Array ( [article_id] => 14285 [company_id] => 1 [user_id] => 0 [article_type_id] => 58 [article_seo_url] => trapped [details] => Array ( [Title] => SOS Sagas: Trapped [Description] => The clock is ticking... time is running out...Trapped. Fright. Fight. Freedom. [Subheading] => Get Your 11-18 Year-Olds Re-engaged with Creative Writing! [Age] => 11-18 [Intro] =>

Get your students gripped with creative writing as they write their own thrilling mini saga, a story told in just 100 words.

Your students will be excited to write as they enjoy taking part in the trapped quiz on the back of their entry form, before choosing a story starter or creating their own! Your students can interpret the story starters as they wish to, using any time period or narrative techniques they’d like.

There’s a fantastic video that introduces your students to the activity in just 1 minute! It’s guaranteed to create excitement, banishing boredom and lets you enjoy seeing your whole class engaged!

[Rules] =>

Only one entry per student, there is no limit to the number of entries per school.

Mini sagas can be on the entry form or an A4 sheet of paper or typed.

Mini sagas must be your students' own work.

Ensure that all students include their name and age on their entries.

Mini Sagas must be told in no more than 100 words (the title isn't included in this).

Independent entries are welcome - please provide your home address details instead of the school's.

Where possible, the school to send / upload / email all their students' entries to us.

Story starters are optional but must be included in your students' word count if they use one.

[School Prizes] =>

Runners-Up

4x £250 National Book Tokens

School winners will be chosen from entries received for SOS Sagas competitions: Hunted, Missing, Trapped.

[Student Prizes] =>

Our favourite 5 writers will each an awesome Cross Pen & a trophy.

 Student winners are chosen from entries received in the Autumn Term 2020.

 

With its rich 175 years heritage, Cross are experts in designing and manufacturing, stylish and innovative pens that make the perfect gift to celebrate all of life’s key milestones. From a birthday, anniversary, graduation or being the winner of a fabulous writing competition there is a perfect pen for everyone. You can even engrave them with a name to make the gift a little more personal.

www.cross.com

[Tips] =>

With students out of the habit of writing they may struggle with generating ideas and getting started, so why not get them to help each other? This tip is great because it takes the pressure off the writer as they aren’t solely responsible for the story. 

Get your students to work in pairs (they don’t need to be sat close to each other for this to work). Each student needs to come up with a scenario where their partner is trapped, be sure to encourage original and creative ideas. Once they have come up with their idea they explain to their partner the situation and they then have 100 words to get out… or not!

Creating a convincing character is important in every story, especially so when you only have 100 words to do so! Ask students to think about their protagonist and their defining traits. What is their motivation? What has happened to them in the past to make them do what they’re doing now? How do they feel about the situation they’re in now?  What adjectives describe them both physically and mentally?

Creating a back story will help your students jump straight into action and use their 100 words wisely!

Ask students to work in pairs:

To capture

Vs

Trapped

Together students need to agree on a plot for the Trapped theme- the ‘trapped’ student then writes their mini saga from their point of view and vice versa with the student who is capturing.

This activity will also make for a fantastic sharing session, where pairs read out their Capture vs Trapped mini sagas... you could even create an exciting online display of their work for other students and parents to see!

Grab a student entry form and randomly number the story starters on there from 1 to 8, so you can refer back to these numbers in the lesson.

Before the lesson starts, have the Trapped video ready to play and turn the lights off. Let your students come into the class wondering what is going to happen!

As soon as they are seated, play the video – nice and loud like at the cinema, so it really grabs their senses and attention.

Once it’s over, get your students to count themselves off 1-8 and make a note of which number they are. They will be wondering what is going on, as well as intrigued and hopefully excited!

Ask all students who are number 1 to put their hands up – read them their story starter you have numbered 1. Repeat with numbers 2-8 until every student has a story starter to inspire their work. They’ll be ready to get writing!

Why not inspire your students with exciting endings to wrap up their mini saga perfectly!

Here are our top 3:
• A Twist - an unexpected ending!
• A circular ending - links back to the start of the story
• Cliff-hanger - leaves the reader wondering what happens next...

Every word counts in mini saga writing, so an exciting ending is a great way to finish and keep the tension and atmosphere right to the very end!

