A MINI-SAGA

The last of the dirt was clear, and there it was, a beautiful rare mosaic.
"Finally, I've found it" he whispered joyfully. Suddenly the Earth shook. Dirt rained back in the hole slowly before turning into an avalanche, covering the discovery of the century and Arthur.

The secret remained safe.

HOW TO WRITE YOUR MINI-SAGA

Ø  It is a miniature narrative of no more than 50 words which, usually, contains at least one character, an event, sometimes the passage of time and possibly some speech.

Ø  The narrator may be unusual (for example an object) or the event seen from an unusual perspective.

Ø  The aim is to amuse the reader or make them sympathise with the story.

Ø  The ending must be strong, effective, so make the last words significant.

Ø  The title, carefully chosen, contains part of the story or creates some mystery.

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO WRITE YOUR OWN MINI-SAGA

Start with the story:

The Cobbler – First Draft (233 words)

Once upon a time there was a man named Roddy Biggs, who was a bank robber. One day he took a pair of shoes to a cobbler to get new soles put on them. The cobbler gave him a ticket, which he put in his pocket. The next day Roddy was arrested by the police for a bank robbery he had committed the week before. Time passed slowly and 20 years later Roddy was released from gaol. As he was walking away from the prison, he put his hand in his jacket pocket, and found a piece of paper. Pulling it out, he saw the cobbler’s ticket and remembered taking his shoes there all those years ago. “Why not?” he thought, and went off to see if, just by chance, the cobbler was there and still had his shoes. When he got to the address on the ticket he saw, sandwiched between a supermarket and a multi-storey car park, the cobbler’s shop. He went in and found an ancient man working in the dark little room. He gave him the ticket. The old man examined the ticket closely and then took down a huge ledger from the shelf. Blowing of the dust, he opened it and ran a shaking finger down the columns of names and dates inside. His finger stopped at an entry. Looking up, he said, “They’ll be ready next week!”

Take out words you don't need:

The Cobbler – Second Draft (100 words)                                                                                                          

A man named Roddy Biggs took a pair of shoes to a cobbler. The cobbler gave him a ticket, which he put in his pocket. Next day Roddy was arrested for a bank robbery. He was sent to gaol. Twenty years later Roddy was released from gaol. He put his hand in his pocket, and found the ticket. He went to see if the cobbler still had his shoes. When he got to the address he went in and found an ancient man. He gave him the ticket. The old man examined the ticket and said, “They’ll be ready next week!”

Take out words you don't need, and change some words to leave exactly 50 words:

The Cobbler – Final Draft: the mini-saga (50 words)

A man took his shoes to a cobbler. Next day he was arrested and sent to prison for robbery. Twenty years later he was released, found the cobbler’s ticket and, just in case, took it to the cobbler’s shop. Examining it closely, the old man said, “Come back next week”.

Write your own saga and illustrate it with a picture or a photograph. The best saga will win the class competition!!