Who says we should not put old wine in new bottles? The wine tastes just as sweet! The epics of yore, are still relevant, meaningful and interesting to readers of today. While the ancient language may make the reading of the content difficult, the story retold in modern tongues, makes fascinating reading. With the Internet connecting the world, mythological stories and content from round the world are available at the click of a button. So it should not be surprising to find an Indian  retelling an American legend or a Russian talking about African tales! What is it that makes these stories evergreen?

It is said that “human nature never changes”. At the core of every tale are human beings. They love and hate; give and take; create and destroy; hope and despair and experience all the emotions that we do today. There is also the eternal triangle of love that dominates this tale–be it love for another human being or love for a nation or concept. So, though the tale is retold, the story does not seem old.  We can still experience and empathize with the characters. We can relate to the situations and concur with their decisions. Old wine in new bottles are completely palatable.

“What about creativity?”–You may ask. Being creative is not merely creating new characters and situations. You can be wonderfully creative interpreting and retelling the tales told by Shakespeare!  Every time As You Like It  is played in the Globe theatre or elsewhere, the actors are giving creative interpretations of the characters, the director is creatively directing the play or the viewer is creatively viewing the whole! A mother telling the sotry of Cinderella to her little daughter is also being creative in her own way.  Creativity is not the exclusive forte of new tales.  It is the essence of presentation; interpretation. So, presenting old tales in new ways is as creative as presenting new tales in new ways!

So, if you are sitting on the fence thinking about creative writing, you could begin by putting old wine in new bottles! It will help you create your new tales in new ways !