Second Ridge Publishing Summer 2025 Crowdwriting Challenge
The Second Ridge Publishing Summer of 2025 Crowdwriting Challenge
A living story written by the Second Ridge Publishing community – Now through Labor Day Weekend 2025
Welcome to the Second Ridge Publishing Summer of 2025 Crowdwriting Challenge ~ a creative experiment where readers become co-authors of a living, breathing story!
Here’s how it works:
From now through Labor Day Weekend (September 1, 2025), we’re building one continuous story in the comments of this post. It begins with a single paragraph written below, and you (yes, you!) are invited to add the next part.
The result? A community-written tale, with twists and turns shaped by the imagination of our readers. Once summer ends, we’ll polish the story and e-book, crediting each contributor by name or pseudonym.
READY? Subscribe NOW!
Why Join?
You’ll be part of something creative and collaborative.
It’s a fun writing warm-up for aspiring authors.
Your words will be published (with credit!) as part of our community project.
Ground Rules for Contributing
Only subscribers can comment. (Click here to Subscribe TODAY!)
One at a time: Wait until someone else contributes before posting again.
No AI-generated writing (no ChatGPT, Claude, etc.). Please use your own voice and creativity.
No plagiarism. Original content only.
Keep it clean. No swearing, graphic content, or offensive material.
Stay brief. 3–6 sentences per comment is the sweet spot.
Respect the flow. Stay on-genre and follow the story’s momentum.
Incentive & Publishing Note
All contributors who follow the rules will be listed as co-writers in the published version of the story.
The number of contributions does not matter so long as everyone has a chance to contribute. Please give others a chance before jumping in again.
By participating, you grant Second Ridge Publishing full rights to edit, publish, and distribute your contribution(s) in any format, with credit to you by name or pseudonym.
GENRE
Light mystery with magical realism. (imaginative yet grounded writing… think The Midnight Library meets Only Murders in the Building.)
Let’s Begin
The opening paragraph appears below. The first person to comment gets to write the very next lines of the story.
The package showed up on Ellen’s porch on the first morning of summer, wrapped in brown paper, sealed with wax, and addressed in handwriting she hadn’t seen in fifteen years. No return address. No postage. Just her name, and the familiar scent of lilacs.
Now it’s YOUR move. Add the next part below. Let’s see where this story takes us.
Happy Writing!
~ The Second Ridge Publishing Team
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We can’t wait to hear from you!
The Second Ridge Publishing Team
The package showed up on Ellen’s porch on the first morning of summer, wrapped in brown paper, sealed with wax, and addressed in handwriting she hadn’t seen in fifteen years. No return address. No postage. Just her name, and the familiar scent of lilacs.
Not sure if she was ready to go back down that road, Ellen walks back inside and falls into her favorite chair, holding the package close. She takes a moment to breathe in the familiar smell as the memories come rushing back. Memories she had spent the last few years running away from. A life she had left behind. Could this really be from him?
She did not want her hands to shake as she started to open the package. Frustration welled within her as the wax seal cracked, and she carefully peeled the paper away. Inside was one old photograph of them taken on Puget Sound, smiling like nothing bad had ever happened. Dried lilac and lavender spilled out into her lap. On the back of the photo, in his messy handwriting, were just two words: “Miss You”
Why now!? Why did he wait so long!? This was the effort she ask for all those years ago.