Creative Writing: Formula for Writing a Myth

Edited by Martha Kim

Myths are often some of the first stories children hear and can impart valuable morals. The classic plots can enchant children and adults alike. In order to write a myth, follow the steps below.

#1. Decide what to explain.

This will be a great help when beginning to write the story. It is the outline of the story and the first step. Choose something in the natural world that is enchanting and forget all science and reason for a moment. Try to picture it from the eyes of a child, or of a human being from centuries ago, and attempt to explain why the world is the way it is. Any natural phenomena is alright to choose, some examples are why the rivers wind, why the grass is green, how the mountains came to be, what the dirt is made of, etc.

#2 Give it a setting.

A setting is when and where the story takes place. This should correlate with the theme of the story and may need to be specific if explaining cultural phenomena or religious stories. If it has to do with oak trees, and the characters are animals, the setting could be something like a forest. If it is about gods or spirits, the setting can be up in the sky.

#3. Create characters.

Now, it is time to create the characters of the story. This is a short story, so don’t worry about deep and realistic characters with interesting backs stories. Focus on making the characters memorable by giving them interesting traits or characteristics Myths often contain characters with o. The characters should relate to each other in some sort of way. For example, they can be all animals or all plants. This will give the story continuity and structure.

#4. Give it a plot.

A basic plot is very important, as it needs to be . The main character should want something, which gives them a drive. This is the reason they do what they do. In a myth, what the character wants or does, ends up explaining the natural occurrence that was chosen in step #1. This can be done accidentally by the character, or it can be what the character wanted all along. A plot should look like an arrowhead and have a beginning setting up the story, a middle where the climax is, and a conclusion at the end. It is alright if some of these individual aspects are all only one or two sentences each, because myths are often short stories.

That’s it! Work on these steps together and you will create a unique myth that can be read countless times.