text: # Happy Saturday, serialists! Welcome to Serial Saturday! \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ ***New here?*** If you’re brand new to and thinking about participating in Serial Saturday, welcome! Feel free to dip your toes in by writing for this challenge or any others we have listed on the handy dandy! We appreciate all contributions made to this thread, and all submissions are of course welcomed, whether it addresses a previous challenge or the current one. We hope you enjoy your time in the community! Take a look at our inaugural Serial Saturday post for some helpful tips. You don’t need to catch up by writing for each of the previous assignments, feel free to jump right in wherever fits for you, with whatever assignment or theme fits for you, and post it on the current thread with a link to whichever previously posted challenge you chose to start with. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Hey all, sorry for the delay in getting last week's results up, I'm a bit under the weather but I hope that some extra news at the bottom of this writeup can make all well. =) # This week it’s all about: Victors Well, we’ve done it, people. We made it to the penultimate beat for our stories. It’s been a wild ride, and not without costs. Victory can be subjective. Now is the time to think about those goals/wants/needs that we established in Act One. Protagonists don’t always get to “win”-- sometimes it really is all about characters getting what they need, or something more valuable. As we wrap up these beats, consider the setup and promise of the premise we spent time on earlier in this series. This week’s beat is one I know we’re all familiar with so I won’t belabor the point \*too\* much. What does it mean to have victory? Does this change of the winds affect your character’s outlook, or facets of their personality? Do they come out of this smelling like roses, or with a couple battlescars? I hear chicks dig battle scars and roses. Tough call. Just a couple things to think about for this installment: Did your protagonists reach their goals? Did their goals change? Same question goes for their wants and needs. Are all those things still important? At the end of this installment is there ? What’s the most important feeling your character is experiencing at this moment? What do they smell, that they’ll never forget that scent again? What does victory taste like? , or the sweet taste of homemade apple pie, or a and a glass? What are the flavors they may or may not be savoring? The sound of a gunbattle still ringing in their ears, , or the ? Bring us into this moment. The time is nigh. Show us what victory looks like. **\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*** **With the ranks whittling down as we close in on our final chapters, a boon has been granted from the writing gods on high! I give you:** ***FIFTY! FIFTY MORE WORDS PER INSTALLMENT!*** *(insert The Count chuckling here.)* **That’s right, folks. For the last four chapters you now may write \*up to 800\* words for the rest of the beats. I hope that helps wrap some precious words up, make ‘em count!** **You have until \*next\* Saturday, 11/7, to submit and comment on everyone else's stories here. Make sure to check back on this thread periodically to lay some sweet, sweet crit down on those who don't have any yet!** \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* # Top picks from last week’s assignment, The Second Wind: **Fan favorite with the most votes:** /u/ATIWTK\*\*, with a beautifully crafted ending that complimented the writing style down to the final lines. Well done, Oeri!\*\* This week the **Smoking Hot Challenge Sash** goes to an author that nailed the spirit of the assignment: /u/Kammerice, who continues to keep us endeared to the story of the marshal and a case that's now personal. And two honorable mentions: /u/mobaisle_writing, with a story that just upped the stakes and showed us what kind of people his protagonists are up against. And /u/Mazinjaz, for continuing to heat up Act 3 with a character digging down to find the grit for a second wind. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ **The Rules:** * In the comments below submit a story that is between **500 - 800** words in your own original universe. * Submissions are limited to ***one*** serial submission from each author per week. * **Each author should comment on at least 2 other stories** during the course of the week. * That comment must include ***at least one*** **detail** about what the author has done well. * Authors who successfully finish a serial lasting longer than 8 installments will be featured with a modpost recognizing their completion and a flair banner on the sub. * Authors are eligible for this highlight post only if they have followed the 2 feedback comments per thread rule. *Yes, we will check*. * While content rules are more lax here at /r/ShortStories, we’re going to roll with the loose guidelines of "vaguely ***family friendly***" being the rule of thumb for now. If you’re ever unsure if your story would cross the line, feel free to modmail! \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Reminders: * Make sure your post on this thread also includes links to your previous installments if you have a currently in-progress serial. Those links must be direct links to the previous installment on the preceding Serial Saturday post or to your own subreddit/profile. * Authors that complete a serial with 8 or more installments get a fancy banner and modpost to highlight their stories. * Saturdays we will be hosting a Serials Campfire on the main voice lounge. Join us to read your story aloud, hear other stories, and share your own thoughts on serial writing! We start on Saturdays at 9AM CST. **Don’t worry about being late, just join!** There’s a *Super Serial* role on the Discord server, so make sure you grab that so you’re notified of all Serial Saturday related news! **Join the** **to chat with prompters, authors, and readers!** Previous constraint: **The Second Wind** Have you seen the? No? Oh boy! Here's the current cycle's challenge schedule.