Creating writing: Making myths matter

Have you ever thought ‘why should I care about the ancient world? What on earth does it have to do with me today and my concerns?’

Well. It was this common response that launched me into action when writing my debut book, Goddess with a Thousand Faces. You see, it isn’t your fault you feel like this. Perhaps you never studied the ancient world, or worse, were never asked to examine ancient stories from the place of your heart rather than your head.

I have made it my mission to show you a new way to engage with history. In this book, it was important for me to move away from the well-trodden roads of event or theme directed histories – you know the type, a book on this king or that battle- to put you at the centre. To begin with who we are today, what makes us tick, and what we desperately need to know about the lessons of our past as the whole focus.

This was the birth of this book, a new type of exploration, in which our own humanity takes centre stage. I wanted a female-led narrative that was anchored in us all today. As such, I decided the focus would be on femininity and what it means to be female today.

It began with me. Asking myself what I think it means to be a woman today. What is this modern notion of femininity and where does it come from? Does it even resonate with me? What am I struggling with?

Once these thoughts had formed into genres, I was able to look through each lens to stories of goddesses, both past and present, to find new and hidden gems of wisdom.

This is where it gets tricky as a writer. I had to keep a close eye on not misrepresenting the past in my pursuit to make things relevant for us today. I did this by beginning every chapter with the primary source material- going back to the original source material to ensure I was locating authentic voices as much as possible. I also wanted my goddesses to come from a diverse range of cultures, so that all modern women could felt seen in their histories.

Once a goddesses’ story had been identified through this painstaking research phase, I decided I need to tell her story in a first-person narrative to ensure that she felt real and personal to each reader. To blur to line between what is real and what is mythological, to demonstrate that each goddess carries a wisdom meant for us all.

I also chose to use as many original terms as possible in the native language of that goddess, to enhance the authenticity of the story further. Every time I wrote one of these stories, I used my own personal experience as a woman to make it more emotive – in fact I cried a lot writing the book! The effect is that the reader walks alongside the goddess, making her as real as possible.

It was very important for me from the outset to include historical context with each goddess. As I wanted to book to be work of true accessibility, I needed to ensure that every reader had the same understanding and framework. These sections could tend to be a dry read, so I wanted to write them in a conversational tone, to help the reader feel as though they are part of the process, and I am there with them, guiding them through.

It was also important to note oversaturate the reader with too much information. Luckily for me, my previous career as a teacher made it much easier for me to dissect complex and difficult information to create something engaging and interesting, and perhaps more importantly, palatable for those new to the culture.

I also wanted to include information about the lives of women, the worship of the goddess – so that readers can also understand how ancient women may have received these goddesses in their own times.

These sections all end with my musings about what this goddess wants to tell us. It was very important to me that these thoughts be the focus of the section, and that those thoughts encourage the reader to be self-reflective.

It many ways I was inspired by my own meditative and spiritual practices in this pursuit. I wanted each chapter to end impactfully and allow space for the reader to find their own understanding and clarity to make this a genuinely personal experience.

By the end of the book, I came to realise that I had accidentally on purpose stumbled across my core belief about the ancient past. That history belongs to us all, and that history needs to have a soul to be felt and held.

Goddess with a Thousand Faces by Jasmine Elmer is published by Renegade Books (£22)

If you're fascinated by the idea of using ancient myths in modern fiction, read how Irish novelist Leanne O'Donnell used them in her historical fiction.

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