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About Scotland's Stories

Find out more about Scottish Book Trust's annual writing project – Scotland's Stories – and how you can get involved

Scotland's Stories is an annual writing project which aims to encourage all types of people to share their experiences. Every year we use a different theme to help people write about their lives, their way. The theme for 2024 is hope.

When you think of hope, where does it take you?

To a new opportunity, challenge or place? To your afternoon cuppa? To the moments that brought you to where you are today?

Hope is the promise of a brighter future. It’s not blind faith that things will work out in the end, it’s the trust we place in ourselves and those around us, that the choices we make in difficult moments will lead us to better times. That the path we are on, and our story, matter.

Whether it’s what you want to see happen for yourself, your community or those you cherish most, share your story of hope with us today.

Get involved

This project is for everyone, even if you’ve never written before we’d like to hear from you. We believe everyone has a story worth telling and that telling that story can be a powerful experience.

Your entry can be in any form you like – a story, poem, comic strip, play or letter. We also accept video and audio entries. The only requirement is that your story is true and based on your own experiences.

We welcome entries in Gaelic, Scots and English.

Every submission is featured on our website and a selection of our favourites will be published in a free book distributed all over the country during Book Week Scotland (18–24 November 2024), our national celebration of books and reading.

Share your story

Writing prompts and inspiration

We've developed five sub-strands to Hope that we hope will help you start thinking about the story you want to share, and handy writing prompts in English and Gaelic to give you some fun, practical writing exercises that should help develop your ideas.

New dawns

We all yearn to start anew. To clean the slate and refresh our lives. Sometimes the difficult moments in life can give us the boost we need to take a risk, try something new or live in a more meaningful way for ourselves.

Try our 'New dawns' writing prompt.

Guiding lights

Who do you look to when times are hard? The people you can rely on to provide some perspective, bring a smile to your face or just allow you to vent. Confiding in others makes our problems feel less acute. We recognise that they too have dealt with adversity and found the strength to keep going, the strength that they are now reflecting back to us.

Try our 'Guiding lights' writing prompt.

Hope for the world

When you look to the future, what do you want to see happen for the world? Do you belong to a community fighting to make real change? When we bring our hope together, it transcends itself to become action, positive change or the example for those who need it most. These stories highlight what we care most about and remind us that even though we are just one person, making the choice to do some good can send massive shockwaves around the world.

Try our 'Hope for the world' writing prompt.

Pockets of joy

These are the small, quiet hopes that make up the rich interiors of our lives. From the treat you have to go along with your afternoon cuppa, thinking this might be the day the book you’re desperate to read is back at the library or simply escaping back into your own imagination, the small moments in our lives matter.

Try our 'Pockets of joy' writing prompt.

The best is yet to come

Are you working toward something big? Whether it’s finding your ultimate job, moving somewhere you’ve always dreamed of living or something more personal, our hopes and dreams matter because they keep us engaged in the story of our own lives. Even in tough times, the faith we place in ourselves can bring us to the future we envisage.

Try our 'The best is yet to come' writing prompt.

You can also read through some of the entries already submitted to get inspired including exclusive pieces on Hope from writers featured in last year's book.

Impact

To be able to showcase these wonderful stories and provide a platform for individuals to grow their confidence, fostering their love of reading and writing, is something we value greatly. We are incredibly lucky to receive such great support year on year, with hundreds of entries coming in from the public. The resulting collection of stories pays tribute to the variety and depth of experience of life in Scotland. You can find out more about the impact of Scotland's Stories from a writer who was included in our 2019 collection, Blether.