OMG, What do Writers Want?
You got them a pen and a leather notebook last year, and it still sits right there, unused. Does that sound familiar? Still, you want to encourage and inspire and support them… so, what to give? As a writer who helps thousands of writers each year to write with less doubt and delay, I think I might have some insight. So, here’s 50-ish ideas to bring out the smiles and appreciation from your writer this season.
Writers are weirdos (and we know it) but that can make it hard to figure out what we want or need as a present.
I got you covered. Not only do I have over 50 holiday present ideas for you, but as much as possible I’ve found gifts on Etsy, Redbubble, uncommon goods, and Society 6 – the works of other artists and creatives. These are quirky gifts, that show support for your writer, as they help another artist in one fell swoop. You’re doing good in the world, and supporting creativity. And can I say, I’m staging my one-person protest against Amazon. Yes, they’re very important to writers – but if we all bought all our books from bookshop.org, Amazon would never notice our quiet defection!
We have everything from stocking stuffers to showstoppers. Sound good?
What to get a writer?
Let’s take a 360-degree view of your writer – Where does she work? What else does he do during the day? What do they listen to? Drink? How do they Dress? What aspects of writing do they relate to? Identify with? What writing tools do they wish they had?
We have something for every writer.
Office Decor
“Grace will take you places hustling can’t.”
1. The art of grace
It’s gentle and effective reminder from the great Brene Brown to be kind and indulgent of yourself as you write. $31.62
Photo from redbubble
2. Paper and Pencil blanket and pillow
Snuggle up when you need a break? This paper and pencil blanket and pillow are unmatched for kitschy comfort. – $99.95
Photo by AllSylviasCreations, Etsy
3. Writer’s Block much?
Get the Writer’s Block block. – $20.00 It can be useful as a paper weight or something to throw when frustration overwhelms you. (Warning, made of real wood, do not throw. That was a joke.)
When you suffer from actual Writer’s Block, head over to the Write Without the Fight FB group. Free and fun. And get a free gift for all writers during Thanksgiving weekend!
4. Stickers & Magnets for file cabinets, laptops and waterbottles
Links, L to R, top row: Virginia Woolf magnet; Pink Royal Typewriter sticker; You Are Your Best Thing sticker; L to R, bottom row: You literally mean figuratively sticker; Women Who Wrote sticker; and Unanswered Questions sticker. (Photos direct from selling sites.)
5. “Writer” Bookends
Display your books with fancy “writer” bookends. Guaranteed to make your office quirkier.
Photo credit: KnobCreekMetalArts on Etsy
For the Writer-on-the-Go
Even during the pandemic, some writers are essential workers – writing the news, conveying the concepts that are shaping our weird world now. Some of us are doing that essential work safely at home behind a computer, but we still like a good purse. (Who doesn’t?)
6. Author Emergency Kit $7.50
This little kit has everything, and tucks inside any author’s bag so they’ll have everything at a school or library visit, or high profile reading. Takes care of “a forgotten Sharpie, a popped button, chapped lips, dry mouth/throat, stained shirt, or food stuck in teeth…” all tucked inside a normal perscription bottle.
7. Purses, organizers and bookbags
(Photos direct from selling sites.)
- Never Underestimate the Power of a Girl With a Book! $12.12 If you ever underestimated educated girls, Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thornberg, or Claudia Conway can steer you right. Girls can put the world on its ear.
- I Can do Hard Things $20.21 book bag doubles as inspirational art. No brag, just fact.
- I phone Wallet $35.35 organizes the essentials with a nod to the fact that she’d rather be typing.
- This sweet typewriter change purse – $8.90 – is a small nod to writerly things, in a practical, cute manner.
- But the mother of all organizers $47.96 – a veritable office in a purse – is from Mochithings, and it holds a laptop, countless pens, notecards and more. Comes in 5 colors
- And not to be outdone, the Bookaholic bag $18.00 – says it plainly.
Black Writers Matter
8. Black women author socks!
Keep her feet warm as she sports some of her heroes – Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler and more – grounding her in a comfy, cushioned pair of socks. – $20.00
9. Get The Anti-Racist Baby
(for babies and moms of all colors!) A book that helps kids and others understand how policies are unfair and how to look at a world where there’s work to be done. – $9.00
Photo – Uncommon Goods
“Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined.”
~ Toni Morrison
10. Notecards with quotes from Toni Morrison, $6.00
Mugs, Coffee and Sustenance
We’re at the computer ALL DAY. Can’t a gal get some coffee or maybe some snacks? Woo her with your caring gift of nourishment. And understanding. Also, make him dinner once in a while. He’s slaving over a hot computer all day long.
