How to Write a Myth
You may be familiar with the myths of Hercules and Zeus or any other legendary heroes and heroines from cultures all across the world. These tales explain the occurrence of certain natural phenomena or cultural customs, or they serve as examples or contra-examples of appropriate behavior.
There is no doubt that the power of stories, whether serious or amusing, lies in their ability to captivate readers and listeners alike.
Worldbuilding relies heavily on mythology. People throughout the world tell stories to entertain themselves, explain natural phenomena, assign a deeper meaning to words, and many other purposes.
When it comes to worldbuilding, myths are an excellent method to understand what people in my culture believe. If you’re having problems understanding how to write a myth, then keep on reading this article. We will clear all the doubts and beliefs about myths.
How to Write a Myth
Create Plot and Theme of The Story
When writing a legend’s plot, you may expect it to be full of tension and action. To overcome significant difficulties and deal with their fate or destiny is typically a challenge faced by the protagonists in a legend. Legends often explain natural phenomena, religion, and human nature. In most cases, they include a simple moral or life lesson that may be applied to the real world.
It is similar to writing any other short story, with a beginning, middle, and conclusion. It’s essential to have a plot, characters, and a reason to keep the story moving forward. In addition, it should be action-packed, filled with suspense, intrigue, and a lot of romance.
Create Characters and Their Backstories
Myths can teach us something important. Even if they don’t explicitly focus on it, they explain the world or impart lessons. The narrative of Apollo and Hyacinthus exists primarily to explain how the Hyacinth flower got its name.
Myths frequently include heroes and villains engaged in a battle of good vs evil. Villains can take the form of various monsters, such as a three-headed hound. Also, creating some grey characters gives your story a human touch that helps build relationships with readers.
Bring Some History to Your Myths
Providing a backstory for your characters and narrative is essential for readers to understand what the characters are striving to accomplish. Your story’s backstory establishes the story’s overall direction.
The weather and geography also influence mythology. The significance of their mountains typically controls the mythology of mountainous regions. People who live by the sea have several sea gods, whereas those who live in climates without snow have no concept of an ice god. A society where winter is a hazardous and harsh time of year may have multiple winter deities, some of whom are vindictive.
Provide Lessons and Meaning in Your Myth Story
Readers tend to invest more time in a story if they see resemblance of their life and can connect with your story. That’s why giving your readers life teaching that they can apply in their lives is important. Also, a myth that conveys emotions with their readers tends to be great.
When it comes to myths, one of the most important distinctions is how deeply they are woven into the fabric of society. Over time, myths are passed down. No single version is entirely accurate because characters, events, and places have evolved.
Things are misunderstood, documents are destroyed, or stories contradict each other, causing information to be lost. For example, the names of Egyptian gods are based in part on guesswork because of the lack of vowels in Ancient Egyptian lettering.
While Christianity radically altered the mythology of Europe, many tales were reworked by early missionaries to meet their beliefs. Deities like the Dagda were recast as mortal heroes, Faeries, or demons. Authors developed creatures that match their stories.
Myths can also be changed through political influence. The stories of ancient Greek heroes were widely embraced and used by prominent families that claimed ancestry from those figures.
Research Real World’s Myths
You will better understand the qualities of a good myth by studying examples from many cultures and periods. However, it can be challenging to find a public domain translation of any of the most popular myths online.
You may want to check out more current translations of some of the words. However, I strongly advise reading the original translations rather than summaries. You won’t learn how to write a myth from these books because they provide short summaries of tales.
The Nine Types of Creation Myth and Aarne-Thompson-Uther classification systems for folk myths are also worthy of consideration.
Types of Myth
More myths exist than those grouped into these three groups. Mythology is a complex subject, and there are various theories of myth to choose from. In the theoretical study of folklore, numerous books have been written, and we could devote an entire class to theories of myth alone.
The myth theory is terrible since it doesn’t explain the myths or assist us in comprehending them, which is why they aren’t beneficial. The legends themselves, rather than hypotheses, have a lot to say. Because of this, these texts will not go into much detail about mythology theories.
However, we don’t want to neglect the theoretical study of myth entirely, so we’ll focus on just three tales.
Aetiological Myths
Aetiological myths can explain why something is the way it is now. The Greek word action, which means “reason” or “explain,” is the source of the word aetiological. Please keep in mind that the aetiological myths are not the genuine causes of disease.
For us as humans, they are explanations that make sense. Natural, etymological, and theological myths are all examples of aetiological myths.
Historical Myths
The stories of historical myths help to preserve the memory of a historical event. In historical myths, accuracy is sacrificed to achieve meaning. These historical myths include the Iliad and Odyssey, which deal with the Trojan War.
