What does it take to know
how to write a myth or a fable?

If you are looking to learn how to write a myth or a fable that is persuasive in its appeal and creative in its writing, then try out this fable or myth writing activity.

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Think of a moral. It can be one that is well-known, such as one from a fable, like the one about the tortoise and the hare. "Slow and steady wins the race" is a moral that can have different interpretations, depending on how someone chooses to comprehend the meaning. Someone may choose to write a story about a person who takes their time and logically works out what needs to be done, while another person rushes and makes mistakes. Another writer may choose to write a story about a specific instance, such as the race to reach the New World and why Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, or any other explorer was able to win the race to the New World, versus those who didn't make it quickly enough to claim discovery rights.

Morals have some comparisons to double entendres, as a wide variety of ideas can be garnered from a moral.

Any story that you read, write, watch in the theatre, or view on your own TV set can be interpreted in numerous ways. Everyone has his or her own perspective that he or she feels is the most logical answer to the many questions about what an author was trying to say through his or her words, whether written or spoken.

The TV show Lost was a perfect example of a story that attempted to drive home a variety of morals. Its writers were keenly aware of how to write a myth for their viewers. Everyone has his or her own theories as to just what these morals and underlying meanings are, and that is what made the show so compelling. Everybody wanted to know if they were right about what the end result of the show would be.

How does each person's interpretation match up with what the writers, producers, and directors of the show worked tirelessly to create for their audience? In the end, it hardly matters who was right and who was wrong. If someone was incorrect about their assumptions, interpretations, and conceptions of what would happen in the series finale of Lost, or any other show for that matter, it just means that the story could have potentially been written in a different way. I may have one way to end the story, while someone else sees an entirely opposing perspective.

So, come up with a moral as a means of beginning the process of how to write a myth or a fable. There are many examples of myths, as well as many perspectives on the topics that myths rely on, such as creation. There are innumerable ideas about how the world was created. It doesn't matter who is right and who is wrong when it comes to writing it all down. That is why creativity is so essential to the craft of writing. Your imagination should feel free to take its course, and plot out the details that will make for a leap of faith as you write down your own unique conceptualization of an idea. Once you have come up with a moral, you will find that myth writing and writing fables become much easier. You do not even have to write it in the form of a fable with animals, as many fables tend to do. You also do not have to write a myth about the Greek gods and goddesses. Take only the cues you give yourself for what story you believe would do the best possible job of relaying the message that the moral at the end of your story conveys.

Here are a few morals to choose from as you get started on learning how to write a myth or fable of your very own:

Be happy with what you have.

Do not judge a book by its cover.

Bad deeds do not go unpunished.

Hard work pays off in the end.

You are known by the company you keep.

Practice how to write a myth or fable that leads up to one of these morals, or a moral of your own choosing. Think outside the ordinary confines of what these morals relate to, and write a story about something in your own life or in the lives of others you know that brings your readers to a heightened understanding of why that moral is so essential to know, appreciate, and define for use in their own lives.

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