Fables are short allegorical stories that usually feature anthropomorphic animal characters, although plants, objects, and forces of nature may also appear as characters. In classic fables, the main characters learn from major mistakes and the story ends with a moral message that is used to summarize the moral lessons learned. Writing a fable demands a strong, short story with each of its components – characters, setting, and action – contributing clearly and directly to the story's conclusion and moral message. While everyone has a unique writing process, this article provides a list of suggested steps and sample fables to help you create your own.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Part One: Unraveling the Basis of Your Fable
Step 1. Choose the moral message
Since the moral is at the heart of a fable, it is often helpful to start outlining your fable by defining the moral. The moral message of a fable must relate to or reflect a pertinent cultural issue, which will affect everyone.
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Here are some examples of well-known fable morals to help inspire you:
- "Something will attract the same thing."
- "Even the greatest kindness means nothing to the ungrateful."
- "Suggestions advocated on the basis of selfishness should not be heeded."
- "Beautiful feathers don't make a bird great."
- "Foreigners should avoid people fighting themselves."
- For a complete list of the morals of Aesop's Fables and links to stories containing them, visit here.
Step 2. Determine the problem
Problems are the things that will direct the action of the fable, and problems will be the main source of moral lessons learned.
- Since the nature of fables is to convey culturally appropriate lessons and ideas, it is best if the main issue is something that many people can relate to.
- For example, in "The Tortoise and the Rabbit," we are quickly introduced to the story's main problem or conflict when the two characters decide to have a race run.
Step 3. Determine the character of the culprit
Determine who or what characters are in your fable and the characteristics that will define them.
- Since fables are meant to be simple and short, don't use characters that are complicated or have multiple personalities. However, try to embody a human trait in each character and limit the character based on that trait.
- Since the character will be the main vehicle for the fable's moral message, choose the character that most clearly relates to the moral message.
- In "The Tortoise and the Rabbit", the characters are, as the title suggests, the tortoise and the hare. Since the tortoise is easily associated with things that move slowly and the hare is associated with things that are fast, the characters already have traits that will become their main traits in the constructed story.
Step 4. Determine the character archetype
While the type of animal or object you choose for your character will have objective traits, as in the example above, you'll also need to create subjective traits that attach to those traits.
- In "The Tortoise and the Hare," the tortoise's slowness is associated with cool-headedness and perseverance, while the hare's agility is associated with rashness and overconfidence.
- There are several classical archetypal characters used in fables that are widely known and associated with certain human traits. Choosing two characters with opposite traits is often useful in setting up a clear conflict for the story.
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Some of the most commonly used archetypes and their properties include:
- Lion: strength, pride
- Wolf: dishonesty, greed, greed
- Donkey: foolishness
- Flies: wisdom
- Fox: cunning, full of deceit
- Eagle: bossy, absolutism
- Hen: vanity
- Sheep: naivety, shy
Step 5. Choose the background
Where will the events in the story take place? When choosing moral messages and issues, choose a setting that is simple and recognizable to many people.
- The setting must be able to support certain characters and relationships between characters.
- Try to keep the setting simple but real-the setting should be a place the reader can easily identify and understand, which will help you avoid having to spell out the details of your surroundings clearly.
- For example, in the famous fable of the tortoise and the hare, the setting is simply a road through the forest, which sets the stage for action (road races) and supports the types of characters in the story (jungle creatures).
Step 6. Determine the solution to the problem
The ending must be both satisfying and related to the other components of the story, including the characters, the relationships between the characters, and the setting.
- Think about the way the characters will resolve the conflict and the way that resolution will support the lessons and moral messages drawn from the story.
- For example, in "The Tortoise and the Rabbit," the solution is simple-the hare, who is reckless, loses the running race through the forest to the determined tortoise.
Part 2 of 3: Part Two: Writing Your Fables
Step 1. Write your outline
Once you've described the main components of the story, start expanding it.
