Mini Saga Writing Contest
for 6-13 year-olds
Today you are going to:
Watch the video that introduces you to the activity:
Today you will be writing a mini saga inspired by a wander in the woods!
What is a mini saga? It’s a story told in up to 100 words!
Let’s set a scene...
Imagine you are at the edge of the woods on a sunny day...
Take a moment and use your senses, close your eyes, and imagine the scene.�
Share what you imagined with the rest of the class when your teacher invites you to.
Now... imagine you are at the edge of the woods on a cold, dark night...
Take a moment, close your eyes and use your senses to imagine the scene.
Share what you imagined with the rest of the class when your teacher invites you to.
Discuss how the weather, season and time of day can change the atmosphere of the story even though the setting remains the same.
For example, on a lovely sunny day you could discover a fairy toadstool ring or climb a magical tree, but in the dark, something might be following you or your campfire tales seem spookier!
Your teacher will either provide you with a theme or ask you to choose from one of these (as a class):
Re-tell a fairy tale (with a twist or from another point of view)
Nature / wildlife
An enchanted forest
Myths & legends
A ghost story
A hidden world
A camping trip
As a class discuss ideas of what you could write about. There is no such thing as a bad idea! Let your imaginations run wild!
Decide on one idea to write a class mini saga about.
Before you write your class mini saga, let’s look at the structure of a mini saga, it has a much more compact structure to a usual story:
Beginning: When the story takes place and the character’s problem.
You don’t need to introduce us to your setting as we know it’s set in the woods!
Middle: What does the character do to solve the problem?
You need to decide the situation your character is in and the problem that creates. They could be lost in the wood, find a special item, hear a noise, etc – what does this mean for your character...?
Ending: Is the problem solved? Is there a plot twist or a cliffhanger ending, or is it a nice, neat finish?
Now it’s time to write your class mini saga!
Your teacher will help you with some hints and tips to stay within the 100-word limit!
Example 1
Dyani's Deer
Dyani stared into the doe's glistening eyes. Dyani had tried every day to gain the deer's trust. She was so close.
Suddenly, Dyani saw bright red flames dancing, rapidly consuming her village and racing towards her and the doe. The deer flicked Dyani onto its back and dashed towards the end of the woods.
After an hour of panicked fleeing, Dyani and the deer had arrived in an empty dirt field where they fell asleep. Dyani awoke to her father's voice and his soothing embrace.
A year later, the village was rebuilt and the tribe's official animal became a deer.
By Kate Bilal (11)
Example 2
Rain And Storm
No one likes the rain. Especially the kids. They come anyway. Small raindrops are falling on all the kids. The kids say, "It's just little raindrops, we can still play." And then the storm comes, and everyone has to go inside. When everyone is inside, they all say, "Go away rain!" The storm growls! The clouds get darker. The storm flashes! It's lightning! Then a burst of light shines out through the sky. The stormclouds pass by. Then the sun comes out and everyone goes outside and plays again!
By Owen Hayes (7)
Remember the 3 golden rules of mini saga writing...
1. Be original! You can be inspired by other stories but make it your own!
2. Keep to the 100-word limit – make every word count!
3. Remember that a mini saga must have a beginning, a middle and an end!
Now you are ready to get writing!
If you have any questions, now is the time to ask your teacher!
It’s time to choose your story starter and write a mini saga inspired by a wander in the woods!
It’s peer assessment time!
Share your work with a partner. They are to give you a suggestion on how to improve your mini saga and let you know what they liked about it. You then do the same for your partner.
Edit your work if necessary!