CREATE YOUR OWN MYTH Adapted from eHow

CREATE A SETTING Setting Before beginning writing, consider your setting, which will be dependent upon the types of characters in your myth. Many myths involve some kind of connection between realms, such as characters traveling between heaven and earth, or between two different kinds of worlds. Your setting should also establish the point in time that your myth occurs. Because many myths relate to origin, consider placing it back in time. Place Time

IMAGINE A HERO Protagonist The first element of a myth -- as with every story -- is a main character or protagonist. This person functions as the hero (or antihero) of the story, depending on how you choose to portray him. If you're writing a myth about the gods, you may choose to make your character one of the gods. He can also be a human interacting with the gods. Actions Every hero performs some sort of deed, feat or act. That act can be highly physical and dangerous such as that which might be performed by a war hero or a firefighter or it may be something quiet and introspective such as not giving up on a difficult task. For someone severely disabled just getting out of bed each day to face life's mundaneness can be considered heroic. Or the act of remaining silent can be heroic such as a prisoner under interrogation. But no matter what form heroism takes, every hero performs some physical or mental action that makes her heroic. Selflessness Heroes usually display some degree of selflessness in their actions. They become heroes by suppressing their own interests for the benefit of another individual or a group. Few people become heroes by acting in their own self-interest. The very definition of hero is someone who sacrifices himself or puts himself in danger for the good of others. Most heroes do not consider their own interests to be of greater importance than others when performing their deed or deeds. Humility Most heroes display a large degree of humility about the deeds that have made them heroic. Indeed in the eyes of the public, a hero will lose that status if she is boastful or overly outwardly proud of her actions. The deed he performed will not have changed but the perception of others who judge people as heroes or not will change. And ultimately it is the perception of others that decides whether someone is heroic, almost more so than the heroic action itself. Courage Perhaps the quality most associated with heroes is courage or bravery. That can be physical, mental or moral courage. That courage has to be something out of the ordinary however to be considered heroic as many people perform acts of courage and bravery every day without being regarded as heroes. Bravery or courage usually involves performing an act that is dangerous or very difficult. Male/Female Age Appearance Family/Orphan?

SET YOUR HERO ON A QUEST Quest Once you have established the who and the where of your myth, establish the what and the why. What are your characters doing and why are they doing it? Are they in search of a specific place or an object? Your characters could also be searching for something intangible, such as enlightenment. Establish if your characters are trying to find something, create something or even take something back that rightfully belongs to them. Journey Save or Find Something

GIVE YOUR HERO A TALISMAN Token Object Special Power  Undiscovered Until Mid-Story

SURROUND YOUR HERO WITH CONFLICT Conflict Part of what makes myths so exciting is the conflict that arises in them, creating obstacles for the main characters. The conflict can be an argument between two people or a struggle over power. It's also acceptable to bend rules and break natural laws in the process. The conflict doesn't have to be resolved in a favorable way for your main characters. Sometimes mythological beings intend to do good but end up failing. Problem/Difficulty  Aliens  Monsters  Weather  Catastrophe  Curse  Fall in Love with Someone Who Doesn’t Like Them

UTILIZE SUPERNATURAL Super-Human Strength Paradox Help of Higher Power Stroke of Luck

FOLLOW SOCIAL ORDER Cultural Values Social Cues Beliefs

EXPLANATION OF THE WORLD Explain Natural Phenomenon Creation of Something Wrath or Anger of Higher Power or Creature

HUMANITY Human Nature Faults/Flaws Strength and Weakness Mistakes

DUALITY Light versus Dark Good versus Evil Characters on Either Side

LESSON LEARNED Lesson At the end of your myth, include a clear lesson to take away from it. Your myth could include a moral of some sort, much like a fable would have. It can also be a simple explanation of how or why things are the way they are. There can be multiple themes and they should relate to such overarching themes as nature, creation, the cosmos or language. Lesson Moral Explanation

FUNCTION OF MYTHS Explain Natural Phenomena Control Natural Forces Bind a Clan, Tribe or Nation Together Record Historical Events  Hebrew/Judeo-Christian/Babylonian Flood Myths are Almost Identical Verbal Geography Lesson  Description of landmarks to look for on a journey  Usually exaggerated for effect Set Examples for People’s Behavior  Emulate gods  Human Heroes Real Historical Characters or Made-up May or May Not be Deified at the End of the Exploits Justify a Social Structure  Mythological heaven reflects social structure of culture  King may claim society must be ordered this way to reflect gods’ order of things Control People  Frighten people  Claim authority comes from god-divine right of kings  Punishments in the afterlife

OTHER POINTS Research Other Myths Brainstorm Ideas for Your Myth Incorporate Other Myths into Your Story Incorporate History

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