Written by Emily Harstone May 16th, 2013

Writing Prompt: Fable

A fable is a fictional story that features animals, plants, mythical creatures, inanimate objects or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to an interpretation of a moral lesson or point.

Fables are all around us. They were told to us as kids and we repeat them as adults. Fables have been modified over time. Hansel and Gretel were transformed from helpless children to witch hunters with weapons and skills in a recent Hollywood movie. Fables are flexible that way.

In this exercise I want you to take at least 15 minutes to write your own fable. It could be a fictionalized version of your life where suddenly your basil plant can talk to you, or your cat is a runway model. It could be a modernized version of a more traditional fable, or it could be something completely new about a talking tree and a talking car that fall in love.

Ultimately the contents are up to you. Your story just has to involve traditional myth elements, including a moral, of some sort.

Happy writing!

 

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