My Annual List of Gifts for Writers, 2021 Edition
Here we go! This is a list of some of the most fun and/or useful stuff I’ve found this year. Hopefully it will inspire some gift ideas – for a writer in your life, or for yourself!
Journals, bookmarks, notebooks, pens... you name it, Peter Pauper Press has it. Beautiful and high-quality, all this and much more is available not only on their website but in many stationery and bookstores as well. (Although I have to admit, the sheer variety on their website has me drooling). Perfect for gifting. I know this kind of stuff is not exactly new and exciting, but I also don’t know a writer who can’t use more notebooks and pens. Their journals are works of art, and are my favorites for daily journaling.
The Author Accelerator store has Friends Don’t Let Friends Write Bad Books T-shirts and mugs, which, let’s face it, is nothing but The Truth.
Speaking of Author Accelerator, Jennie Nash’s latest book, Blueprint for a Book: Build Your Novel from the Inside Out, is the perfect gift for the writer in your life who needs a little help figuring out how to put their book together. If they constantly get 50 pages in and can’t figure out what to do, this will help.
If your writer is a memoirist, Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir by Beth Kephart is a great guide. Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir and Marion Roach Smith’s The Memoir Project are also terrific. These are not new books, but in my opinion, they belong on every memoirist’s shelf.
How about gifting a book club membership? At literati.com, you can do just that. They send books, recommended by well-known authors, and host online book clubs to discuss them. Your recipient can choose from 15 different books, in different categories – and they can pick a different category every month, if they want. They also have a kid’s book club for the younger reader in your life.
For fun inspiration, try The Writer’s Toolbox, a compendium of writing exercises and games using exercise sticks, creative description cards, and spinners to help create combinations to inspire new stories. The Storymatic Classic is another fun card-based writing prompt generator. When a writer is stuck, nothing like a fun, creative game to get things flowing again.
Another book I have to give a shout-out to this year is Seth Godin’s The Practice: Shipping Creative Work. If your writer struggles with writer’s block, or writing consistently, or worrying if they should even bother, Godin gives a practical, grounded approach to develop a creative practice focused on results.
Subscriptions are ever-popular – to writing magazines (The Writer, Poets & Writers), literary journals, or writing membership sites that provide community, learning, and inspiration (Medium, The Manuscript Academy)
An oldie but a goodie from last year’s list: a massage – Writers spend a lot of time hunched over desks, typing. A massage – full-body or one that focuses on the back and arms/hands – can be a lifesaver.
Writer’s Gift Basket: Here’s a fun-looking one on Etsy. You can browse for others. Or, create your own, based on what you know your writer likes. Add coffee, tea, mug, notebook, pens, bookmarks, some chocolates or other snacks... get creative!
The Great Creativity Toolkit is a compilation of over 50 video lessons from 40+ Creativity Coaches addressing all aspects of creativity (beginning, staying motivated, recovering your creative mojo, developing a creative practice...) in many different artistic forms: writing, visual arts, music, etc. It’s a treasure trove of creative advice from coaches all over the world, and a great gift for anyone who needs some creative support in their lives. (Yes, I contributed a lesson on Issues for Writers in the Creative Process. Yes, that is an affiliate link.)
Finally... if you believe in your writer and want them to succeed, why not set them up for success by hiring a book coach? (Ahem). I’m offering 10% off all coaching packages and courses bought as gifts – or you can purchase a particular coaching amount and let your writer choose how they want to spend it. Head to www.setyourmuseonfire.com to see current packages and courses, and use the contact form to purchase a gift.