[YouTube] => jV_qmjGdbbI [Opens] => 2020-09-04 [Closes] => 2020-11-06 [Extended] => 1 [Orion ID] => 464 [RR Ontraport ID] => [DL Ontraport ID] => [Post Class] => SS [Orion Teacher Year] => [How to Enter] => [Winners Subheading] => We're delighted to announce the winners... [Winners Intro] =>

Thank you to everyone who took part in SOS Sagas: Trapped, we loved reading every entry... over 20,000 of them!

Here are the 5 winners, who have each won a beautiful pen, thanks to Cross Pens, and a trophy! Here are their winning words...

School Winners

1^st Prize – £500

Awarded to Bishop Luffa CE Secondary School, Sussex
Whose students are published in “Hunted – The Chase”

4 x Runners-Up - £250 National Book Token

The Purcell School, Hertfordshire
Whose students are published in “Hunted – Gripping Tales”

Clifton Preparatory School, Bristol
Whose students are published in “Trapped – UK Stories”

Hampton Gardens School, Cambridgeshire
Whose students are published in “Missing – Future Authors” & “Hunted – Electrifying Stories”

Seva School, West Midlands
Whose students are published in “ Hunted – UK Tales”

(Winners were chosen from schools who entered the SOS Sagas series: Hunted, Missing & Trapped.)

[Winner Word] => [Schools/Clubs] => Schools [Thumbnail] => https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bonacia-sites/young-writers/competitions/sos-sagas-trapped/4841-thumbnail.jpg [Background] => https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bonacia-sites/young-writers/competitions/sos-sagas-trapped/3632-background.jpg [Logo] => https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bonacia-sites/young-writers/competitions/sos-sagas-trapped/4278-logo.png [Independent Intro] =>

Get your young writer gripped with creative writing as they write their own thrilling mini saga, a story told in just 100 words.

Your young writer will be excited to write as they enjoy taking part in the trapped quiz on the back of their entry form, before choosing a story starter or creating their own! They can interpret the story starters as they wish to, using any time period or narrative techniques they’d like.

There’s a fantastic video that introduces your young writer to the activity in just 1 minute! It’s guaranteed to create excitement, banishing boredom and lets you enjoy seeing your young writer engaged!

[Independent Rules] =>

Only one entry per person.

Your name, age and address must be included with your entry.

Your mini saga must be told in no more than 100 words (the title isn't included in this).

Independent entrants must have a UK address to enter.

Independent entries are still eligible for student prizes.

[Independent Prizes] =>

Our favourite 5 writers will each an awesome Cross Pen & a trophy.

Student winners are chosen from entries received in the Autumn Term 2020.

[Meta Title] => SOS Sagas: Trapped Creative Writing Competition [Meta Description] => SOS Sagas: Trapped Creative Writing Competition [Meta Keywords] => sos sagas, trapped, young writers, creative writing, mini sagas, competitions, writing competitions, school resources [Share Title] => SOS Sagas: Trapped Creative Writing Competition - now open! [Share Description] => SOS Sagas: Trapped Creative Writing Competition for 11-18 year-olds [Layout] => main-comp [Icon] => https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bonacia-sites/young-writers/competitions/sos-sagas-trapped/4841-thumbnail.jpg [Category] => Secondary 11-18 [Type] => creative-writing [Country] => UK [Resource Hub Text] =>
[Letters Sent Date] => [Letters Sent Satus] => ⏳ In Progress [Books Published Start Date] => [Books Published End Date] => [Books Published Status] => ✔ Completed [Winners Announced Date] => [Winners Announced Status] => ✔ Completed [How to Enter Image] => [Video Placeholder] => https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bonacia-sites/young-writers/competitions/sos-sagas-trapped/4922-video-placeholder.jpg [School Prize] => [Student Prize] => https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bonacia-sites/young-writers/competitions/sos-sagas-trapped/4598-student-prize.jpg [Banner Background] => https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bonacia-sites/young-writers/competitions/sos-sagas-trapped/9274-banner-background.jpg [Banner Logo] => https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bonacia-sites/young-writers/competitions/sos-sagas-trapped/5286-banner-logo.png [Share Image] => https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bonacia-sites/young-writers/images/page-content/8093-share-image.jpg ) [date_created] => 2020-09-04 00:00:00 [last_updated] => 2025-09-17 12:39:05 [sort_order] => 126 [incoming] => 0 [live] => 1 [archived] => 0 [deleted] => 0 )