DEADLINE EXTENSION. So many of you are still hard at work on your submissions, so there will be a one week extension. Pieces are now due on March 4 at 12 AM PST

Welcome to the launch contest of Anthropology-of-Self. This group’s goal is to craft prompts and contests that help you investigate your world as it truly is and in all the ways it could have been. We hope to create a place where fiction, nonfiction and poetry can all mingle happily together while creating weird, wonderful stories.

For this contest, we ask you to go back to your beginning moments as a writer, that first time you chose to place a pen to paper and change the world around you. Your mission is simple:

The Rules

Rewrite your first story as you best remember it.

Many of us only remember tidbits of our first story (such as the main character being a wombat). If you don’t remember it all, don’t worry. Just take that initial spark of a story and give us the best of what that spark ignites.

This is a prose-only contest. Fanfiction is allowed.

I, for one, spent a lot of time writing Lassie fanfiction as a child. If your first story was of a fandom, you have two options: write it in that same fandom or take the base characters and write them into a similar universe. We will be accepting pieces from both the fanfiction and prose categories for this contest.

Word count: no more than 3000 words.

If your first story was a full-length novel, figure out how to wheedle it down to under 3000. This is a strict word count threshold; all pieces over 3000 will be immediately disqualified.

All pieces must be uploaded after the posting of this journal and before Feb 26 at 12 AM PST

Submit to this folder in the AoS Gallery: anthropology-of-self.deviantar…

You must be a member of AoS to submit.

That one is easy. Just click join!

The Prizes

(Note: All those who offered prizes are allowed and encouraged to submit pieces themselves!)

First Place
A custom CSS Journal Skin designed by GinkgoWerkstatt
This wicked awesome graphite quill pen from Memnalar
A copy of THE LUCKY PLACE by Zu Vincent from PinkyMcCoversong
A one-year premium membership from Halatia
Writing Commission from Vocable
Critiques from:apocathary LiliWrites

Second Place
A sixth-month premium membership from Halatia
On Writing by Stephen King from Amberlouie
A copy of THE LUCKY PLACE by Zu Vincent from PinkyMcCoversong
Critiques from:: neurotype-on-discord SkysongMA

Third Place
A three-month premium membership from BeccaJS
A copy of THE LUCKY PLACE by Zu Vincent from PinkyMcCoversong
A specialized devID designed by nycterent
Critiques from: Amberlouie W-Lupus


Journal Features for all the Winners from
Amberlouie anapests-and-ink CyneNoir fenris CrumpetsHarvey HugQueen julietcaesar ikazon LiliWrites leyghan Gricken PaperDart TarienCole SadisticIceCream SkysongMA Solarune Vigilo

There is also a super-secret pool of 3620ish points donated by the following people. Their purpose is a super-secret surprise to be announced at a later date!

apocathary BarbecuedIguana BeccaJS brunette-from-oz CyneNoir EmmyIsAZebra Exillior inknalcohol kersee9 LadyLincoln  leyghan ikazon PaperDart thorns Vigilo

Go Forth and Write!

That is your mission! I look forward to reading each and every submission. I hope you enjoy revisiting your first ever story.



Meg