Anything Goes Writing Contest & League

.Gaia's Longest-Running & Largest Writing Contest

Made to promote the works and development of aspiring authors, the AGWC operated from December 2006 through January 2017 — with a brief return during the pandemic years. It was a labor of love that brought endless hours of entertainment, joy, and frustration. I made a lot of friends along the way, and through the absurd goal of keeping a contest continuously running for ten years, my life changed for the better. There were some interesting finds during that time. I reviewed some truly terrible pieces of writing, but I also had the pleasure of reading some of the most incredible works I have ever seen. Some used this contest as a launchpad for their careers. Some felt like I was fighting for the little guy, and others used the AGWC as a way to pass the time. Whatever brought you here, I hope you had some good fun — or hated getting absolutely roasted by me.

Back in 2006, I desperately wanted to give my cfxt.com domain a worthy mission. The site already hosted my works, but there was, and still is, some value in having a four-letter domain. With that infrastructure, I thought it would be interesting to create a place where great pieces of literature could be showcased. The AGWC was housed in the WC Forum of GaiaOnline, where it served as a bastion of literary sanity until forum sections were combined. Gaia, however, did not really provide a good outlet for promoting pieces. Would you direct relatives to Gaia? Would you send college reviewers to check out your literature on Gaia? Probably not. It's been years since I've largely removed myself from that space, and the notion still makes me cringe. The point of the CFXT.com Showcase was to give writers the out, and it absolutely crushed it. Things evolve, though, and my domains are no exceptions. The contest might not be running anymore—I reached my ten-year goal—but this page keeps the light on to show off those brilliant works and give praise where it's due. Check out The Start Archive to see the works of others and the Commendations page to see the list of GGW and AGWL Prism winners. If you want to go back and listen to a younger, edgier me critique submissions, the Result Recordings page is for you. The AGWC makes no claim on the rights of participants’ works.