There’s a million coffee mugs out there, but here’s a few I like:
11. Screenwriters Mug, Scene: Coffee Shop $18.00
12. And I will write 500 words, and I will write 500 more $19.10
13. There, there mug $18.95
(photo, Etsy)
14. S’well water bottle $35.00
These drink bottles and cups that keep water cold for at least 24 hours and hot for about 12 hours are a game changer. Life altering. Mood adjusting. Amazeballs. Once you have one, you need ten. One with a straw for water, one for tea, one for coffee. Sitting at a desk with a cold, cold drink waiting quietly for you – CANNOT BE BEAT. Off-brand cups are avail at Target – just make sure they make the promise on their labels – “24 hours cold/12 hours hot!”
(Image: S’well)
15. Starbucks gift card $25+
Even now, writers need coffee shops and restaurants to reconsider scenes, listen for unique snatches of dialog, and avoid actual writing for as long as it take for them to gain clarity. Some have outdoor seating to go with their lifesaving caffiene and distinct sense of treating yourself to something. If not Starbucks, seek a gift card for a local coffee shop or restaurant. They need the support almost as much as your starving artist does.
(photo, Starbucks.com)
16. Munchpak snacking subscription $23.95/mo
More than just snacks, these artful boxes assemble the best snacks from around the world. Your writer will feel inspired to include any number of brands, package descriptions and mouth-feel experiences into their worldly tales boosting their versimilitude.
(photo, Munchpak.com)
Professional Help
You probably think I mean therapy. Bec writers be crazy sometimes. But writing is cheaper than therapy… so I mean how about some professional help with their writing? They don’t have to do it all alone.
17. 57 Ways to Stop Procratinating – $17/digital
From Decoding Creativity (sound familiar?) you can give them 57 proven tools to help them refocus, rethink, and reframe their resistance when they hit a procrastinating wall.
Humorous, and science-backed approach to getting back to it, energized!
(photo, Creative Commons)
18. Domain name – About $15/yr
Every writer needs an author site – somewhere to post reviews, sell books and… blog. If your writer is sans website, buy them a domain name. Try theirname.com first, but if you’re like me – Julia Roberts – your name might not be available. I own beingjuliaroberts.com, and juliaroberts-author.com. I used to own, and let go, thejuliaroberts.com, and could have tried for juliarobertswrites.com. Get the picture? Try a bunch of alternatives. As for hosting sites, I like hostmonster, bec they have great customer service, ON THE PHONE. When you can’t get something to work, a person will help you figure it out, or even fix a setting on their end, so you’re good to go.
19. Editing software – about $79/year
If your writer is about to submit to magazines, literary agents or upload an ebook for publication – they need an editor. For clean grammar, spelling errors and more, try Grammarly, or ProWriting Aid. Let the algorithm suss out passive verbs, lengthy sentences, superfluous adverbs, repeated words and other no-no’s on the way to clear, concise writing. Both have a free version, monthly, annual or lifetime subscriptions. It cannot replace a real editor with a point of view about your story and organization, but it’s definitely a leg up.
20. Journal of the Month club – 4 journals/$44, 12 journals $115
Journal of the Month is an introduction to literary magazines that your writer might submit their own writing to. Each month, she gets a different print literary journal. Ideal for short story writers looking to understand their publishing marketplace. Every participating magazine is a highly-regarded actor in the contemporary literary scene that publishes exciting fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry from new and established voices. You can select frequency and opt out of journals she may already subscribe to.
21. Writers are Superheroes (Who Sometimes Can’t Fly) – $29
Set your writer up for a mindblowing email series – beginning in the new year. Each email explains a concept of the creative process, and identifies their innate creative thinking style. Help them see their writer’s block differently, and develop their own defenses against the Kryptonite lurking in their next manuscript.
We each have super-strengths, and our own super-weaknesses, i.e. Kryptonite. See and grow your strengths, and learn to skate where you aren’t so great.
(photo, Creative Commons)
22. Writer’s Market Deluxe Edition 2020: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published – $27
At 896 pages, and over 7,500 entries for book publishers, magazines, contests, and agents, this book stands as the best resource for people seeking ideas, leads and advice for getting published. I was given this tome as a gift in 1985, from a dear friend who’d accidentally spilled her coffee all over its 1000+ pages. I still cherished this as the doorway to the secret garden of how and where to get published, and the respect it bestowed upon me, that she’d bought and gifted me with it.
