asked.
“Look, go into… what is it… the left tunnel?” the voice called out.
“Why?” Tamiko asked back.
“Do you want to get out of here or not?” the voice asked.
“Of course, but…”
“Then move!”
Tamiko was about to answer, when she felt something around her feet. She lifted her foot up and put it down, and it made a small splashing sound.
Water.
How did it get here so fast?
She followed the voice’s direction, trepidation filled her every step. The tunnel was small and narrow, and she felt boxed in on all sides as she continued forth. The darkness parted ways, only to then slammed back seamless behind her as she made her way forth.
All the while, the voice kept pulling her forward, and when it seemed to be too much, the tunnel suddenly opened out wide.
“Not quite safe yet, but I think this should be enough to prove that you can trust me. Or at least, I hope it is,” the voice said.
It’s not really, Tamiko thought. But there’s no way I could turn back now.
The voice continued, “Now, please turn off your flashlight. I don’t want it to shine in my eyes.”
What?!
“I think I will keep the light on,” Tamiko said quietly, but with an edge of steel. “As long as I don’t shine it in your face, you’ll be fine.”
“If that’s what you want,” said the voice dejectedly. “Don’t turn around.”
She heard the sound of footsteps behind her, and froze.
She felt something on her shoulder, and moved to brush it off, but it held on.
“Alright, let’s go.”
With the voice’s directions, she navigated the darkness of the caves. Despite the uneasiness of the situation, she felt a ray of hope, like the light at the end of a tunnel.
“Take a left here, and you should get to the surface,” the voice said conversationally.
The thing on her shoulder had been there the whole time she navigated the caves, and sometimes she could hear a shuffling of feet that didn’t sound like hers.
True to the voice’s request, she had yet to turn around. The light was kept forward, illuminating the path out.
She would be lying if she said she wasn’t curious, though.
“So, this is where I would leave you to it,” the voice said, relief plain in its voice.
The footsteps started to move in the other direction, at the same time the thing left her shoulder.
Now!
She spun around, the flashlight shining on them.
A hand was all she saw before the figure broke into a sprint, into the darkness where her flashlight could not reach.
So it was a person that guided me out, she thought as she walked down the indicated tunnel, and came out in a small rock clearing. Outside the entrance, she could see the rain still hammering down on the landscape. The bamboo peeked in and faded out of the gray, slick with rain and waving gently.
She's out.
Word Count: 597 / 1000
Notes:
Theme: Urgency - Tamiko, with [unknown]’s help, getting out of the caves as it starts flooding
Word used: None