A mini saga is a story told in exactly 50 words – not 49 or 51 but exactly 50 words.
Why write a mini saga?
There are several reasons. For the reader, the benefits are simple – whether the mini saga is good or bad, it only takes a minute to read it.
There are multiple benefits for writing a mini saga. Here are a few benefits
1. Expands your creativity
“I didn’t have the time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead”
– Mark Twain
Constraints expand creativity. When you are forced to think of the various parts of the story within 50 words, you have to put your imagination to serious work. Writing something long is easy. When you have to put everything in 50 words, you have to “leave behind” a lot. Deciding what NOT to include (and still bring forth everything you wanted to) requires a lot of creativity.
2. Stretches your thinking
OK you decide to write a mini saga. What will you write about? That question alone is enough to stretch your thinking. Your story can be about anything but if it has to be narrated within 50 words, then the choices are limited. You don’t have an option but to “stretch” your thinking in your question for a “good” plot.
3. Enhances your discipline
Trying to convey an idea in less than 50 words is hard. So, imagine trying to write a story in 50 words. You need a lot of discipline to make it happen – deciding what to write about, what to include and what to leave behind.
Here is a Squidoo lens with 25 mini sagas I have written over the last two years.
Enjoy and have a great week ahead!