How to hide a story
- Write a story, with a pen or a computer
- Put "Why? See hiddenstories.org" at the bottom of each page
- You can put your name on your story, or not - it's up to you
- Put it in an envelope - paper, or plastic, or something else
- Write "READ ME" in big, friendly letters on the front
- Hide it somewhere!
What to do when you find a story
- Read it, obviously
- Optionally, you could add a sheet of paper detailing when and where you found it, and what you thought about it
- Hide it again, somewhere new
Frequently wondered thoughts
What's the point?
It's a bit of fun. It'll get you writing stories again, like you used to at school. And hiding them, which you never used to do.
Where shall I hide them?
Oh, anywhere. Has to be a place where they're likely to be found, mind you. In a book you borrowed from the library. Behind a loose brick. The back of someone's fridge, or cutlery drawer. Behind a tree; perhaps inside one, if there's a convenient hole. Stitched inside a teddy bear. Under the seat of the car you just sold. On the seat you just vacated at the cafe, pub, restaurant or bar. Anywhere you like.
What kind of stories?
Anything. Use your imagination.
Write them on what?
Anything. A scrap of paper, a napkin, a piece of A4, an exercise book, perhaps a notecard purchased from moo.com with one of your photos on the front. Be creative, but be spontaneous too.
Got any tips?
Actually, yes. Hiding things is surprisingly difficult. They have to be hidden in a place where they're going to be seen, but not easily. Look for nooks and crannies where people's eyes are only likely to casually glance once in a while. If hiding a story outdoors, make sure it's well protected from the weather. One of those plastic sleeves for recordable CDs makes a good envelope for a small card or a couple of folded sheets of paper.
When's a good time? What's a good place?
There are no good times or places. The beauty of this system is that you can do everything required to hide a story with just a pen and a bit of paper. You don't need a computer. You can write when inspiration strikes, quickly jot it all down, fold it up, put "Why? See hiddenstories.org" and "READ ME" on it, then squirrel it away in a corner somewhere. Some people might think the whole idea's not far away from wanton littering of our public spaces, but others might think it a fun way to leave something behind for the next person to occupy the space you're in now; lo-tech, lo-fi creative text messaging between strangers.
Are you going to add anything clever to this web site?
I'm not terribly clever at interactive web stuff, but it might be nice to stick in a map that people can annotate with the whereabouts of their story discoveries, perhaps a means of discussion if there's the demand for it. If you're the kind of person who's clever with that sort of thing, perhaps you could get in touch; I could do with a hand. My name's Giles, you can reach me at giles at gilest dot org.