I have a bit of an obsession at the moment. And it’s not whether the UK will see sunshine again this year, understandable though that is. It’s a much more momentous topic: the classic myths.

Recently I’ve been (re)reading some of the ancient Irish and Greek stories many of us know and love. In this case, Emily Wilson’s new translation of Homer’s Odyssey and a collection of Irish legends retold by Marie Heaney in Over Nine Waves.

These are not only gripping page turners, but also represent the founding stories of two great civilizations – containing a wealth of lessons for us in modern times.

Some of the valuable teachings are about the art of storytelling itself, a skill that any book writer must master if they’re to keep their readers engaged – whether they be a fiction or non-fiction author. So what can we take from them if we’re to become better writers?

As this is an appropriately super-human sized topic, worthy of many an hour around the metaphorical camp fire, I’ve narrowed it down to three areas. I offer you three great truths – trials that every story must pass – each one illustrated with examples from the books above.

Something significant must be at stake

This is about making readers care.

If we’re to carry our readers with us until the very end of a story, our protagonist must stand to lose something precious and irreplacable should they fail to complete their quest. In the myths, this might be a loved one, a hard-earned status, or a deeply held moral conviction.

How does this play out for Odysseus? Having fought to victory in the battle of Troy, he must chart an uncertain and dangerous route home to Ithaca. This is imperative not only for himself, but also to save his family from the predatory suitors who are courting his wife Penelope. Should he fail to return and oust them from his palace, he’ll never see his precious wife, son or land again, his wealth and legacy will be lost, and his son will have no home. He’ll lose everything.

The Children of Lir in the Irish myths have a different but equally significant mission: to survive. Turned into swans by their jealous stepmother Aoife, they’re condemned to spend nine hundred years swimming in distant and perilous waters. They must learn to control their despair until their sentence is spent, when they’re rescued and can finally live as people again.

So, lesson number one: raise the stakes.

There should be many obstacles along the way

This is about two things: retaining readers’ interest and revealing hidden layers of the protagonist’s character.

Wily Odysseus is the perfect person to get around the various challenges and problems that are thrown his way. During his 10-year voyage home, he manages to escape from various remote islands, slaughter hideous monsters, deceive several captors, persuade powerful kings to help him, and – in a final denouement – murder the men who compete for his house and throne.

In the Irish myths, legendary warrior of the Ulster Cycle Cuchulainn is famous for his fierce strength and courage. In fact, he gains his name after killing Culann’s guard dog in self-defence – he’s the only man who could fend off its attacks. From his childhood, where he refuses to accept the physical limitations of a seven-year-old boy in battle, to his adulthood, where he defeats numerous foes of every description, he eventually dies young due to a spell cast by Queen Medb. His mythical status comes down to his godlike ability to overcome predators who have defeated everyone else.

Obstacles and challenges are important in a story not only because they keep readers involved, but also because they way a protagonist solves problems is a great revealer of their character. Odysseus is inclined to use his cunning to get around difficulties, while Cuchulainn is more of a ‘let’s sort this out by hacking everyone to death’ kind of guy. This might give us food for thought. Who is the greater hero? He who undoes the Gordian Knot with words, or he who takes a knife to it and slices it in two?

Lesson number two: strew the story with obstacles that must be overcome.

The end could be another beginning

This is about keeping readers’ attention even after the story is finished.

The Odyssey explores the concept of ‘nostos’ or ‘homecoming’. The story starts with Odysseus’ son Telemachus setting off to seek his father in a kind of miniature reverse odyssey, then continues with Odysseus’ trials and tribulations before our hero finally arrives at his homeland of Ithaca. Even then, we’re far from finished, as he must find a way to defeat the enemies encamped in his house before his journey is truly complete.

This he achieves, but despite the book ending at this point, there’s a sense that the story isn’t entirely over. The fighting only ceases when the goddess Athena intervenes to stop Odysseus killing yet more people, and so we’re left with a curious sense of unfinished business. Can this man, whose life has been consumed by war and adventure for a full 20 years, really put his feet up in front of the domestic hearth? Or is there a new adventure on the cards?

Many of the Irish myths also leave us with a variety of possible outcomes. The supernatural Tuatha De Danaan, who are eventually defeated in battle by the Milesians, don’t disappear. Instead, they go underground to inhabit the sidhes, or mounds, scattered around the country. From time to time, these mysterious people return to the land of the mortals and involve themselves in human life – they never truly go away.

So, lesson number three: end by giving readers something to chew on.

Of course, by their very nature all myths are larger than life – they’re supposed to be. That’s not to say all good stories must be constructed on such a grand scale, but they still have much in common with their forebears. If you can take these three lessons from the great legends and apply them to your own tales, you’ll not go far wrong.

Alternatively, you can seek a companion of the craft – a ghostwriter of ink and fire – to give shape to your story. Together, we will raise it to the heavens in a shower of stars to send forth its message to the end of time. Which is another way of saying, you can ask one of us for a friendly chat and we’ll see if we can help.

Ginny Carter is a bestselling ghostwriter of over 25 books, a book coach, and an award-winning author in her own right.