A Writer’s Wish List 2017

Hey, writers and friends and family of writers.

I hope you’re having a fantastic week! As we come into the holiday season, I’ve noticed the emails from parents and significant others of writers have started coming in…so I thought I’d help out and create A Writer’s Wish List. But I didn’t want to make it a normal “get a pen and notebook” post. Instead, I’ve challenged myself to come up with gifts for writers at several levels – from DIY to $$$. Hope this helps.

Happy Holidays!

Write on,

Darlene

 

DIY Writer Gifts

Plot Bunnies

Knit your writer a Plot Bunny. Instructions are for knitting, but if you crochet, just make a similar square and you’re good to go. Yes, I’ve had these around since 2009, but a few people asked me what it was and I’ve made new writing buddies since then, so check it out.

A writer’s Christmas ornament. This is cool because you can specify it to your writer and their genre – not to mention they will have something totally unique! Need ideas? Check out Pinterest for some cool DIY ideas.

A Traveling Writer Kit – this is DIY as I have never found one that I loved, so it depends on your writer – ask them what they want in their ideal kit. The cool thing is this can be customized to your writer and to their styles and needs. My writing kit was about $40 if we’re excluding my computer and accessories which I already had. What goes in it? Think journal, pens or markers, bookmarks, sticky notes, index cards…I have index cards everywhere.

Create a jar of writing prompts for your writer. Include writing prompts and mantras. Ideas for inspiration: adventure, fantasy, romance, science fiction. Think about your writer’s favorite books and base writing prompts off of that. For example, I love Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. A perfect prompt would be what would Mr. Darcy be like in today’s society? Would a modern Elizabeth Bennett be interested in Mr. Darcy? [I think I just found my next romance novel]

Writing Reminder Stickers – grab a stack of sticky notes and write “writing reminder” at the top – leave enough space for dates, times, and other notes!

Cork board writing board for inspiration – I love this thing and have two so I can tell you they work.

 

Writer Gifts Less than $20

The Writer’s Block candle is $19.95 plus s&h.

A Tea Christmas Wreath. Never heard of it? I made two Christmases ago and they were adored. We refill the one we keep every year. Learn how to make a Tea Wreath from With Our Powers Combined [Seriously, the only thing I had to buy for this was the wire ring and tea…so we’re talking about $15 unless you get fancy].

A writer-specific coffee mug like Tears of My Readers. I also saw a cool Snoopy mug at Barnes and Noble this morning. Water bottles work just as well.

Is your writer constantly on the go? Find them something aromatic like Doterra essential oils. I like past-tense, balance, and zen.

If your writer is a tea lover, check out this hand-stamped tea spoon.

There is a really cool, simple keychain that reads Word Warrior.

 

Moleskine. Moleskine. Moleskine. Did I say it right? Moleskine. I don’t care what anyone else says, a writer needs a notebook and my notebook of choice is Moleskine. I may be obsessed, but it’s an awesome notebook with a hard top that will keep going as long as your writer does. I’ve used them for years. Oh, and if you find another type of awesome notebook, share the love – let me know and let your writer know because the only thing we love more than finding books we love that we’ve never heard of is finding awesome new journals.

Coffee or Tea – depending on your writer – or just get them a gift card to the nearest, friendliest café and they will love you for forever. Want bonus points? Add a bottle of their favorite creamer or a bag of sugar…we all need our caffeine.
A yummy candle. I recently got Tuscany Candle’s Sea and Sand candle. It’s inspiring me!

A Buff Headband. Because sometimes we writer need to channel characters be they pirates, people wearing head scarfs in space, or just need to get our hair out of our faces while typing.

 

 

$20 – $50 Writer Gifts

A pair of fabulous fingerless gloves from Storiarts. [https://storiarts.com/] The Pride and Prejudice ones are my cup of tea, but your writer may prefer others. The lower part of the arm is tight, but that can be adapted.

If your writer is a reader, check out this cool scratch-off top 100 essential novels chart.

One of my BWFs [best writer friends], Stacey says she’d love a writing totem – a small portable thing to hold onto while she writes. I don’t really have one totem, but if I think about it, I always have lots of toys around – like Snoopy, Woodstock, and my writing trio: Yoda, Darth Vader, and Chewbacca. Although now that I think about it, they aren’t portable, but they are adorable!

Chewbacca, Darth Vader, and Yoda come to inspire during the holidays!

 

Jewelry. There are tons of cool writing inspiration jewelry out there.

A Book Seat. I love this thing for homework and for reading. There’s a handy little pocket in the back for highlighters, sticky notes, or your charger. It can hold the page for you with a plastic marker that keeps the pages open. And I love the color. It’s purple, how can you not love it? They have many different colors, and when I looked it up again, they have a comic book one. Oh, and if you’re curious about the book on it, it’s Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell’s Pirate.

A gift card to a bookstore or to Amazon. Seriously. I used to think that gift cards were thoughtless gifts, mostly because there is lack of thought in them, but in this case it’s the opposite – you love your writer so much you don’t want them to have just one book under a tree – you love them enough to give them the pleasure of shopping for said book, pawing through pages and pages of them online or in real life, and then buying them. That’s love.

Inspirational toys or books. Laugh if you want to, but I think one of the ways to get in touch with my inner writer is to play. Not into toys? Try a cool game like Bananagrams.

 

$50 + Writer Gifts

Accessories to the computer are always nice. For me, it’s the Microsoft Surface Pen, Mouse, and Power Cord replacement.

Ooh – a waterproof, shockproof external portable hard drive would be nice.

Glassbaby Votives are pretty and useful in case the power goes out and your writer needs to write by candlelight. Hey, I live in the Pacific Northwest – it’s rainy and windy here.

Kindle. It’s kind of a no brainer – an electronic reader that stores hundreds of novels? You bet. I can even access my library’s book on it via their website.

An Electric Kettle. Because writers need tea. Or a coffee pot…your choice.

A writer’s retreat or conference – either diy or an existing one. I’ve done both and they each have their pros and cons. Hint: writers like starting with local writing retreats because it’s less intimidating than the large crowds. I’ve been to tiny ones and huge ones and it’s easy to get lost in the big ones – so for the first few, go with local ones. It’s kind of like sticking your toe in the water before you jump into a lake. Need inspiration? Check out writing magazines or websites for inspiration.

 

Happy Holidays!

I hope you choose something awesome for your writer – and remember it’s not the price tag that counts, it’s the love behind the gift! One of my favorite gifts was a portable writer’s kit that a friend made me. Share the love.

 

Need more ideas? Check out this post: How to Support Your Writer.

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