“Take Your Choice,” oil on canvas, by John Frederick Peto, 1885.
The First 100 Words The first 100 words of your manuscript are as important as all the words that follow. They comprise a first impression. They set the tone and introduce your writing style. If poorly chosen, they may be the only words an editor reads. The purpose of The First 100 Words is to share one editorial staff’s insights into that narrow literary domain, to chart the pitfalls and headlong plunges that inspire frontline readers to reject manuscripts, often without bothering to finish them.
The Lascaux Review Volume 9 Stories, poems, and essays by Allison Brice, Lisa K. Buchanan, Judith Waller Carroll, Myna Chang, Danielle Claro, Brendan Constantine, Tommy Dean, Peter Dudley, Rebecca Foust, Susan M. Gelles, Kari Gunter-Seymour, Mary Liza Hartong, Molly Lanzarotta, Christina Litchfield, Laurie Marshall, Scudder Parker, Dvora Wolff Rabino, Kathleen Rooney, Mark Schimmoeller, Claire Scott, Annette Sisson, Abi Stephenson, Claire Taylor, David Watts, and Angela Sue Winsor.