Scotland's Stories: Creative readers' journal

Reading has a variety of positive impacts on readers, including improvements in wellbeing, reductions in feelings of loneliness and the development of empathy. However, research shows that reflecting on what we read can further increase the impact of these benefits.

For the first time, this year we are offering readers of Scotland's Stories the opportunity to receive a creative readers' journal. 

The journal contains five creative activities that will support you to reflect on your experience of reading Scotland's Stories: Hope. There are instructions for each of the five, but do feel free to adapt the activities to allow you to reflect on the aspects of reading the stories that stood out to you. 

We hope that using the journal will support you to further unlock all the wellbeing benefits that reading offers.

To help us understand the different ways that readers engage with stories, the impact that both reading and reflecting on reading has on us, and to hear your feedback on this year's Scotland Stories we will ask you to send photos of your completed journal for us to analyse as part of our research. The photos should be sent to us by the end of January 2025 via the form below.

Requesting your creative readers' journal

If you would like to take part in this research you can request a copy of the journal by emailing [email protected](this link will open in a new window) with your postal address.

You can also download a PDF of the journal here, which you can annotate on your phone or tablet, or print out and complete.

(this link will open in a new window)Download the journal

Returning your completed journal

Once you have completed your journal, please take photos of each page and upload them via this form by 31 January 2025:

(this link will open in a new window)Complete the form

If you prefer, you can post your completed journal to us at the below address. Please write your name and contact details inside the journal. If you require a freepost envelope please get in touch via [email protected](this link will open in a new window).

Research & Evaluation

Scottish Book Trust

Sandeman House

Trunk’s Close

55 High Street

Edinburgh

EH1 1SR

If you have completed the journal digitally, you can upload your annotated PDF using the form linked above.