Minisaga
A minisaga, mini saga or mini-saga is a short story based on a long story. It should contain exactly 50 words, plus a title of up to 15 characters. However, the title requirement is not always enforced and sometimes eliminated altogether. Minisagas are alternately known as microstories, ultra-shorts stories, or fifty-word stories.
The form was invented by writer Brian Aldiss and the newspaper The Daily Telegraph, which has held several minisaga competitions, as has BBC Radio 4.
Uses
[edit]Minisagas are used in business, as an educational tool,[1] a creative outlet, and a source of entertainment. They are not poems, but rather "bite-sized lessons for life and business".[2] They are often used to stimulate creativity, stretch one's thinking, determine the essential elements of a story, or enhance discipline in writing. They often attempt to be funny or surprising.
Below is an example by author Daniel H. Pink:[3]
When I was shot, fear seized me at first. No surprise that. But once I realized I wasn't going to die – despite the thermonuclear pain and widening puddle of weirdly warm blood – my mind recalibrated. And one thought, comforting yet disturbing, leapt into my head: I need to Tweet this.
There is a limited publishing market for minisagas, but minisaga contests are sometimes held by various publishers or websites, and a dedicated market for "50-word stories" exists at FiftyWordStories.com, with payments available for each month's strongest story.
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "MINI-SAGAS". British Council. Archived from the original on 2010-07-29.
- ^ Rajesh Setty. "Mini Saga". Rajesh Setty.
- ^ "Are you ready for the 50-word challenge?". Daniel H. Pink. 24 March 2009.
- Aldiss, Brian. Mini-Sagas: From the Daily Telegraph Competition 2001. Enitharmon, 2001. ISBN 978-1-900564-77-9
External links
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