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 Perfection!

Image | Song

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’).
– parade
– passive
– ponder
– picturesque

Perfection. A word meaning that something is without defects or flaws. But what even is a “flawless” state? Is it something that is even attainable?

How do your characters react when faced with the possibility of perfection? Do they search for it in themselves, in their work? Where drives them towards perfection? Does it come from within, from an endless desire to mold something into a more perfect state of being? Or perhaps does it come from without, an outside pressure, a feeling that they will never be able to meet expectations unless they themselves are perfect? How does this quest for perfection affect their relations to other characters? Does their search consume them, leaving burned bridges and broken relationships littered behind them? Or does their connection with another encourage them to look into themselves and ask themself why they even cared about perfection in the first place, maybe even coming to accept their imperfections? This week, let’s explore the imperfect perfections and the perfect imperfections in your stories.(Blurb written by u/wandering_cirrus).

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 1pm EST and provide live feedback!

Theme Schedule:

• September 22 – Perfection (this week)
• September 29 – Quaint
• October 6 – Revelation

 
Previous Themes | Serial Index
 

Rankings

Last Week: Obscure

• First – by u/AGuyLikeThat
• Second – by u/MeganBessel
• Third – by u/Nate-Cone
• Fourth – by u/MaxStickies
• Fifth – by u/ZachTheLitchKing

Rules & How to Participate

Please read and follow all the rules listed below. This feature has requirements for participation!

• 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 9:00am EST. 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 serial 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 11:59pm EST 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 1pm EST, I host a Serial Sunday Campfire in our Discord’s Voice Lounge. 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. You can sign up here

• Nominations for your favorite stories can be submitted with this form. The form is open on Saturdays from 12:30pm to 11:59pm EST. 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.
   

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Ranking System

Rankings are determined by the following point structure.

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!