How to Manifest on Paper

Get a pen and paper and make your wildest dreams a reality

Co-authored by Jennifer McVey, Cht and Eric McClure

Last Updated: November 25, 2024 Fact Checked

Turn your dreams and goals into a reality! Manifestation, the art of using the laws of attraction to bring things you want into existence, can be a fun way to achieve a goal or improve yourself. Many popular techniques involve writing, and we’re here to show you everything you need to know about manifesting on paper. Read on to learn more.

Manifesting on Paper

There are a few ways you can manifest with paper. You can write down a single sentence that describes your goal, freewrite about your intention in a journal, write out a script of an encounter you want to happen, or rewrite a mantra over and over again. The most important thing is to believe in what you’ve written.

1

Find a calm, quiet space.

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The right environment is important when it comes to manifestation. If you have a diary or journal, you can use that. Alternatively, you can use loose pieces of paper. Go to a space where you’ll be undisturbed, calm, and comfortable. You can do this outdoors if you like, but most people find it best to go to an empty part of their home to keep a clear mind.^{[1]
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- Some people like to keep a manifestation journal. If you plan on doing this more than once, consider starting with a fresh notebook to keep all of your manifestations in one place.
- If you want to get the vibe right, light some incense or candles. Dim the lights if you’d like.
- If you’re doing this at home (which is ideal), clean the room if it’s dirty or disorganized.

2

Choose your intention.

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Meditate for a moment and think about precisely what you want. Your intention refers to what you actually want. Thinking through this intention and pondering it for a few minutes helps you clarify precisely what you’re looking for. The more specific, the better.^{[2]
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- For example, you can totally try manifesting “a best friend,” but you may benefit from focusing on “a male friend who will support and encourage me” or, “an empathetic companion who will alleviate my loneliness.”
- The idea here is that the less ambiguity there is between you and your object of desire, the easier it will be to attract that thing to you.
- You can manifest objects, people, relationships, career goals, and everything in between. However, the bigger the intention, the harder it will be to manifest. If you’re new to this, try manifesting something small, like a good grade on a test or a day off work.

3

Visualize your goal.

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Picturing your intention with your mind’s eye will give it shape and meaning. Once you’ve put your manifestation into words by setting the intention, create an image of it in your head. Spend a few minutes picturing yourself getting that raise, or meeting that beautiful person who you’ll fall in love with. Picture it over and over again to cement the image in your mind.^{[3]
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- Imagine your goal or item in three dimensions. Picture it as a still image, as well as a moving image. Picture yourself interacting with it. What does it smell like? What does it feel like? All of this is crucial information.
- If you can’t picture anything, it might mean that your intention isn’t specific enough. Spend a few more minutes really thinking through what you want.

4

Ask for what you want.

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Vocalize your desire out loud to put it into the universe. Once you’ve got a firm understanding of what you want and a clear image of what it looks like, speak it into existence. Manifestation relies on attraction and belief, and expressing that attraction out loud puts your desire into the cosmos.^{[4]
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- “I want to find the engineering job of my dreams.”
- “I am going to tell my crush how I feel and sweep them off of their feet.”
- “Can my anxiety go away so that I can socialize and make friends more easily?”

5

Write your intention down.

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In 1 sentence, describe precisely what you want to happen. Think of this kind of like the headline for a news article. Pour your intention into a single sentence, question, or declaration and write it down in your journal or on your paper. This will guide the remainder of the manifestation and help you keep your overarching goal in the front of your mind.^{[5]
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- You can write out the exact same thing you just said out loud, or rephrase your goal if you’ve got additional clarity based on what you’ve said out loud.
- Write positively in the present tense—what you're manifesting will happen in your lifetime, whether it's 5 minutes or 50 years from now!
- For example, if you said, “I want to find the engineering job of my dreams,” you can totally write that down. You might also write:
  - “I believe that I can find an engineering job that fulfills me.”
  - “Can I become the chemical engineer that I’ve always wanted to be?”

6

Freewrite about your intention.

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This helps if you want additional clarity or to explore the way you feel. If you feel like there’s more to uncover in your subconscious hopes and desires, let the words flow freely. Keep your hand moving and just write down whatever comes to your mind. Do this for 3-5 minutes and then review what you’ve written to see if you uncovered anything new.^{[6]
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- This form of manifestation can reveal truths you never would have uncovered otherwise. This can help with other kinds of manifestation, or work as a kind of manifestation on its own.

7

Script the manifestation if you’re a storyteller.

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Craft a narrative to make a specific sequence of events a reality. If you have a natural love of story and your intention can be imagined as a script, make that script a reality. You can write dialogue out about you picking up the love of your life, or write a third-person story about you walking into your dream job on the first day.^{[7]
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- This type of manifesting can help you picture exactly what needs to happen in between now and the exact moment you achieve your goal. It can also help you identify important moments when they actually happen!
- If you were scripting a promotion, you might start, “Boss: So, what is it exactly that you want? Me: Look, I’ve been here for 2 years now and I’ve never had a raise. I think I’ve demonstrated my value…”

8

Compose some mantras if you like meditating.

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Affirmations and mantras are great if you want help focusing on your goal. A mantra or affirmation refers to a short phrase or sentence that you repeat over and over again. You could take your “headline” and write it repeatedly, or jot down a string of desires and keep writing them out. Once you’ve filled enough pages to feel satisfied, you’re done.
- Continue to use your affirmation or mantra when you need a pep talk, when you meditate, or when you do yoga.
- This kind of manifestation can help you reaffirm your goal and focus your energy on precisely what you want.

9

Leave the paper under your pillow if you’re ritualistic.

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This symbolic gesture can help bring clarity and positive energy to your desires. If you do any kind of divination or you’re spiritual, try folding the paper up and sleeping with it under your pillow. This ritual can help center and reaffirm the focus in your subconscious mind. You may even start to dream about your goal, which will allow you to interact with the object of your desire.
- This can encourage positive thinking and help you rewire your feelings and thoughts as you sleep.
- This is also a great way to push out negative thoughts, doubts, and confusion surrounding the thing you want.

10

Believe in what you’ve written.

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Manifestation only works if you genuinely believe it does. The law of attraction states that a positive thought or genuine belief in a positive outcome will cause that thing to come true. However, if you secretly harbor doubts, concerns, or suspicions that undermine your goal, it can throw a wrench in your ability to make that thing happen.^{[8]
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- If you do have doubt, encourage yourself to have faith. Faith is the bridge between disbelief and hope, and it can curb negative thoughts that will interfere with your dream.

11

Pursue the thing you want to manifest.

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If you’re manifesting a concrete goal, take actionable steps to achieve it. If you’re manifesting a dream job, start digging through postings on job boards. If you’re manifesting the boy of your dreams, start updating your online dating profiles and letting your friends know you’re available for blind dates. Do whatever you can to take charge and bring your goal into reality.^{[9]
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- The laws of attraction can only do so much—you have to meet the universe halfway by taking the steps you can to achieve the things you want!

12

Forget about the act of manifesting.

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Spending your time ruminating on the goal can be counterproductive. A watched pot never boils. If you keep trying to figure out if your manifestation is working or not, or you can’t stop thinking about when your goal is finally going to come to fruition, you may interfere with the natural vibrations at work. Trust in the process and let it go. Good things will come!^{[10]
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- Focusing too much on whether the manifestation will work or not can also cause you to doubt yourself. This is going to make your manifestation less likely to come true, so stop thinking about it.