Determine the setting and the relationship of the characters to the setting, which should be an easily recognizable place, that relates directly to the events in the story
Step 2. Create an action storyline
Present conflicts between characters in sufficient detail so that the conflict or problem is clear and asks to be resolved.
- Be sure to move from cause to effect efficiently. Don't go round and round from the heart of the story.
- Everything that happens in the story must be directly and clearly related to the problem and the solution/moral message.
- Try to keep the tempo of the fable fast and short. Don't waste time with unnecessarily detailed descriptive passages or ruminations about the characters and their surroundings.
- For example, in "The Tortoise and the Rabbit", the storyline progresses quickly from the initial challenge to a race, then to the hare's fault, and then to the tortoise's victory.
Step 3. Develop the dialogue
Dialogue is a key component in conveying the traits and point of view of a character. So, instead of describing character traits explicitly, use dialogue to illustrate those traits.
- Be sure to include enough dialogue between characters to illustrate the relationships between the characters and the underlying conflict they face.
- For example, the two traits of the tortoise and the hare, defined as cool-headed and calm, while the other characters are bragging and reckless, can be seen through their tone of dialogue: "I never lose," said the hare, "if I use speed. I'm full. I challenge anyone here to run with me." The turtle said calmly, "I accept your challenge." "Nice joke," said the Rabbit; "I can dance around you all the way." "Save your boasting until you lose," replied the tortoise. "Can we start the race?"
Step 4. Determine the solution
After showing the basis and details of the conflict, begin to move the story to the resolution part.
- There should be a clear and direct relationship between the character's actions, the development of the problem, and the illustration of the moral/completion message.
- Make sure that there is a solution to every aspect of the problem that was previously defined and that no part is left unfinished.
- Referring back to the fable of the tortoise and the hare, the conclusion is that the boastful hare runs ahead, and then stops to rest, while the level-headed tortoise just continues trudging forward, until it finally passes the sleeping hare and overpowers him. at the finish line.
Step 5. Deliver the moral lesson
Once the storyline of the fable has been completed, determine the moral message or lesson of the story.
- In fables, the moral of the story is usually stated in one meaningful sentence.
- Try to state the moral message by summarizing the problem and its solution, and the things that need to be learned from the solution.
- The simple moral message of the tortoise and the hare, for example, is, "After that, the Rabbit always reminded himself, "Don't brag about your lightning speed, because the slow but diligent wins the race!" overconfidence-and a moral lesson learned-that slow but persistent will beat fast but careless.
Step 6. Choose a creative and appropriate title
The title should contain the spirit of the whole story and should be interesting enough to grab the reader's attention.
- It's usually best to take this step after you've written or at least outlined your story so you can make sure that the title you choose will reflect your overall story.
- You can choose something basic and descriptive, such as the traditional Aesop's Fables (example: "The Tortoise and the Rabbit"), or choose a slightly more creative or deviant title such as "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" or "The Tale of the Eyebrow".
Part 3 of 3: Part Three: Editing and Sharing Your Fables
Step 1. Review and improve
Reread your fable in its entirety and make sure that all the parts are correctly located and well organized.
- Watch out for places that might make the fable too wordy or complicated. The nature of fables is that they are simple and short stories, without making up words or being flowery stories.
- Make sure that each section-setting, character, conflict, resolution, and moral-is clear and easy to understand.
Step 2. Edit the grammar and style
Once you've confirmed the content of the story, read your fable one more time. This time, focus on grammar issues at the sentence level and clarity.
- For a guide to doing sentence-level editing, visit here.
- Hire a friend or colleague to read your text. An extra pair of eyes is often the key to finding fault.
Step 3. Share your work
Once all the final edits have been made, it's time to present your work to the reader.
- The easiest and most sensible place to start is with family and friends: post your fable on Facebook, post it on a blog and share the link on social media, and/or post it to sites that publish creative writing.
- For a complete list of online literature magazines accepting submissions, visit here.
