The end of this week marks the unofficial beginning to the holiday shopping season in the United States. Thursday is our Thanksgiving holiday, and the day after is known as Black Friday, the day retailers finally sell enough to put their accounting books “in the black” for the year.
I’m not one of those who camps outside of a store Thursday night to hit the sales at 4 a.m. In fact, I’m not a shopping-type person at all. So I desperately need help knowing what gifts to buy for people.
With that in mind, I decided to put together this list of gift ideas for writers. If you’re a writer, this might help you give suggestions to family or friends. Or you can direct your family to this post for ideas. Something on this list is bound to please every writer out there.
Stocking Stuffers
- Snack foods to keep up energy
- Timer for writing sprints
- AquaNotes waterproof notepads (for shower ideas!)
- Pens (these are my favorite—multicolor, blue, or black)
- Pencils/mechanical pencils
- Notepads (various sizes for purse, nightstand, car, etc.)
- Highlighters
- Stamps with various messages (suggested by Daniel Swensen)
- Randomizers like story cubes (suggested by Daniel Swensen)
For Writers Who Outline
- Note (index) cards
- Notebooks (most writers prefer plain spiral or steno pads over fancy, leather-bound books—those are too pretty to use *smile*)
- Ugly writing journal (so we’re not tempted to “save” it) (suggested by Daniel Swensen)
- Corkboard
- Pushpins
- Whiteboard
- Dry erase markers and eraser
Technology Helpers
- Programs like Scrivener (Windows and Mac) for organizing and word processing
- Dragon Naturally Speaking for voice recognition-driven writing (suggested by Kyla Rucci)
- Latest version of favorite word processing program
- Flash drive for backups
- Typing program (learn to type faster!)
- More memory for computer
- Bigger hard drive for computer
- Wireless/ergonomic keyboard or mouse
- Mini voice recorder
Big Ticket Items
- New computer/laptop
- Bigger computer monitor
- Printer
- eReader (Kindle, Nook, etc.)
- eTablet (iPad, Android tablet, etc.) (suggested by Angela Quarles)
- Ergonomic desk chair
- Website/blog hosting or design
- Registration fee for writing conference or workshop
- Membership fee for writing group (like RWA—which is open worldwide and for more than just romance writers)
Miscellaneous Suggestions
- Gift cards for books (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.)
- Gift cards for office supply stores
- High-quality printer paper for queries/submissions (suggested by Christy Farmer)
- Printer ink (suggested by Shain Brown)
- Canisters of favorite coffee or hot chocolate (suggested by Angela Quarles)
- Tea or other writing beverage (suggested by Daniel Swensen)
- Fingerless gloves (suggested by Angela Quarles)
- Totem for a muse (figurine, stuffed animal, etc.) (suggested by Lisa Hall-Wilson)
- Subscription to music source (Pandora, Spotify, Grooveshark, etc.)
- Premium level of online service (Dropbox for automatic backups, Amazon Prime for free shipping/lending library, etc.)
- Entry fee for a writing contest
- Lecture packets for Margie Lawson’s writing courses (suggested by Stina Lindenblatt—see her recommendations for which packets to get)
- Massage gift certificates (suggested by Julie Glover)
- Back or foot massager (suggested by Gene Lempp)
- Comfort clothes (robe and fuzzy slippers *smile*) (suggested by Brooklyn Ann)
- Writing time (anything from babysitting to a writers’ retreat)
What did I miss? Do you have suggestions for other items to add to the list? Which things would you most like to receive? Is there anything on the list you wouldn’t want? Are you shopping person or not?
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