23. Photography/image subscription $29/mo, or $99 for 150 images
DepositPhotos.com is like Netflix for blogpics. If your writer blogs or posts, he’ll need images. And if they’re beginners – you’re doing them a big favor. They may not know they need to credit photos and pay licensing fees. (This happened to me, I was sued!) So, you can’t just search in Google images and grab what you see. For reference, I use about 80 pics a year.
24. The Storymatic – $30
Six trillion stories in one little box. That’s what they promise – prompts, juxtapositions and more. Helps relieve writer’s block, can make for a fun party game, or help you devise a truly original plot twist.
(photo, Storymatic.com)
25. Scrivener – $45.00
This has long been on my wish list – SCRIVENER. So, I must admit I’m basing this recommendation on reputation alone. People ‘effin love it! It helps you structure, reorg and see weakenesses in your story as you write. I think this in on my list for New Year’s resolutions: to try Scrivener. Check back, I’ll let you know what I think!
(photo, Scrivener.com)
26. Todoist – free version, or Pro, $36/year
Almost every productivity program will tell you to do a “brain dump,” of all the tasks and problems we carry around in our brains. We were meant to problem solvers, not recording devices. Let some other device free up your brain space to do what we do best. Create.
27. Creative Selfie – $147.00
A creativity assessment is literally the gift that will keep on giving, as the knowledge that participants gain from it will deeply benefit them in the long-run. The Creative Selfie is a set of three creativity tests that help writers intimately and precisely understand their creative gifts, unique voice, and where in the creative process they get stopped or stalled (and what to do about it!) This gift can be used on any one of three assessment dates in 2021.
(photo, Creative Commons)
Writerly Fun
28. Bananagrams – $14.95
Bananagrams fixes what’s wrong with Scrabble – the long waits, someone stealing the space you were planning to use, and a mere 7 letters at a time. Bananagrams is a cute banana-shaped zipper bag filled with letters, and all players build their anagram/crosswords at the same time. Fun, frantic and divergent thinking unchecked by Scrabble dullness!
Image credit:Barnes & Noble
29. Literary Insults Chart – $25.00
Who doesn’t wish they could pull off a powerful, yet literary insult?
“The tartness of his face sours grapes.”
“Fine words. I wonder where you stole them.”
Enjoy these zingers from great authors – organized by subject, so you can find and apply liberally as needed in your caustic life. The Literary Insults Chart is fun, funny and makes great wall art.
Image credit: Uncommon Goods
30. “100 Essential Novels” scratch-off chart – $35
Way to scratch a reader’s ego…
31. Subscriptions to literary magazines – surprisingly affordable options!
Getting published in a Lit mag lends immediate (and actionable) literary cred and can leapfrog your writer’s career as an author! They are surprisingly affordble in their virtual editions!
- The New Yorker: Still the grand-dame of literary story and cartoon publishing. Top-flight journalism – $119/year, $49.00 digital
- Atlantic Monthly: Atlantic Monthly puts out one issue a year that’s dedicated to short fiction, but in the meantime, they offer world-class reporting on politics, culture and the world. As they say: Be surprised. Be challenged. – $74.99/yr, $49.99 digital
- McSweeney’s Quarterly: Fun, outrageous quarterly dedicated to fiction, poetry, and comics – $95/year
- Granta: is a British literary mag that hews to the “belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make real.” – $42/$16, digital
Wearable Gifts
32. Pencil Scarf $35
Handmade, and entirely unique! If your writer’s quirky, here’s a great gift for her (him? just how quirky?)
Image Credit: Little Knit Studios, Etsy
33. For the Mighty Writer in Your Life – Mighty Writer Hoodie $33.40
Warmth, accolades and style – what’s not to like in this grey hoodie with Mighty Writer, emblazoned across its chest. Sizes range from XS to 3XL, so that’s pretty comfy.
34. Fingerless writing gloves – $26
We live in Southern California, so these are our outdoor gloves. But I remember NYC winters, where fingerless gloves could be a godsend on a cold January day in my office! Big, old houses and pre-war apartment buildings are not easy to heat evenly. These are decorated with classic text from novels like: Les Miserables, Hamlet, or Pride and Prejudice. Whimsical and practical. Great gift! While you’re there, shop around, they have Anne of Green Gables scarves, and mugs, baby blankets and more featuring beloved texts.
