Many writers are plagued by the demon of perfectionism. We won’t show anyone a manuscript until it’s “done” – without admitting that it rarely is. We don’t try new forms or genres because we aren’t immersed in them.

Unfortunately, the fear of mistakes inhibits our ability to learn from them.

For today, go make some creative mistakes. Make as many as you can and do it cheerfully. Write a poem or a short play. Write in first person or present tense. Mimic the style of a writer with an idiosyncratic voice. Write without an outline, or if you usually outline, start a new story without thinking it through too far. Write a story in less than 500 words.

Don’t worry about how bad it turns out. Make mistakes and learn from them.