How to write a fable

Fables are characterized by their moral lessons. These short tales were once passed down as folklore to teach listeners the difference between right and wrong, give advice on behavior and manners, and offer morals to live by. A fable includes a simple conflict and resolution, followed by a moral. Fables feature anthropomorphized animals and natural elements as main characters. Here are some tips on how to write a fable.

1) Find your inner animal

The main characters are often animals, endowed with speech and a clearly identified character.  When you write a fable, the animals you choose must therefore fit with the final moral. Put animals that don’t go together to create a relationship between them, like mouse/snake, cat/dog, dolphin/dragon, rat/cat, for example.

2) When you write a fable: find a topic

Decide on a moral that will be central to your story and come at the end of the resolution. The key is that a moral is a lifelong lesson or general rule to live by. It is not a specific lesson that only applies in certain situations.

3) Form matters

There is no limit to your imagination but there is one rule that must be respected: the format. Here, there is no room for improvisation. Where the tale allows you to put forward a moral thanks to prose, the fable prefers verses. In this respect, the fable is close to poetry and will force you to apply the most elementary rules. You should also be careful not to make your story too long, so that your reader doesn’t get lost or your story runs out of steam. It is also important not to vary the locations of the action too much and to keep only one or two, at most three. A story that is too scattered would be detrimental to the atmosphere and the coherence of your fable. It is well known that caution is the best policy.

4) When you write a fable: solve the problem

The solution should be satisfying to the reader and also relevant to the other elements of the story including the characters, their relationships and the setting. Know how the characters will solve the problem and how that resolution will support the moral of the story.

Once there was a bunny who wanted to write a fable. Then it read this advice and it was more than able. Could the bunny be you? Let us know. Have fun.