FAQ on The Manifesto Manifesto

Do all manifestos have to have include all nine principles?

No. Simple manifestos may simply have a list of actions. For example, Christianity’s Ten Commandments is a powerful manifesto that is merely a list of 10 things to do or not do. Likewise, the Manifesto Manifesto doesn’t include all nine principles! (Should I change this?)

What’s the point of having all nine principles?

The more manifesto principles you include the more oomph your idea will have. It’s like having multiple tools in your kit. It gives your audience more ways to grab onto your idea.
If your manifesto has simply actions that may be sufficient to get things moving.
However, if you want to build something as powerful as a religion that lasts for a millennium, then the more elements you include the better.

Which principle is the most important?

None of the principles are meant to be more important than the others. They’re just different.
The first principle: ‘Manifestos are primal’ sets the context for the rest.
Numbers 2 to 8 tell you the items you can include when creating your manifesto.
And, number 9 says merely writing your manifesto is not enough. The more ways you bring it to life the more chance it has of staying alive.

What’s the best way to write a manifesto?

There’s no one way to do it. It depends upon who your intended audience is and what you want to achieve. We’ll cover a couple of different ways to do this in future posts.

How come the principles all have 3 words?

Manifestos come in a wide range of styles and formats. This one just turned out this way. And, there is value in having a tightly worded spiel with a consistent pattern to it. It can make it easier to write and read. You do want your manifesto to have some elegance and pizazz – remember your aim is to entice an audience to come and play with us.

What other questions do you have about manifestos?