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. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ # This week it’s all about:The Darkest Moment This week may be one of the most relatable moments in a story, large or small. The Darkest Moment, otherwise known as the Dark Night of the Soul, is where soul searching takes center stage. This is the moment your hero is beaten, It’s looking in the mirror and seeing an ugly truth. Everything hinges on this moment, and how low it lays your protagonist. They’ve lost hope, and . If there was any appropriate time to have a pity party, . Our heroes are taking stock of their circumstances, and I gotta tell ya, it ain’t pretty. Now’s a good time to start . The Darkest Moment for our characters should reference their stated goals, and overall tone of the story. If your overarching theme is about magical friendships, this installment should show us where the breakdown of relationships threaten that magical, noble goal of harmonious . Make us feel that breakdown when your protagonist sits in their house alone . Even in the coziest of stories a Darkest Moment should be a moment we take a step back to really consider how far a character has come in their story. If your story is about hope, this dark moment may have a glimmer of beauty, a silver lining you can use in the following installment to help your characters dust themselves off and . On the other hand, in the darkest timelines this element may be your character’s undoing-- this could be the night at the bottom of a bottle . This installment should place the ultimate doubt in your reader’s minds about and remind us of what’s really important to this plot. **Things to think about this time around:** For re-invigoration and victory to happen there needs to be a way forward for your characters, whether they know it or not. They’re gettin’ their butts handed to them in this plot, and it’s looking grim. Are your characters sufficiently aware of their predicament? Is there a greater power ? If so, this may be your antagonist’s time to shine. Remind us of why this antagonist is such a threat. . Are your characters lovers or fighters? Show us how desperate or . I look forward to everyone’s Dark Night of the Soul moment. See you on Saturday! **\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*** **You have until \*next\* Saturday, 10/17, 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 Storm: **Fan favorite with the most votes:** /r/Ragnulfr, for switching the script on us with a big reveal for our little goblin friend. This week the **Smoking Hot Challenge Sash** goes to an author that nailed the spirit of the assignment: /u/Ryter99, with a story that stepped out of the normal comedy comfort zone but still nailed the assignment with a couple tasty burns for those in Jamsen’s path. And honorable mentions: /u/mobaisle_writing’s installment embodied what it means to feel like we’re in the eye of the storm this week with a showdown of powerful magic. And /u/ChineseArtist, who embraced the uncertainty of the storm with throwing us right into the action. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ **The Rules:** * In the comments below submit a story that is between **500 - 750** 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: **Raised Stakes** Have you seen the? No? Oh boy! Here's the current cycle's challenge schedule.