We
love that writers around the world are inspired by
our first lines, and we know that not every story
will be sent to us. However, we ask that you do not
submit stories starting with our first lines to other
journals (or post them online on public sites) until
we've notified you as to our decision (usually four
weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise
of the publication revolves around one sentence, we
don't want it to look as if we stole that sentence
from another writer. If you have questions, feel free
to drop us a line.
Also,
we understand that writers may add our first line
to a story they are currently working on or have already
completed, and that's cool. But please do not add
our first line to a previously published story and
submit it to us. We do not accept previously published
stories, even if they have been repurposed for our
first lines. And, just to be clear, we do not accept
simultaneous submissions.
One
more thing while I've got you here: Writers compete
against one another for magazine space, so, technically,
every literary magazine is running a contest. There
are, however, literary magazines that run traditional
contests, where they charge entry fees and rank the
winners. We do not - nor will we ever - charge
a submission fee, nor do we rank our stories in
order of importance. Occasionally, we run contests
to help come up with new first lines, or we run fun,
gimmicky competitions for free stuff, but the actual
journal is not a contest in the traditional sense.
Fiction:
All stories must be written with the first line provided.
The line cannot be altered in any way, unless otherwise
noted by the editors. The story should be between
300 and 5,000 words (this is more like a guideline
and not a hard-and-fast rule; going over or under
the word count won't get your story tossed from the
slush pile). The sentences can be found on the home
page of The First Line's website, as well as
in the prior issue. Note: We are open to all genres.
We try to make TFL as eclectic as possible.
Poetry:
We do accept poetry, though rarely. We have no restrictions
on form or line count, but all poems must begin with
the first line provided. The line cannot be altered
in any way.
Non-Fiction:
500-800 word critical essays about your favorite first
line from a literary work.
All
Submissions: Writers should include a two- to
three-sentence biography of themselves that we can
use in the journal should your story, poem, or essay
be accepted.
Multiple
Submissions: We don't mind if you want to submit
multiple submissions for the same issue. However,
it is unlikely we will use more than one of your stories
or poems in the same issue.
Four-Part
Stories: If you think you are up to the challenge,
you can write a four-part story that uses the spring,
summer, fall, and winter sentences (five parts, if
you are brave enough to include a fifth story that
ends with the last
line). However, all parts must be submitted at
once (a single email or snail mail) before the February
1st deadline. (If selected, each part will be published
in its respective issue.)
Submissions:
We prefer you send manuscripts via email to submission
(@) thefirstline (dot) com. We accept stories
in MS Word or Word Perfect format (we prefer attachments).
Please do not send pdf versions of your story or
links to online docs. Make sure your name and
contact information, as well as your bio, are part
of the attachment. Stories also can be sent to The
First Line's post office box. No manuscripts will
be returned without an accompanying SASE with sufficient
return postage.
Here
is the submission schedule for 2025:
Spring:
Jayce recognized the man right away but couldn't remember
his name.
Due date: February 1, 2025
Summer:
No one really knows why restoration stopped on the
abandoned St. Julian hotel, where commoners and kings
once came to relax in luxury.
Due date: May 1, 2025
Fall:
Her truck took the sharp turns of the mountain road
with ease.
Due date: August 1, 2025
Winter:
When anyone in town needed help, they contacted Rocky
Germain.
Due date: November 1, 2025
Notification:
We don't make decisions about submissions until after
each issue closes. We typically send notices four
to five weeks after the issue's deadline to everyone
who submitted. You can also check the website's home
page for each issue's production status.
