Saga

Lil said:

I'm not sure I understand your problem. Does it matter whether or not you call it a saga?

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Angry Guy said:

I think the only thing I'd add to the definition is a big, impressive, significant climax and ending. But weeks, months, years? Who cares?

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Kallithrix said:

'Saga' is a bit of a subjective term - I'd say it describes a story that takes place over many years, sometimes decades, but is unified by a common story thread, i.e. a family, place, or root cause. It's almost like a literary soap opera, in some ways. Downton Abbey would be a saga ;-)

I'm not sure I'd still call it a saga if it only covered a period of months, but then again, you have the sub-genre 'aga saga,' which doesn't have to involve a long or complicated story.

But the more pertinent question might be why it matters for your query. If you've already SHOWN what the story is about, then surely the agent isn't going to quibble over whether you call it a saga as long as it's clear whether it is contemporary or women's or historical fiction etc.

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nealraisman said:

The original sagas all take place over a longer period of time such as Njal's Saga from Iceland or the Illiad and Oddyssey but the word has changed its meaning to mean a grand story with a wide sweep. Use it if the story is wide enough but I would believe a few months does not a saga make.

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Lord of Chaos said:

Actually the Illiad doesn't even fit that mold. While it's centers on a war that lasted 10 years and has a huge scope, the work itself only covers the last 10 days or so. You don't even get to see the fallout of the war.

In response to the OP, it shouldn't make a difference in your description but make sure saga's the right word to use; you don't get many in a query and that specific word brings very specific ideas to peoples' minds.

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veinglory said:

Sagas have to be writ large. Multiple generations, the history of a nation, the founding of an industry, nations at war, etc. I cannot image one that is a few months in total length. I am not saying it is impossible, but it is hard to imagine.

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blacbird said:

The original Norse sagas are episodic tales featuring a lot of historical event information, some of which was probably apocryphal. they don't have much you could call "plot". Some modern writers have been highly influenced by this heritage, notably Norwegian Sigrid Undset, who won a Nobel Prize in Literature in the 1920s. Her work, set in Medieval Norway, clearly harks back to the classic saga tradition.

The word "saga" has taken on different meanings in modern times, though, and seems actually pretty vague now. I wouldn't use it in a query. You have a novel. In your query, state as concisely as you can what happens in it. If you have a synopsis, state in a bit more detail what happens in it. Assuming you have targeted agents you feel are likely to be interested in the kind of story you've written, you don't need to "categorize" it.

caw

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Jamesaritchie said:

"Saga" has long since become nothing more than a marketing term. It's completely meaningless for a writer. Join it with "epic", and you have a movie trailer. The epic saga of how the west was won.

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