The First Line
Fiction & nonfiction
thefirstline.com
The purpose of The First Line is to jump start the imagination--to help writers break through the block that is the blank page. Each issue contains short stories that stem from a common first line; it also provides a forum for discussing favorite first lines in literature. The First Line is an exercise in creativity for writers and a chance for readers to see how many different directions we can take when we start from the same place.
Available issues (click to explore):
Pages (PDF): 58
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"I flipped through the notebook and found half-finished poems, some drawings, and ______________.”
Pages (PDF): 55 (The First Line), 45 (The Last Line)
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IN THIS ISSUE (The First Line)
“When anyone in town needed help, they contacted Rocky Germain.”
IN THIS ISSUE (The Last Line)
"I called back a week later and told them we were good to go.”
Pages (PDF): 84
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"Her truck took the sharp turns of the mountain road with ease.”
Pages (PDF): 75
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"No one really knows why restoration stopped on the abandoned St. Julian hotel, where commoners and kings once came to relax in luxury.”
Pages (PDF): 61
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"Jayce recognized the man right away but couldn’t remember his name.”
Pages (PDF): 63 (The First Line), 68 (The Last Line)
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IN THIS ISSUE (The First Line)
“The parking lot was empty.”
IN THIS ISSUE (The Last Line)
"I didn’t want to admit it, but Lee was usually right.”
Pages (PDF): 70
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IN THIS ISSUE
"When she was eight, Alice Henderson briefly held the world record for filling her mouth with marbles."
Pages (PDF): 72
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IN THIS ISSUE
"Mr. Morton needed a new pair of shoes.”
Pages (PDF): 70
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IN THIS ISSUE
"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today.”
Pages (PDF): 66 (The First Line), 61 (The Last Line)
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IN THIS ISSUE (The First Line)
“It was the farthest north they had ever been.”
IN THIS ISSUE (The Last Line)
"Samir was never one to back down from a challenge.”
Pages (PDF): 64
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“As soon as Harriet entered the building, she headed to the seventh floor.”
Pages (PDF): 66
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"All the lawns on Mentone Avenue are mowed on Wednesdays.”
Pages (PDF): 86
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"I am the second Mrs. Roberts.”
Pages (PDF): 88 (The First Line), 58 (The Last Line)
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IN THIS ISSUE (The First Line)
"When he died, their father had two requests.”
IN THIS ISSUE (The Last Line)
""The shredder roared to life, grinding the letter into tiny pieces of confetti.""
Pages (PDF): 78
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"Lily unlocked the back door of the thrift store using a key that didn't belong to her."
Pages (PDF): 80
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IN THIS ISSUE
"Thomas hadn’t expected to be alive when the town’s time capsule was opened.”
Pages (PDF): 76
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"Rayna sat in front of the mirror removing her makeup and wondered who she would discover underneath.”
Pages (PDF): 69 (The First Line), 52 (The Last Line)
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IN THIS ISSUE (The First Line)
"Later that evening, they sat alone in their apartment, wondering if they had made the right decision.”
IN THIS ISSUE (The Last Line)
"Welcome to the family.”
Pages (PDF): 90
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IN THIS ISSUE
"What should we do with the body?”
Pages (PDF): 98
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IN THIS ISSUE
"Lena was raised on violin lessons and minimal parental supervision.”
Pages (PDF): 88
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"Darryl slid three quarters into the vending machine and weighed his options.”
Pages (PDF): 84 (The First Line), 42 (The Last Line)
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IN THIS ISSUE (The First Line)
"Loud music filled the room, making it hard to hear anything else.”
IN THIS ISSUE (The Last Line)
"Jordan looked me in the eye and said, ‘I trust you.’”
Pages (PDF): 148
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"There were five of them, which was two more than I'd been expecting.”
Pages (PDF): 105
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IN THIS ISSUE
"Just like his fifth grade teacher, Mr. Young, had always told him, Brian put on his thinking cap.”
Pages (PDF): 58 (The First Line), 38 (The Last Line)
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IN THIS ISSUE (The First Line)
"As she trudged down the alley, Cenessa saw a small..."
IN THIS ISSUE (The Last Line)
"I will visit again if I am ever back this way."
Pages (PDF): 64
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IN THIS ISSUE
“The window was open just enough to let in the cool night air.”
Pages (PDF): 78
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IN THIS ISSUE
"Leo massaged the back of his neck, thankful the meeting was finally over."
Pages (PDF): 65
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“‘I wanted you to be the first to know,’ Rowan tentatively confided in me.”
Pages (PDF): 71 (The First Line), 54 (The Last Line)
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IN THIS ISSUE (The First Line)
"I'm tired of trying to see the good in people."
IN THIS ISSUE (The Last Line)
"Benjamin was a man of his word."
Pages (PDF): 70
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IN THIS ISSUE
"Frank Rooney had been the manager of the Shop & Save for thirty-eight years, and he wasn't retiring anytime soon."
Pages (PDF): 74
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"Eddie tended to drift into whatever jobs were available that would pay the rent."
Pages (PDF): 58
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IN THIS ISSUE
"The plan suddenly made sense."
Pages (PDF): 82 (The First Line), 42 (The Last Line)
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IN THIS ISSUE (The First Line)
"In the six years I spent tracking David Addley, it never occurred to me that he didn't exist."
IN THIS ISSUE (The Last Line)
"It was hard to accept that from now on everyone would look at her differently."
Pages (PDF): 56
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IN THIS ISSUE
"Mrs. Morrison was too busy to die."
Pages (PDF): 76
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IN THIS ISSUE
"By the fifteenth month of the drought, the lake no longer held her secrets."
Pages (PDF): 74
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IN THIS ISSUE
"'Unfortunately, there is no mistake,' she said, closing the file."
Pages (PDF): 70 (The First Line), 50 (The Last Line)
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IN THIS ISSUE (The First Line)
"George pressed the call button and said, 'Mrs. Whitfield, you have a visitor.'"
IN THIS ISSUE (The Last Line)
"She said, 'I will,' and left."
Pages (PDF): 66
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IN THIS ISSUE
“The old neighborhood was nearly unrecognizable."
Pages (PDF): 76
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IN THIS ISSUE
“Laura liked to think she was honest with herself; it was everyone else she lied to."
Pages (PDF): 58
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IN THIS ISSUE
"Fairy tales hardly ever come true for quiet girls."
Pages (PDF): 60 (The First Line), 54 (The Last Line)
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IN THIS ISSUE (The First Line)
"We went as far as the car would take us."
IN THIS ISSUE (The Last Line)
"Brian pocketed the note and realized it had all been worth it."
Pages (PDF): 66
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"Fifty miles west of Bloomington lies Hillsboro, a monument to middle-class malaise."
Pages (PDF): 84
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IN THIS ISSUE
“Please, Sylvia, give me a moment to think.”
Pages (PDF): 86
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IN THIS ISSUE
"Carlos discovered ________ under a pile of shoes in the back of his grandmother’s closet."