manifesto craft
notes on writing manifestos that light both yours and readers’ hearts on fire
manifesto craft
Standing for something isn’t just about writing it down. It’s about believing it and living it.
David Heinemeier Hansson • Rework
1. Manifestos usually include a list of numbered tenets.
The format has been de rigeur since at least as far back as The Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789). It conveys a sense of urgency and straight talk. This is also why manifestos feel so contemporary: their close resemblance to click-bait top 10 lists.
Julian Hanna • The 10 Things All Great Manifestos Need
"Even if my expectations are unreasonable I would prefer to keep them"
Simon Sarris • Tweet
You need a point of view. Something you stand for. Something you believe that others don’t. Something you see that others are blind to. That’s the writing that spreads and makes a difference.
David Perell • Tweet
Manifestos are fiction dressed as fact.
Julian Hanna • The 10 Things All Great Manifestos Need
Any manifesto worth reading demands the impossible.
Julian Hanna • The 10 Things All Great Manifestos Need
“Boundary lines, of any type, are never found in the real world itself, but only in the imagination of the mapmakers.” -Ken Wilber
Caught in a contradiction, playing both despot and revolutionary, artist and critic, “straight man” and clown, the manifesto writer must persevere. The secret to this perseverance is drama. The theater of the absurd. You build a little self-contained world and invite the audience in. Describe this world in detail. Don’t be afraid to make it enterta
... See moreJulian Hanna • The Manifesto Handbook
“A principle isn’t a principle until it costs you something.” — Bill Bernbach