What is self mythologising?

Self mythologising is when a person exaggerates and twists episodes of their own personal history in order to help them create an image of themselves that they enjoy projecting and want other people to believe in. Those who practise it are often in the public eye already, and want to stand out from competitors to their position. For example, a self mythologising writer who wants to be accepted by a diverse public but who in reality comes from a privileged background with a degree in creative writing might play down this fact in favour of exaggerating the fact that they went to an ordinary school and grew up in an ordinary suburb.