“I am made and remade continually. Different people draw different words from me.” - Virginia Woolf

We love to think of ourselves as a divine and independent “self.” It gives us a stable space in the chaos to plant our two feet and say, “I am me, and I am here.”

Consider this. You are more than your “self.”

What would be possible if our identities were fluid?

What could be present if we embraced the chameleon nature of human beings, the desire to fit, the sweeping shifts of our mindsets and relationships? What could you become and do if you simply accepted it all as perfect? If you stopped fighting or burying it all?

Who could you choose to be if you did not need to fall into the old “self” that binds you to your habits and views?

What would be clear and present if we blurred the lines between “self” and “other?”

And instead of living out our stories, over and over again, we simply let them go?

This is my challenge to you.

Write your story. Share something that you feel makes you YOU.

Then, blur the line. Imagine your story stretching beyond yourself. Imagine it landing like a blown bubble on another human being. What could your story do for this other person? What shook you, in this moment in time and space, that might shake others, too? What does the world need to know about your lived experience?

This is your assignment. Are you ready?

Submission Guidelines

No One Story is looking for well-composed personal narratives and poems that match the theme. Your work must be your own. Following your first submission of each piece of writing, you will receive written feedback on your work. Please e-mail your work in .PDF, .TXT, or .DOC format to [email protected].

For a piece of prose, aim for between 1,000-1,500 words. Pieces exceeding 2,000 words will not be reviewed.

For poetry, all lengths will be considered and reviewed.

​E-mail [email protected].