Image credit: Storiarts
T-shirts
(Image credit:Direct selling sites, linked)
35. Hyphenated, Non-Hyphenated, How Ironic? – $21.55
36. Writer’s Block When Your Imaginary Friends Won’t Talk to You – $6.74
37. Today’s Good Mood T – $15.19
38. Official Writing Uniform Pajamas – $52.99
Does a writer really need to dress? They need to feel good in what they’re wearing, perhaps. Get them a proper, professional uniform. There’s lots of comfy “writer” pjs at Cafe Press.
(Image credit: CafePress.com)
Getting Fancy Writer-Style
(Image credit: Direct selling sites, linked)
39. Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions A-Line Dress – $58.07
Designed by innasoyturk, the dress comes in XXS to 4XL and would be fun to wear at a Holiday party! (Are there any of those this year? Can I come?)
40. Hand-drawn Pencil and Notebook Earrings – $16.50
41. Typewriter Key Necklaces – $30.97
Choose your letter! or Pick three initials as a monogram. You could even choose the first letter of a book they wrote or are writing, that can act as a talisman, to continue to give them courage to write, finish and market their work.
Books, Duh!
In this pandemic season where some people – Jeff Bezos – are cracking their first billion, and 1 in 5 small businesses are closing their doors forever, I’ve give you the links for these books, either direct from the author, or from a great site called Bookshop.org, who will get your book from an independent bookstore, and have it sent to you from the shop around the corner. For my money, I’ll skip Amazon, whenever I can. I’m sure they won’t care or notice 🙂
42. Coaching the Artist Within, by Eric Maisel – $16.51
I trained with Dr. Eric Maisel in creativity coaching, and this book is a veritable guide to self-coaching. Topics include committing, planning and doing, generating mental energy, achieving a centered presence, becoming an anxiety expert, upholding your dream, and maintaining a creative life. It is empowering, if a little dry.
(Image: Bookshop.org)
43. The Artful Marketer: A Fundamental Business Guide for Creative Entrepreneurs, by Minette Riordan, PhD. – $10.15
Minette Riordan is a dear and helpful mentor of mine, so I strongly recommend her book. She understands the creative personality and the resistance we mount not only when we create, but when we press ourselves to be visible, to promote and market our work.
(Image: Bookshop.org)
44. Show Your Work: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered, by Austin Kleon – $11.91
Being VISIBLE eludes us all. What would people even want to know or see about us? And why? Kleon addresses how to present oneself in social media to build a following in a fun and easy-to-read way.
(Image: Bookshop.org)
45. The Business of Being a Writer, by Jane Friedman – $23.00
Writing can be a calling, a love, a lifestyle – but how often do we think of it as a business? Friedman’s blog at JaneFriedman.com is an authority on writing and the publishing industry. This book is the business education writers need but so rarely receive. It is meant for early-career writers looking to develop a realistic set of expectations about making money from their work or for working writers who want a better understanding of the industry.
(Image: Bookshop.org)
46. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott – $14.72
Anne Lamott’s observations and writing style are a delightful companion for any writer who is trying to understand how to write, how to tap into that energy, and how to keep your text fresh and grounded.
(Image: Bookshop.org)
47. The Artist’s Way – Walking in the World by Julia Cameron – $16.56
Julia Cameron has many books about recovering your creativity, and this one is my favorite. Its key ideas are Morning Pages, Artist Dates and to work with a group, chapter by chapter through this book. I’ve done this process with different groups of people 4 full times, and each brought me incredible strength, self-awareness, and inspiration, not to mention many very close friends.
(Image: Bookshop.org)
48. Fearless Writing, by William Kenower – $18.98
Each time I dip into this book, I feel a fresh sense of awe that Bill Kenower can put his finger on what we need to hear to set aside our fears and concerns and get back to writing.
(Image: Bookshop.org)
49. No One Wants to Read Your Sh*t, by Steven Pressfield – $13.95
I just read this ebook, and it reminded me – strongly – how much your writing must be of value to the reader, by bringing us story, within a concept, with important and engaging themes. It’s a little bit of tough love but a relief to know there’s a solution to this deeply held fear of nearly every writer.
(Image: BlackIrishbooks.com)
50. Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert – $15.64
I love this book even though her conception of what creativity is does not comport with my own. Still she has such a reverance for creativity and ideas, and such a down-to-earth approach to writing, creating and being in a writer’s life. BTW, she is dear friends with Anne LaMott – and they both have a sense that an idea or genius visits you, and will leave if it doesn’t feel welcome, served.
(Image: Bookshop.org)