When coming up with strategies for starting a short story, it can often be worthwhile to look for inspiration in the work of other writers. It’s an age-old adage: good writers know how to imitate other good writers. However, it’s important that you don’t plagiarize, or steal from others. Here are prompts that will help you find inspiration from award-winning authors on the Write It site.

	Pick one sentence from a Critics’ Picks short story and use it as the first sentence of a free write. (Free write means write whatever comes into your head for 5-10 minutes without taking your pen off the page. Don’t think. Just write!) Start a short story by writing a passage shadowing a piece of writing from Write It that inspires you. Complete the following Shadow Fiction PDF. Take an original sentence from your shadow passage and use as the opening sentence of another free write.