As we discuss the uses of direct action, remember one thing: almost all successful actions occur within the context of an ongoing campaign. This means that political - not only logistical - work has been done before the action. This improves the chances that your action will be understood and successful. This also means you intend to follow up on your action. Intervention demands responsibility.

Although each action is different and in its course takes on a life of its own, there are a series of more-or-less standard steps to develop one. These steps presume that you are developing your action within the context of an ongoing campaign.

The Action Planning Manual starts with an introduction to direct action, discusses the functions and symbolic nature of direct action, and provides steps for action development.

There is much debate over "hard" vs. "soft" action. You hear it at meetings, around campfires, or read it in an eco-journal: folks advocating "harder" action and often criticizing "soft" action as being "just symbolic." This argument has at times even kept groups on different sides of the divide from working together effectively. But this argument shows a misunderstanding: all direct action is symbolic by nature.