How To Write A Manifesto

How To Create A Writing Manifesto

What is a manifesto?

A manifesto is a curation of succinct phrases that best represent your intentions, opinions and aspirations. Typically, they are presented in the form of a list. So, how would a writing manifesto differ from a list of writing rules?

Writing rules are practical. A writing manifesto is inspirational. A manifesto embodies your idealised view of the world, the vision you hold for the future and your core beliefs as they relate to creativity and craft. Though a manifesto may be created through a particular lens – creativity, business, health – these principles can often be applied to other areas of life.

How do you create one?

Creating a manifesto is easy, but if you’re looking for a little inspiration then check out the list of published manifesto included below.

You can write your manifesto whatever way you want to – it’s your manifesto after all. However, if you want to make your manifesto easy to remember I recommended that you make each principle as clear & succinct as possible. For example: “I always feel better after I have written so I will write every day whether I feel like it or not” could be rewritten as “Write every day” or “Inspiration follows action.”

A writing manifesto is a tailor constitution that reflects your unique understanding and experiences with the craft. The purpose of the manifesto is to inspire and ignite you – especially on days when you’re as excited as a wet sock. Once you’ve created your manifesto, it’s a good idea to hang it near your desk as a reminder of how and why you do this crazy thing called writing.

There’s a million way you can go about writing a manifesto, but here are a few easy questions to get you started:

I write because…

Writing makes me feel…

Writing means …

In order to write, I need to…

What’s the purpose of a manifesto?

Creating a manifesto can be a lot of fun and it’s a great way to inject a little creative and playfulness into your writing. And that’s a good thing especially if you suffer from any of the following:

• perfectionism
• rigidness
• taking things too damn seriously

Given that this post is all about writing manifestos, I thought it was only fair that I share mine.

Writing Manifesto

1. Inspiration follows action
2. The story already exists, you just have to type it out
3. Stories have their own logic and it’s your job to follow it
4. Resisting writing is more painful than writing
5. No one care if the house is clean but everyone cares if you’re happy and writing makes you happy
6. Dreams don’t work unless you do
7. Writing happens even when you’re not writing
8. It’s easier to write every day than once in a while
9. New ideas are delicate, keep them close to your chest
10. Write one good sentence, then another, then another.