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Scripting for manifestation: method, examples and a template

No promises: these are practices to try, not a way to make any result certain. This isn't medical, financial or mental-health advice.

In short

  • Scripting means writing a short scene about your wish as if it has already happened.
  • Make it stronger by writing the steps you took, the obstacle you met and your plan for it.
  • Five worked examples and a template to copy are below.

What scripting is

Scripting is writing about your life as if a wish has already come true. You write in the past or present tense ("I got the offer", "I am walking into my new office"), with detail and feeling, as if it were a diary entry from the future.

The idea comes mainly from Neville Goddard's teaching to "assume" the wish is fulfilled (Goddard, 1944), and from older advice to write a goal down and read it daily, such as Napoleon Hill's (Hill, 1937). Today it is one of the most popular manifestation methods online.

How to script in 4 steps

  1. Pick one wish and a date. "By 31 March I have a new job in marketing."
  2. Write the scene. One paragraph about a specific moment when it has happened. What do you see, hear and do?
  3. Write the road there. Two or three sentences about the steps you took to get there. This is the part most scripts skip, and the part research supports most: imagining the process helps more than imagining only the result (Pham & Taylor, 1999).
  4. Write the obstacle and your plan. One sentence about what nearly stopped you and how you handled it. See the WOOP twist below.

Read it back once a day, or rewrite it weekly. Keep it to half a page.

5 worked examples

Each example is an illustration of the method. None is a story about a real result.

Illustration, not a result

1. A new job

The scene
It's a Monday in April. I badge into the office, find my desk by the window and open my first project brief.
The road there
I sent two tailored applications a week from January. I asked two former colleagues for feedback on my CV and practised three interview answers out loud.
The obstacle and plan
I nearly stopped after three rejections. If I get a rejection, then I send one new application the same evening.
Illustration, not a result

2. An exam

The scene
I turn over the paper, read the first question and recognise the topic straight away. My hands are steady.
The road there
I revised for 45 minutes every weekday for six weeks and did a past paper every Saturday.
The obstacle and plan
I used to lose evenings to my phone. If I sit down to revise, then the phone goes in the kitchen.
Illustration, not a result

3. Calmer mornings

The scene
It's 7:30 a.m. The kettle is on, I've stretched for five minutes, and I haven't looked at my messages yet.
The road there
I set my phone to charge in the hall and put my clothes out the night before.
The obstacle and plan
The snooze button. If the alarm goes, then I stand up before I touch the phone.
Illustration, not a result

4. A side project

The scene
I press "publish" on the first ten pages of my recipe blog and send the link to five friends.
The road there
I wrote one post every Sunday morning for ten weeks and learned the basics from free tutorials.
The obstacle and plan
Perfectionism. If I want to rewrite a post a third time, then I publish it and note changes for later.
Illustration, not a result

5. Speaking up at work

The scene
In the Thursday meeting, I share my idea for the new schedule. Two people ask follow-up questions.
The road there
I spoke once in every meeting for a month, starting with simple questions, and wrote my point down before each meeting.
The obstacle and plan
My mind goes blank. If I feel the urge to stay quiet, then I read my written point aloud.

Add the obstacle and the plan (the WOOP twist)

Plain scripting is all happy ending. Research suggests that is not enough. Very positive daydreams on their own went with less effort and worse results in several studies (Oettingen & Mayer, 2002). Contrasting the wish with the obstacle in your way works better (Oettingen, 2012).

So every script on this page ends with an if-then plan. Plans in this form help people act on goals (Gollwitzer, 1999). It takes one extra sentence and turns a pleasant daydream into something you can use tomorrow.

A template to copy

Template

Date it happens: ____________

The scene (present tense, one moment): It is ______. I am ______. I can see ______ and I feel ______.

The road there (past tense, 2 or 3 steps): To get here, I ______, then I ______, and every week I ______.

The obstacle and plan: The hardest part was ______. If ______ happens, then I ______.

Today's first step: ______

Scripting vs expressive writing

They are different practices. Scripting looks forward and imagines a wished-for future. Expressive writing, studied by psychologist James Pennebaker, means writing honestly about your thoughts and feelings on something that matters to you (Pennebaker, 1997). A large review of 146 randomised studies found that this kind of writing has a positive but small average effect (Frattaroli, 2006). If you are dealing with something difficult, expressive writing may suit you better than scripting. Our journal prompts include both kinds.

Does scripting work?

No study has tested scripting as a method. What we know from related research:

Read the full picture in does manifestation work? or try the 5-step method, which uses scripting as one daily option.

Real risks

  • Scripting about another person's feelings or choices, which no method can change.
  • Feeling worse when real life doesn't match the script. Add steps and plans, not just endings.
  • Using scripting in place of help for health or money problems.

Questions people ask

What is scripting in manifestation?

Writing a short scene about your wish as if it has already happened, usually in the present or past tense, with detail and feeling.

How do you script to manifest?

Pick one wish and a date, write one scene of it happening, add the steps you took to get there, then add the obstacle and an if-then plan.

What is an example of scripting?

"It's a Monday in April. I badge into the office and open my first project brief. I sent two applications a week from January. If I got a rejection, I sent a new application that evening."

Should scripting be in past or present tense?

Either works. Many people write the scene in the present tense and the road there in the past tense, as in our template.

How often should I script?

Once a day reading, or one rewrite a week, is enough. Keep each script to about half a page.

Can I script about a specific person?

We don't suggest it. No one can control another person's feelings. Script about your own actions instead, such as meeting new people.

Sources

  1. Goddard, N. (1944). Feeling Is the Secret.
  2. Hill, N. (1937). Think and Grow Rich. The Ralston Society.
  3. Pham, L. B., & Taylor, S. E. (1999). From thought to action: Effects of process- versus outcome-based mental simulations on performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25(2), 250-260. doi.org/10.1177/0146167299025002010
  4. Oettingen, G., & Mayer, D. (2002). The motivating function of thinking about the future: Expectations versus fantasies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(5), 1198-1212. doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.83.5.1198
  5. Oettingen, G. (2012). Future thought and behaviour change. European Review of Social Psychology, 23(1), 1-63. doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2011.643698
  6. Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493-503. doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.54.7.493
  7. Pennebaker, J. W. (1997). Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process. Psychological Science, 8(3), 162-166. doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00403.x
  8. Frattaroli, J. (2006). Experimental disclosure and its moderators: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(6), 823-865. doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.6.823
Written by: Manifestation Guide editorial teamLast checked: Sources: 8 cited, each checked against its published recordHow we check facts