Over the summer, I wrote a 62 word piece about one of the treasures in the National Library of Wales, The Two Sisters of Llanfechell.
Several of the other writers wrote in English, others in Welsh. All the work has been translated (you can see all 26 pieces on the 26 Treasures website, in both English and Welsh). It’s quite strange, seeing the words I chose in another language, particularly one that I don’t speak. It makes me wonder how the translators managed it. Capturing the particular nuances and turns of phrase must be difficult enough, without having to keep to the word limit as well.
But then I’ve always thought that the stricter the limitations, the more creative you have to be to get around them. The most difficult thing of all can be complete freedom – without any rules to push against, it can be hard getting started. It’s rather like deadlines: when you have all the time in the world, often you achieve very little.
Bring on the next challenge…
Fiona Egglestone 