You hereby have permission to write badly today. That is, as long as you write something. Anything. Anything at all. On topic, off topic, no topic. Just write.

Go for it. Write as poorly as you can. Seriously, aim for the absolute bottom of the barrel. Permission granted. Go!

The words that come out don't need to be your best words. They needn't compare to the shiny perfection that came out "that one time." Fix the words later. Write ugly, right now.

Today, write recklessly. This is your permission to write without thinking deeply, without worrying about what "they" might say, with no self-censorship of any kind. You are free of consequences. Let it all hang out.

Capitalization? Proper spelling? Who needs it? Not you, not today. Not if it's getting in your way. You have permission to skip any and all conventions if commas, periods and the like will slow you down. This is your highway. You pick the speed.

Write as much as you want. Go short. One page. One paragraph. One sentence. Dare I say it? Is possible to write one word?

Yes!

And that word counts. Don't they all? They do. It's writing! Write.

Today's the day. Put that bad idea on paper. Put that strange thought into words. Write that boring scene. The one that goes nowhere? You know the one. Write it. Yes, really! Get it down. Permission? Check!

You are allowed to write whenever you can. Early in the morning, late at night, for 60 seconds when you get a flash of insight. This permission slip covers all 24 hours of the day and all lengths of time within it. Ten hours? Fantastic! Ten minutes? Great! There's no judgment, only permission. Just write.

You have permission to write that purple prose. Make it as purple as possible, if that's what gets you going. Write those flourishes. Make them pop! Go waaaay waaaay over the top! Big and showy and impossibly descriptive. Just put it down. All of it.

You have permission to do whatever it takes to get something down on paper today. Because putting some words, any words, down, is writing. And writing something, anything, including the bad stuff? Well, that's how you get to the gold.

Ready to write? Let's begin.

Nicole D. Collier, Ph.D. - Nicole was born and raised just south of Atlanta, Georgia. She taught elementary school before going on to work with learners of all ages. Now an author, consultant and executive coach, she's been known to run, dance, and turn carwheels on sunny days. Just Right Jillian is Nicole's debut novel.

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