Ever Had a Day Like These?

Here’s one from the department of phenomenally good ideas: The Scottish Book Trust and BBC Scotland have teamed up for a project called ‘Days Like This’, inviting members of the public - yes, that means you and me - to submit a story about a day, any day, that was somehow important in their lives. Grandly put, it’ll produce a body of writing showing what Scottish life has been like in living memory. So the plan is to get as large and diverse a selection of the public as possible to contribute, and there are a fair number of stories already up on the Book Trust’s website. All of the stories that are accepted (and they’re of a pretty high standard too) are hosted there, where they’ll all be judged by a celebrity panel (see picture). This fine mob will then select stories to be read on the radio, which will be further followed by a book putting the best stories in print.

The idea was inspired by a project in America. Author Paul Auster asked listeners to National Public Radio’s ‘All Things Considered’ programme to submit true stories which he’d then read on the air. Over the course of a year, he received over 4000. Recognising a good thing, he collected 179 of the best into a book, True Tales Of American Life, available in good bookshops everywhere folks. Reviews were laudatory and, all things considered, the project was a fantastic success. The Days Like This project is following much the same plan as Auster was, with its own ground rules. Here, the story must be true, it must be less than 1000 words, and it must, obviously, be over the course of one day.

If you fancy submitting, please do so – submissions will be open until 1 November. But before you start, please remember that there’s over 250 stories (at time of going to print) already on The Scottish Book Trust’s website, and reading a few is advisable before you begin your own. The Celebrity Panel have all submitted their stories – my favourite of which is Roddy Woomble’s, about his pet brick – and BBC Scotland presenters are submitting their stories too. But the real interest is in seeing what people you’ve never met write about. It’s fascinating to see what they choose to put on cyber-paper. Some people write about meeting their partners. One man wrote about the start of Queen of the South’s cup run last year, when they beat Peterhead 5-0. Lots of people, of all ages, write about their childhood, so much so that it’s one of the values of the website that it documents changes in the way folk grow up in Scotland. Some are happy and, of course, some aren’t. One in particular begins “My mother unlocked the door and freed me from the attic…”.

Don’t know what to write about? That’s okay, there’s tips on the website from Irvine Welsh about how to jog your memory to make a start, and then about how best to write down your story. It’s maybe a little daunting to put part of your life on show to the nation, but remember, it’s your tale, and you get to tell it your way. Odds are, if you’ve read this far, you’ve wondered what you’d write about. Am I right? Maybe you didn’t consider actually submitting your story, but think about it. It’s a challenge, and it can be all your own creation. At the very least it’s a talking point. And just think of the way that you could influence your audience. Basically, I just think this is a brilliant project. So… interested? [Keir Hind]