One of the best places to look for short fiction material — believe it or not — is your life.

	What events shaped you as a person? Write an exhaustive list of these events, such as: your earliest memory, your most embarrassing moment, your greatest achievement, your worst loss, your first love, the day you grew up, etc. Explore these events on the page, writing down as many minute details as you can possibly remember: colors, smells, textures, feelings, etc. When you are done, go back through everything you’ve written and find the story that needs to be told. At this point, don’t worry about accuracy. Have fun! Feel free to tell tall tales, spin yarns, and exaggerate what really happened in service of writing a good story. The best writers know when to steal from their own lives and when to use their imaginations.