Gift Guide For Writers:

Do you have a writer in your life that you need to shop for this holiday season? Do you find writers baffling creatures and want to know what sort of gifts they would love for Christmas? Well, I am a writer and here I have put together a list of twelve items (one for each day of Christmas) that I would love to receive this holiday season.

Stocking Stuffers

1.    Writing-Themed Stickers

Writers love decorating their laptops and what better way to do that than with writing themed stickers! There are plenty of shops on Etsy that offer writing themed stickers. Here are a few highly rated sellers that offer a variety of writing-themed stickers:

Little Truths Studio – Art prints, cards, stickers, and more

Bibliofic Designs – For the reader, writer, and all around book-lover

Obsessive Minds – Cats, plants, and bookish themes

 

 

2.    Index Cards and Post-It Notes

To a non-writer, this might seem like a boring gift, but many writers use post-it or index cards to plot out their books. I always enjoy post-it notes with cute decorations or fun shapes. I use a variety of sizes from the traditional square to small flags to mark pages in books I’m reading. Index cards can also be paired with a bulletin board and a box of mutli-coloured pins.

3.    Aqua Notes

One of the most frustrating things about being a writer is getting hit with ideas when you can’t write them down and then forgetting them later. This happens to me in a few different places – while driving, at work, and in the shower. Aqua Notes can help your writer avoid one of these frustrations. It’s a waterproof notepad and pencil that come with suction cups on them, perfect for mounting in the shower. You can buy a set on Amazon.

 

 

 

Gifts

4.    Notebooks and Pens

While most writers do the bulk of their writing on the computer these days, many of us still enjoy writing by hand. I, myself, will often brainstorm with pen and paper, or I use it to help when I get stuck. Buying your writer a notebook and pen is a classic, easy gift, but you may need to do some research first. Some of us are very particular about which pens and notebooks we like. For example, I much prefer spiral bound notebooks I can fully open over traditionally bound books. Other people want specific grips on their pens. You can find good notebooks and pens almost anywhere, but I suggest finding out your author’s preferences first.

 

5.    Litographs

Want a more personal gift than a generic notebook? Authors love seeing words in print whether they be our own or the words of others. Litographs will put words from bestsellers, public domain books, and even the words of your very own author on blankets, t-shirts, shower curtains and more. I, personally, have an excerpt from Homer’s Odyssey on a blanket that my husband gave me one year. I love curling up with words from my favourite book to work on my writing or reading. Check them out here: https://www.litographs.com/collections/blankets

 

6.    Caffeine!

Most writers are caffeine addicts, or at least enjoy the company of a hot drink while they write. You can support this addiction habit with writing and book-themed coffee and tea from sellers such as these:

Novelteas – Selling book-themed tea tins such as Wizard of Oz and Cup of Cthulhu, Pekoe Pan, and others.

Coffin Creek Coffee Co. – These guys are local to me here in Ontario under the name “Deadly Grounds”, but you can order their coffee online. All of their coffees are horror-themed with fun names like Ship Wrecked, Bounty Hunter, and Toxic Toffee.

Novel Grounds – In contrast to the horror coffee, the coffee from Novel Grounds is more romance themed with flavours such as Steeped in Angst and Caffeine Kink.

7.    Writerly Mugs

Along with the gift of tea or coffee, you can give your author a writing themed mug to drink it out of. I never tire of a new, fun mug. These can be found a lot of places, too, but here are a couple of suggestions:

The Unemployed Philospher – They have several literature themed mugs, including one with Shakespearean insults and another with famous first lines in literature.

All Things Freelance – This site has a gift guide of 10 funny coffee mugs for writers including “I write, what’s your superpower” and “This is what an awesome writer looks like”.

 

8.    Story Cubes

Sometimes the muse comes easily, and sometimes she needs a little push. Story cubes are an excellent way that your writer can give themselves a little prompt for their next story or scene. Rory’s Story Cubes are meant as a game to play with children, but also make excellent writing prompts. In the classic package, they come with 9 6-sided dice with a picture on each side. I participate in a regular online writing group through the organization Sisters in Crime, and we often use these dice as prompts. The host will roll 3 dice and display the chosen pictures. Participants can then use these images to spark an idea. There are also many other kits available beyond the basic one include heroes, voyages, mystery, and more.

 

9.    Writing Cards

If your writer already has the dice, or wants some more detailed prompts, story cards are another way to go. Storymatic Studios has a box that boasts 6 trillion story ideas in one little box. They also offer a version for kids for the young writers in your life. If you are able to spend a bit more, Story Magic also has a wonderful set of cards available.

10.                       Books about Writing

The cubes and cards can help your writer come up with ideas, but the best advice comes from other writers. Many experienced writers have published books on short story writing, general craft, the business of publishing, and other writing topics. You can ask your writer which ones they already own or are on their wishlist, but a few suggestions I have are: On Writing by Stephen King, Writing in the Dark by Tim Waggoner, and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

 

11.                       Writing Software

I mentioned that most authors write on their computers and not entirely by hand. While they can use basic options like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, there are some specialized software options available for writers. This is another gift where you might need to do some research to find out exactly what software your writer would use and enjoy. I do have some suggestions to get you started.

Scrivener – probably one of the most popular novel-writing programs out there, and one I have used myself. Scrivener lets the writer divide up their chapters, move them around as they please, and even has a virtual bulletin board for virtual index cards.

Campfire – This is the one I currently use for my longer projects. It has some similarities to Scrivener, but it’s on a cloud, so I can access it anywhere. It also has a self-publishing platform for writers. One thing I like about Campfire is you can buy/subscribe to only the modules you need.

Others I have less experience with but are recommended by others are: Atticus, Dabble, Aeon Timeline, and 4theWords.

 

12.                       Time to Write

The biggest struggle for a lot of writers is time to write. Whether it’s our day jobs, housekeeping, health, or family responsibilities taking up our time, we writers are always looking for more time to write. If you live with your writer, you can offer them a “day off” and handle the cleaning, cooking, or whatever other chores they do. If you don’t live with them, and they have children, you can offer to babysit for a short time while they write. If you have the money, you could even pay for a weekend at a hotel so they can have their own little writer’s retreat. Whatever you can offer your writer in terms of a break to focus on their writing, I am sure they will appreciate it.