It’s the holiday season again and that means we’re all out looking for the best gifts for our loved ones, friends, and office Secret Santas. But you might find yourself having to buy a gift for the writer in your life. They have so many books and a perfectly good writing setup, but you want to get them something they could really use. So, here are a few suggestions for the writer in your life!
1) A Good Mug: I doubt there’s a writer alive who doesn’t run purely on tea or coffee at least 60% of the time. If you find a clever mug, they’ll think of you every time they use it! Find something from a show or book they love, find one with a good quote, or even put a picture of yourself…if your at that level of familiarity. A mug with your face on it isn’t usually the best choice for your coworker, unless you’re that friendly.
2) A Word Game: Scrabble, Bananagrams, Boggle, even word magnets can be fun ways to let the writer in your life engage their literary brain under the guise of a fun game! Trick them into the writing spirit in a fun way! Games are a great way to warm up the writer brain before sitting down for a writing sprint.
3) A Writing Class: There are a multitude of online courses about everything from crafting a story to fine tuning a novel! Offer to pay for a class for your writer. There are many online classes for all types of writing, so let them pick one out and offer to pay for it for them.
4) A Plant: Writing is a lonely game sometimes. Those of us who are luck can have the companionship of a cat or dog while we work. Those of us on slightly stricter budgets or in smaller living spaces don’t always have the luxury of animals as our companions. A good substitute? A plant! My plants usually hear my stories before anyone else and are a very receptive audience. You know your story is bad when the plant starts wilting while your reading.
5) Time: This one can be trickier. The biggest hurdle separating people from being writers is time! Between work, the kids, eating and just the day-to-day errands, it’s hard for some people to find or make the time for their art. Give your writer time! Have them pick a day and time of the week that’s their writing time and help them keep it! Take the kids out to the park during this time, do the errands that have been piling up, offer to cook dinner while they write.
Your writer will appreciate anything you get them that acknowledges their artistic pursuits. It shows that you care about their passions and want them to succeed! Support is a gift that many people overlook when doing their holiday shopping, so make sure your writer knows you believe in them with a great writing gift!
And, if none of these work out, what writer doesn’t want to add another fancy notebook to their hoard?