One of Scotland's most important cultural exports - stories.

Scotland consistently produces world-class writers.

Writers are a product of where we come from but by looking at alternatives to the culture in which we live, we can find ways to change and hopefully improve it.

The new contract between writers and readers is one I'm prepared to sign up to. I've met some fascinating people at events and online. Down with the isolation of writers I say! And long live Twitter.

Our business is communication oftentimes through the medium of stories but our capacity has a far greater scope - to entertain certainly, but also to stimulate debate, to mark up changes and differences and that way, to maybe, just now and then, to change the world.

Writers have a well-deserved reputation for being eccentric. Everything you've heard is true.

There are as many different kinds of books as there are writers - as many different responses as there are readers.

We can learn so much looking outside our core field of expertise.

Writers of novels live in a strange world where what's made up is as important as what's real.