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: Raised Stakes *This time,* *.* Folks, we are officially at . Remember our friend Bill, from our post for The Event That Changes Everything? This week Bill has to deal with the fact his moral enemy in his office, Frank, landed the Regional Manager position, and Frank is looking to ‘trim the fat’. It’s personal when Frank starts making his wishlist of fired employees and Bill is at the top of that list. It’s not an accident when that list is left in plainview in the conference room. Can Bill smooth things over with upper management while burying Frank? The raising of stakes is the midpoint of your story-- your characters are started down a new path sometimes without even realizing it. This is where your story really picks up with faster paced elements and . If you’re writing action, this is where you can imagine Keep that clock in the back of your mind as we accelerate towards big reveals, and situations hitting too close to home for our characters. For this brief, I’ll turn it over to ’s explanation, found on her website: >Raised stakes are all about consequences-- what are the consequences that kick in for the protagonist. > >Good stories show us the stakes in two parts: WHAT will happen, and WHY it matters. > >Both threats and obstacles can make the situation worse, and while good and important methods for developing the plot and increasing the tension of our story, they’re not necessarily the same thing as stakes. So let’s talk more about what it means to amp up the stakes in our story. > >What Does “Stakes” Mean? > >Stakes are the consequences for failing to rise to new challenges. If your protagonist doesn't reach their goal, what will happen? > >Stakes force the characters to make riskier and riskier choices. In turn, those choices will take the characters closer to the ultimate showdown with the main conflict. ## What if Our Story Isn’t Life and Death? How Can We Raise the Stakes? Let’s take a look at a classic, : In P&P our raised stakes occur when Mr Darcy tracks down Elizabeth and tells her the truth of his affections. Elizabeth is both taken aback by this sudden declaration. He does it poorly, while opening up an argument of the inferiority of her family, citing their behavior. That’s... not the way to win hearts, y’all. Finally, Darcy also explains that Mr Wickham is a bad dude. Particularly since Elizabeth was rather taken with George Wickham, this news comes as both a surprise and sinking of the stone in Ms. Bennet’s heart. So back to the question. What can we do to ? Complicate things. Cross some wires and give us Level up your antagonist- Looks like Dr Death just got a lot more deadly with his new Death Ray 2000! Maybe your antagonist is just the office jerk, but he’s the guy who seems to have a chokehold on your MC’s happiness at the workplace. Increase internal conflict- bring on the pain with a good ol’ tug of war of. Increase external conflict- throw away those matching BBF bracelets and face the betrayal in the eyes of a loved one,. When It Rains, It Pours- kick it up a notch with inclement weather, or an But just in the case you want to \*add\* some life and death elements: Light the Fuse, Literally- Force some drama, as long as it’s plausible. Do your characters need a push in the right direction? Works great on mountains and stubborn mules! **\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*** **You have until \*next\* Saturday, 10/3, 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, Point of No Return: **Fan favorite with the most votes:** /u/Lady_Oh, with a beautiful ending to her fairytale-like serial world, which drew to a close with the knowledge her characters could not return. This week the **Smoking Hot Challenge Sash** goes to an author that nailed the spirit of the assignment: /u/lynx_elia, for thickening the plot and showing us some things her character can’t un-see. And honorable mentions: /u/Ryter99, for pushing forward this veritable fluff-driven party with the fury of a thousand buns.... Err, Bundarr. And /u/ATIWTK, for showing that when there’s no return, it could spark a journey that is just the beginning. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ **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: **Point of No Return** Have you seen the? No? Oh boy! Here's the current cycle's challenge schedule.