How to write prophecies:
(This will be a very quick and easy guide on how to write prophecies. It will not talk about how to deliver them, or incorporate them into your story, just how to actually write one)
1) Write down what your prophecy means in a simple, single sentence.
For example, I will be creating a prophecy for something I just came up with right now: The main character will be killed by a brother she didn’t know she had.
2) Replace the characters - or events -Â in the prophecy with symbols.
For example, I will be replacing the main character and the brother with opposing animals (if this were a real novel, I would adjust the animals to match the characters’ personalities): The dove will be killed by a raven she didn’t know she had.
3) Mystify the events detailed in the prophecy - make it less clear what is going to happen.
For example, instead of straight up saying that the main character doesn’t know about the brother that will kill her, I can apply that relationship to birds - birds like trees, birds live in trees, family trees are a thing, put trees in the prophecy: The dove will be killed by a raven from the other side of the tree.
4) Add some misleading elements to the prophecy. If it is too obvious, it will be unrealistic when your characters have trouble figuring the prophecy out.
For example, I might change the “kill” part of the prophecy so it’s not too obvious. I should keep it similar so it’s clear that there will be harm to the main character, but I need to put in something a little more ambiguous that may lead the reader to think the character might survive the fight: The dove will be struck by the raven from the other side of the tree.
5) Move wording around. Whilst it is certainly secretive, it still doesn’t sound prophecy-ish.
For example, we can move the raven to the front of the prophecy as they are the main part of the warning: The raven from the other side of the tree will strike the dove.
6) Make the prophecy more personalised - make it suit more to your character and their personalities, choices, or appearances.
For example, my main character could have an injury from a battle long ago that won’t let her walk properly. We can apply that to a bird’s body - if the character’s leg is injured, then the dove’s wing is injured: The raven from the other side of the tree will strike the dove with the broken wing.
And boom - you’re done! You now have a prophecy ready for a story! We went from “The main character will be killed by a brother she didn’t know she had” to “The raven from the other side of the tree will strike the dove with the broken wing.”