Mythology is a great source of flash fiction ideas. They have a rich history and tradition surrounding them. The word myth originated from the Greek word, "mythos" which meant "story." Myths also are characterized by the fact that they cannot be attributed to one author and multiple versions of them exist, sometimes in completely different cultures or areas of the world. According to the book World Mythology (edited by Roy Willis), myths "were the imaginative attempts to solve the mysteries of life and the universe." The stories ask questions about the creation of the universe, the creatures within it, and the actions and motivations of human beings. Questions that we still ponder and explore today.
Many of the greatest stories in literature are based on these ancient tales and characters. Think of Shakespeare, Homer and many modern day authors who explore myth and mythical creatures to serve as subject matter for their work. One obvious recent example is Neil Gaiman's best-selling novel American Gods, which pulls mythical gods and creatures into a modern day U.S. setting.
Myth presents a natural story structure to surround the tale itself, often involving a question and an answer of sorts that often seems to be the type of "twist ending" that flash fiction is well known for. The ending also leads to more questions that must be answered by telling another story, which keeps the story creation cycle going. Myths help generate story ideas and inspire creativity.
Here are some ways to use myths in your flash fiction:
Create your own myth that explains a common problem experienced by us in the modern world. Problems such as traffic jams that have no apparent cause; the copier that always jams when you need it to work the most; the car keys that always disappear when you are running late.
Take an existing myth and retell it using a modern day setting.
Have the narrator of your story encounter a mythical creature.
Write a story from the point-of-view of a mythical creature, hero or god.
Write a sequel to one of your favorite myths.
Here are a couple of online resources to get you started:
Mythology, Legend, Folklore, & Ghosts site — This site is a directory of links to other mythology websites. A great place to start looking: http://www.teacheroz.com/myth-legend.htm.
Encyclopedia Mythica — The award-winning internet encyclopedia of mythology, folklore and religion: http://www.pantheon.org/.
Books of possible interest for you about mythology:
World Mythology ed. Roy Willis
http://www.amazon.com/World-Mythology-Henry-Holt-Reference/dp/0805049134/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259601188&sr=8-1Mythology: The Illustrated Anthology of World Myth and Storytelling by C. Scott Littleton (Editor) http://www.amazon.com/Mythology-Illustrated-Anthology-World-Storytelling/dp/1571458271/ref=pd_sim_b_5
The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of Fantastic Beings From Myth and Magic by John & Caitlin Matthews
http://www.amazon.com/Element-Encyclopedia-Magical-Creatures-Fantastic/dp/140273543X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259601774&sr=1-1American Gods by Neil Gaiman
http://www.amazon.com/American-Gods-Novel-Neil-Gaiman/dp/0060558121/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259601577&sr=1-1
So explore mythology with your flash fiction. You might discover that it sparks your muses and generates your own pantheon of stories.
Michael Wilson is the author of Flash Writing: How to Write, Revise and Publish Stories Less Than 1000 Words Long (for details or ordering info go to http://www.flashwriting.com), and has been teaching creative writing for over a decade. He publishes two blogs: Grist for the Muse — The blog that gets you writing and keeps you writing (http://gristforthemuse.blogspot.com/), and The 15-Minute Writer — Helping you achieve your writing dreams in just 15 minutes a day (http://15minutewriter.blogspot.com/). To contact Michael send an email to michael@flashwriting.com.