I’m a writer.
I like things. I like stuff. I have a lot of stuff already.
I like things that pertain to writing and the tangential things associated with writing.
What should you get the writer in your life for a birthday, holiday, or special occasion?
What about a $35,000 fountain pen? No?
I will be the first to admit that I am not hugely excited by receiving gifts. Unless a gift is very useful or has a particular deep meaning for me, your basic gift shop tchotchke is just another goddamn thing I have to keep, use, display, maintain, clean, store, and eventually find a way to get rid of.
For a writer, though, what better gift to give than an experience? What could be more useful, more versatile, than experience? The standard advice is, after all, “write what you know,” so gift them with direct, experiential knowledge.
Despite what you may think, writers are some of the easiest people to shop for. Want to know why? Because we usually want books, whether they are in hard copy or electronic format.
Last year, my wife purchased me a Kindle Touch from Amazon. I don’t need the latest Kindle Paperwhite. But you can always buy me a few books off my wishlist.
First, let me say that owning an e-reader does not preclude wanting hardcover books. It just makes me more selective about what books I want in hardcover. Some books — coffee-table books, for example — are always going to be in hardcover. I am also very fond of my Easton Press collection of science fiction novels.
But what do you get for a writer besides books, most of which are likely to be read and forgotten in a month’s time. How can you make an impact all year long with the proverbial “gift that keeps on giving”?
All a writer really needs is paper and some sort of writing instrument. If a story wants to come out, and all a writer has at hand is a stubby red crayon and a napkin, it’s gonna happen.
So, let’s assume the writer in your life already has the basic tools of choice covered–paper and a pen, a typewriter, or a computer with whatever word processing software is most preferred.
What can you offer as a gift to make the writing experience better, easier, or more comfortable?
1. Liquid fuel
You know your writer best. What do they like to drink? Coffee’s usually a good bet. Running out of caffeine in the middle of an intense scene is catastrophic. You could gift them with a pound of their favorite beans or even sign them up for a monthly coffee delivery. Some prefer tea, so you could gift them with a special blend, a whimsical steeper, or a beautiful new teapot. I know a few writers who prefer something more potent for after-hours writing. I’m sure a really nice bottle of their favorite would be much appreciated.
In the past, my Christmas wishlists were miles long and filled with one item after another that I wanted. This year, it was a fairly short list. Maybe I’m getting older. Maybe I’m realizing that material things just weigh me down. Maybe I realize that I’m moving in a year and a half and I don’t want to have to pack all of that stuff up and haul it to yet another apartment.
Books are always a great present. But books are heavy. Allow me to reference you back to my aforementioned comment about moving again in a year and a half. I love books. Lately though, I’ve barely made time to read the mountains of books that I already own, much less discover new series. I’ve fallen in love with my library. I can check out books, read them, and return them when I’m done. And sometimes I’ll love a series enough to want to own it.
That’s becoming more of a rarity, though. (more…)
I am a terrible gift giver. I like to believe that I’m good at thinking about other people, but as I wrestled with this post, I was faced with the possibility that I might, in fact, be a very selfish bastard.
When it comes to buying something for other people, I often have no idea what to get.
I love connecting with individuals and genuinely care about the lives of others, but I can’t think of a single adult, outside of those related by blood or marriage, for whom I am buying a gift this season. I can’t decide whether or not this says anything about me as a person, but I thought I’d put it out there before I get to the advice-dispensing portion of this post.
The holidays are upon us and that writer in your life is almost impossible to to buy for. Forgive my ending that sentence with a preposition, because do I have some deals for you.
A couple of years ago, I saw the Alphasmart NEO in a Writer’s Digest advertisement.
This baby may not look like much, but it is pure creative functionality. It starts up instantaneously, runs on two AA batteries (which will last 700 hours), and best of all, it does not have internet. No Facebook-ing. No tweets. No “research” before you get started. Sit your ass down, because that is all this thing does. Want to write for 12 hours straight in a blackout? Done. Export your work to any program you want. The NEO emulates the keyboard of your computer and re-types it. (Which looks awesome.) For editing, you will still want your computer, but for quick and dirty first drafts, this is ideal.
“The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof, shit detector. This is the writer’s radar and all great writers have had it.” ~ Ernest Hemingway, Paris Review interview
We’re counting down to the holidays, so we thought it would be a good idea to ask our writers for gift ideas. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are history, but we have some suggestions if you’re still struggling to find the perfect gift for the writer in your life.
The writers in our Cafe were so busy writing last month that many of them didn’t have a chance to put together a wish list, so we’ve asked them to take some time this week to put together some of their favorite gift ideas.
We hope you’ll find some great ideas. If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments below.
Until Next Week,
The Cafe Management
Four thousand two hundred fifty nine words to go [0]. In three evenings. And I am tired. So, so tired.
This happens every year. I’m going steady all month long, but end up with almost no pad before the final push. I usually end up with my 50,000th word written at the final write-in, at which point I close my notebook, wave goodbye to my fellow-travelers, and stick the whole project in a drawer for a couple of weeks.
You know how the last twenty miles of a long road trip take the longest? It’s like that. The last 5000 words of each Nanowrimo project are like pushing peanut butter uphill with a bendy straw. I may love the story. I may hate the story. But by gum, there will be a purple bar next to my name. Only the heat death of the universe will stop me.
I will cook a nice meal— after Friday.
I will spend time with my family— after Friday.
I will resurrect my neglected Netflix account— after Friday.
I will read my library books— after Friday.
I will take a nice long walk and get some exercise— after Friday.
Until Saturday, I am still writing.
[0] As of this writing. As of posting, there will be fewer.