The Trojan War did take place. However, none of the well-known figures from Homer’s epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, actually existed.
Psychological Myths
There are a lot of psychological myths out there that try to explain why we do what we do. Unlike an aetiological tale, a psychological myth does not describe one thing in terms of another. When emotions are perceived as divine forces from the outside, they might directly affect a person’s feelings in psychological mythology.
Erotic love is often associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love. The ancient Greeks may argue that Aphrodite “forced” someone to say or do something they didn’t want to do.
New Writers Ignore Writing Myth
So many articles and tales on writing, such as this one, appear on the Internet almost daily. It’s not just that creating a book is difficult, but also that it’s challenging to have it published.
However, writing and publishing a book involves far more than just penning a few thousand words and uploading it to Amazon. Personal blog posts, short tales, marketing articles, and poetry all fall under the umbrella of the term “writer.”
No matter what form of writing you do or where you want to take your career, you can excel at everything you put your mind to. However, the myths about writing should not be believed as they will only serve to impede your progress.
Every Day, Writers Need To Write
You see this advice all the time, and it’s a terrible piece of writing advice. Yes, Stephen King and other prominent authors claim to write a thousand words a day. However, I have my doubts about this.
Burnout is inevitable if you work seven days a week in any industry. You don’t have to write every day if you want to have a life. However, writing daily and developing your writing abilities and productivity is good advice to help you succeed.
Don’t leave two or three weeks between writing sessions to keep a steady flow of ideas while writing a book. While it’s nice if you can squeeze in a few hours of writing every few days, it’s not necessary.
There’s a lot more to becoming an article writer than just writing. There’s a lot of research, as well as possible SEO and technical concerns. There is no use in trying to write two long-form essays every day. No, the idea that authors must work seven days a week is a fabrication. Great authors indeed write regularly.
To Be A Successful Writer, You Need to Read A Lot
For indeed, reading a lot will help you become a better reader. If you want to write a book, article, or short tale, you’ll have to do more than just read. If you’re doing research or observing different writing styles, you’ll need to read a lot. As a writer, you can use reading as a way to unwind.
However, if you spend too much time reading, you’ll miss out on the opportunity to write. It would be excellent to put in a lot of time and effort to become a better writer. Certainly, but don’t let it consume all your writing time.
Lock Yourself Away
To write, choose a quiet place to work and ensure that no one interrupts you. One another fallacy about the writing process. You don’t need to hide away in an isolated cabin on a mountaintop to be an author.
Many writers prefer to work in a busy café or a park where many other people are around. If you’re writing in a public place, there isn’t any rule prohibiting you from doing so. Wherever you write, it’s your decision. Go for it if you enjoy writing in a noisy environment. Some prefer a peaceful workplace, such as a library or a classroom.
To Become A Writer, You Must Have A College Degree
No one can be a writer because they have the right qualifications. When it comes to writing, you don’t need to be an expert in grammar and spelling. Even if you don’t, an editor will be able to repair any mistakes you make. Writers need imagination, inventiveness, and a deep understanding of the subject they are writing about.
Your Characters Control Your Writing
No, that’s not true. They can’t do anything for you because they are imaginary characters. You are the author. When you write a novel, you and your imagination are the only forces at work. The idea that your fictitious characters can take control of your writing is a worn cliché and a long-standing creative myth.
No One Pays Writers
The fact that there are few millionaires in the writing industry is correct. However, a large number of writers are making a sizable amount of money. Amazon’s bestseller lists have brought in a lot of money for many self-published authors.
Many content writers and bloggers earn a substantial amount of money from their work as writers. As an illustration, in a single year, a young, entrepreneurial ghostwriter earned more than $350,000. As a writer and self-publisher, you have a wealth of options for making money.
As a side note, don’t you believe I publish many articles and manage this blog for free?
Always Succeed If You’re A Great Writer
Today, being a successful writer is more than just being a good writer. If you want to publish a book or article, you need to determine the most exemplary method. Afterward, you’ll have to learn how to market and advertise your book to draw in potential customers.
It’s impossible to be a great writer if you can’t get your name out there. If you’ve got a knack for marketing and promoting, you’ll likely be a success. If you can perform both well, you’ll have an excellent shot at success.
Conclusion
Many of the writing myths will keep you from reaching your full potential if you believe them. It isn’t necessary to conform to a set of preconceived criteria if you are trying to improve as a writer. It would help if you did what works best for you and your writing, not for everyone else. Doing so will ensure that you like writing and putting your work out there.
