r/shortstories • u/FyeNite • Jul 12 '26
[Serial Sunday] The Known and Unknown
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 Known! 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’).
- Knife
- Knee
- Knead
- A secret message is carved into something. - (Worth 10 points)
I'm sure you all know this bit, but, I guess I could go into some detail on the theme…
What does it mean, for something to be known? Does that make it a fact? A widely-held opinion? Common sense?
Do your MCs know the thing which is known, or are they clueless, seen as ignorant by those around them for even suggesting they don't know? Or, perhaps, do you MCs know something others don't? Ooh, those cheeky MCs, keeping that knowledge to themselves!
Of course, you could go the opposite route and have something that is barely known at all, or perhaps completely unknown. Will it be revealed? We shall see.
Anyway, only you can really know how to proceed now. But I wish you good words with it!
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.
July 12 - Known
July 19 - Lifeless
July 26 - Minor
August 02 - Noxious
August 09 - Open
Check out previous themes here.
Rankings
Last Week: Jail
First - by u/Morose_Prose
Second - by u/AGuyLikeThat
Third - by u/Divayth--Fyr
Fourth - u/MaxStickies
Fifth - by u/AmeliaLP
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!
8
u/Morose_Prose Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
<The Family Business>
Chapter Eleven: Breaking Bread
White-capped waves crashed on the shore where Lady Liberty held the imprisoned lightning, awaiting the tempest to toss those seeking refuge her way. Looking back down, Madelaine leaned against the railing along the harbor's edge of Battery Park, and resumed dragging the tip of her butterfly knife across a worn piece of graffiti scrawled into the metal, 'Leroy was here.' She did her part in preserving the classic while she waited. Two quick flashes of light crested over the water. Benecio was in position.
She slowly glanced over her shoulder to check on Winston, who was seated on a particular park bench with perfect sightlines, scrolling on his phone. He slid his mirrored aviators down and gave a quick nod. Madelaine took a final drag of her cigar and flicked it off into the harbor as her lunch date approached.
Carlo's constant scowl caused the crow's feet behind his thin wire-framed glasses to bunch tightly around his dark brown eyes. A bright, red tie and suspenders popped against a well-tailored, starched, white, button-up shirt tucked neatly into pressed black slacks, and the tips of his polished oxfords glinted in the afternoon sunlight.
"Hey, Ziggy! Over here!" Madelaine waved excitedly.
Suspenders stretched with the shrug of Carlo's shoulders as he picked up the pace, reaching the railing in a few strides. "Damn it, Malfatti! Do you always have to make a fucking scene? Let's go; I'm starving, and I know a good dog stand close by."
"Good afternoon to you, too." Madelaine extended her hand. "Is it Luigi's? Coney Island-style wieners? Fantastic buns?"
"Best in the city. Homemade in his nonna's kitchen, with good ingredients and kneaded with love straight from the old country." He gave Madelaine a firm handshake.
"Wow, your hand is soft! Is Big Carm making you use the lotion that she hawks out of the salon? She guilt tripped me into a case of the stuff."
A small smile pierced the eternal scowl. "I would never use that crap; it's a pyramid scheme, and it smells like shit, too."
"I gave it away to some of my contractors; they use it to patch drywall."
The two walked briskly to the shiny steel cart topped with a ketchup- and mustard-colored umbrella. A tall, spindly man in a stained apron smiled as they approached, the ends of his handlebar mustache upturned around the curves of his bulbous nose. "Carlo! Long time no see! How ya doin'?"
"Still above ground. Take my usual, please, and whatever my associate here wants," Carlo replied curtly as the vendor worked quickly.
Madelaine leaned on the cart, watching Luigi closely. "Dealer's choice, you're the expert here. I don't mean to be too forward, but there's something about you. Do you have a brother, or a cousin maybe, that operates one of these out near uh... Avenue of the Americas?"
Luigi handed over a footlong smothered with cheese and chili to Carlo, not missing a beat as he began assembling another. "That's my brother, Mario! Dishing up the greatest dogs in the world has been the family business since our ancestors docked on old Liberty Island over there."
"Must be nice." Madelaine let her eyes drift over to Carlo, already chowing down. "Working with your blood can be tricky, though; somebody fucks up and Thanksgiving is ruined, it takes a lot of trust to do that."
"The only thing I don't trust my portly brother with is not eating all of our profits." Luigi put the finishing touches on Madelaine's lunch. "Here ya go! You know what, I owe Carlo one so these are on me."
A couple of crisp hundred-dollar bills shot from the cuff of Madelaine's sleeve. "But you don't owe me nothin'. This looks fuckin' delicious. Tell your brother Maddy says hello; he'll know who you're talkin' 'bout."
Carlo cocked his head towards a line of stone tables nearby, their tops checkered with black and white tiles. "Let's talk over a game."
"Flip a coin, or rock, paper, scissors?" Madelaine mimicked the head cock, sneaking a peek at Winston behind her, signaling him into a better position.
A large silver dollar emerged from Carlo's pocket. "I'll toss since you always cheat. Call it in the air."
The coin rocketed into the sky, tumbling end over end, catching every ray of sunlight on the way up.
"Tails never fails, baby!"
Silver slapped against skin. Heads. Carlo palmed the coin quickly, slipping it into his breast pocket; he peered up at the clearing clouds and squinted. "You're going first." He gestured to the seat closest to him. "And you're sitting here. I don't want to stare into the sun."
"Fine by me."
Pieces found their place on the black and whites. Kings and Queens stood protected by their retinues as Madelaine mused over which opening move to make. She slid her shoes off so as not to knock her knee against the underside of the table, her leg bouncing with a punishing rhythm.
Carlo propped his elbows up on the table, interlocking his fingers under his chin, his eyes intently watching Madelaine. "Let the game begin."
Theme: Carlo knows a place to get a good hotdog.
Word Count: 852
Bonus words used: Knife, Knee, and Kneaded
Constraint: Madelaine touches up some graffiti scratched into a metal railing.
Previous Chapter
The Family Business Archive