So, you have a writer friend. And you don’t know what to get them for Christmas. Maybe you waited too long, and now it’s down to the wire and you just don’t know.
Look no further. Your friendly neighborhood word-wrangler has got you covered!
The funny thing about writers is that we’re easy to shop for. Any little thing, from the newest book to a fresh collection of pens, would absolutely make our day. But if you want to do something extra special for your writer friend this Christmas, just to let them know you care, here are a few ideas to get you started.
300 Writing Prompts
Piccadilly’s 300 Writing Prompts books can be found at Wal-Mart, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon, as well as your favorite smaller, local bookstores or thrift stores. With page after page of juicy prompts to get kickstart your writer friend’s creativity, this book will keep them busy for a long time. And if it turns out they speed through the prompts too fast, you can always choose the 500 Writing Prompts version for an extra challenge.
Scribophile Subscription
You’ve heard me talk a lot about how important having a critique group or a critique partner is. Scribophile is an online community of like-minded writers who enjoy reading and commenting on each other’s work and offering their own for feedback. The one-year premium member is $65 and comes with a discount on Grammarly Premium and BookBaby.
Book Merch on Etsy
What better way to support small creators than to find cute trinkets on Etsy! Sellers make everything from candles to bookmarks to posters to jewelry. If your writer friend is a fan of Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, or other classic authors, a literature scarf can be an elegant gift!
Scrivener
Is your writer friend criminal disorganized? Do they need one app for every stage of the writing process, from drafting to editing and everything in between? Scrivener is the “type-writer, ring-binder, and scrapbook,” the one-stop, all-inclusive app that comes highly recommended by writers. It costs $49 to download.
Novel Teas
If your writer friend loves to sip their favorite tea while they write, Novel Teas is the perfect Christmas gift. Each individual teabag comes with its own literary quote, making the overall tea and writing experience even more fun! The package contains 25 bags of English Breakfast tea.
Kindle Unlimited or Audible Subscription
Who doesn’t love a book on the go? Kindle Unlimited allows a reader access to all their favorite Kindle Unlimited designated books from their Kindle (or the Kindle app on their computer or phone) for free. The cost is $9.99 a month. And if your writer friend prefers to listen to their books on tape, Audible gives access to many narrated books for only $14.95 a month.
Skillshare Subscription
Writers need to do research for their books. They need to know how to draft, revise, edit, market, etc. And Skillshare provides a plethora of classes for the creative mind that’s always open to learn. Name any subject, and Skillshare probably has a class on it, complete with knowledgeable teachers, assignments to do, and a healthy learning community. The cost of a yearly subscription is $99.
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Writers are easy to shop for, as long as you know where to start looking for writing-related gifts. But 2020 does have some of us on a tight budget, so you really don’t have to get fancy either. Giving your writer friend a new notebook and pen for Christmas is just as wonderful a gift as any of the ideas listed above. When it comes right down to it, your writer friend will appreciate your thoughtful gift because it came from you.
Merry Christmas, bookwyrms!
Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash
Rachel Sandell 