You might think that writing fortune cookie fortunes isn’t really “writing,” but it is. There is an art to creating short statements suitable to use as “fortunes.” I attempted this for the first time this month. I’m not baking Chinese (American) fortune cookies, but I am putting little snippets in Easter eggs as event favors.
About fortunes
Fortunes arrange themselves into various types. You can find the worst ones all over the internet. They insult or induce groans. Some contain stupid redundancies. Others make no sense. What makes a fortune “good” may depend on who’s reading it, but popular ones use humor, or contain words of encouragement.
Generally, we think of fortunes as predictive, a statement about the future. Something that foretells or gives us a forecast of coming events. We read horoscopes, which are common examples of fortunes. We are familiar with the language and scope and the embedded hope.
Fortune styles
Because of the size of the cookie used, fortune cookie fortunes are brief. They are usually gender-neutral. And most concern common themes of love, finances, entertainment/vacation or work.
Some come as advice or warnings: “Now is the time to plan a trip.” or “Watch your finances carefully.” The most famous fortune given as advice that still resonates today: “Beware the Ides of March.”
Others give encouragement: “You will succeed in all your endeavors.” or “Your efforts will be rewarded.”
Most are vague or ambiguous and permit of many interpretations: “Love is in the air.” or “You will see changes at work soon.” or “The uncertainties of the past will not carry forward into the future.”
Cliché fortunes include “You will meet a tall, dark, handsome stranger.” and “An exciting opportunity lies ahead of you.” You can read a list of popular ones here.
My approach to writing fortunes
- My first step involved choosing a theme: chickens! I chose this theme because I want to use the fortunes in Easter eggs at a poultry-raising event!
- I assembled information about the theme. I attended a poultry-raising workshop and learned a little more than I already knew. As a child, I grew up with chickens. And feral chickens inhabit my yard and the boonies around me. So I used my practical knowledge to think about chickens. I also crocheted more egg-cozies in the shape of chickens to sit on the plastic eggs that will hold the fortunes I write. (This helped activate the creative side of my brain.) And I researched quotes and sayings about chickens.
- I decided to use the style of “blessings” rather than advice or warnings, or true predictions. So my “fortunes” typically start as “May your….” and I related them to quotes or expressions about chickens that I also included on the little slips of paper. So not typical fortunes, but hybrids–quotes and blessings–printed small on slips of papers to emulate fortune-cookie fortunes.
Writing is writing
This may seem like a trivial project, and it is. But it gets the writing juices going. I used pen and notebook, not a computer to create my “fortunes.” Handwriting also motivates the brain in important ways.
I may have some fortunes in a novel I write. This practice may come in handy at some time in the future. But even if I never return to writing fortunes of any kind, it was a fun exercise.
Try it! Tackle a fun writing exercise for no reason other than to get your creative juices flowing.
#fortunecookiefortunes #writingfortunes #chickens