Minisaga

A minisaga, mini saga or mini-saga is a short piece of writing containing exactly 50 words, plus a title of up to 15 signs. 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 idea was originally invented by writer Brian Aldiss and the newspaper The Daily Telegraph, which has held several minisaga competitions.

Uses

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 your thinking, determine the essential elements of a story, or enhance discipline in writing. They are often 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

References

  1. ↑ http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-stories-mini-sagas.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.lifebeyondcode.com/category/mini-saga/
  3. ↑ http://www.danpink.com/archives/2009/03/are-you-ready-for-the-50-word-challenge

Aldiss, Brian. Mini-Sagas: From the Daily Telegraph Competition 2001. Enitharmon, 2001. ISBN 978-1-900564-77-9


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