gifts for writers – J.E.S. Hays

30 Innovative Gifts for Writers

JES Hays — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 02:36:17 +0000

It’s that time again – time to think up the perfect gift for that writer in your life. Here are some great ideas for you, along with some interesting websites to explore.

A Sherlock Holmes Tote: but look more closely. The background is composed of text from a Holmes story (written in teeny-tiny print)! You can find lots more items from many different classic books over at Litographs
Moleskine Notebooks: some of the very best for writing, drawing, or even mapping!
A Literary T-Shirt: This one says “When in Doubt, Go to the Library” but you can find lots of other shirts, as well as additional merchandise, over at Out of Print
Matchbooks that look like real books: Pride & Prejudice, Salome, The Oddysey of Homer, Fairy Tales, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Five matchbooks with metallic gold foil stamping.
100 Literary Postcards: these showcase “bold graphic interpretations of 50 of the greatest literary quotes of all time.”
A Banned Books Mug: this one is heat reactive – as you fill the mug, the blacked-out book titles are revealed.
Aqua Notes: Write down that idea – even if you’re in the shower!
The Writer’s Toolbox: “Creative Games and Exercises for Inspiring the ‘Write’ Side of your Brain.”
Scrabble Refrigerator Tiles: 120 vintage tiles to rearrange on your fridge
An Audible Subscription: $6.95 a month for 3 months – download audio books, magazines and newspapers to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Typewriter Jewelry: here’s a page of different ideas for you
Bananagrams: a crossword-building game similar to Scrabble, but without the need of paper or pencil to keep score. It’s portable and very addictive.
“Write Like a Mother-F**ker” Mug: Just what it sounds like.
“Reading is Sexy” Bottle Opener: would make a great stocking stuffer
A Literary Poster: this one’s “The Cocktail Chart of Film & Literature” – a catalog of 49 different drinks from great works of film and literature, from Philip Marlowe’s Gin Gimlet to Fredo Corleone’s Banana Daiquiri
Books for Writers: there are so many to choose from! Here are a few to think about – On Writing, by Stephen King; Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott; The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White
The Writer’s Emergency Kit: 26 idea cards and 26 detail cards, plus instructions in their use
100 Postcards from Penguin: more postcards, this time 100 book covers from Penguin Books. Inspire your writer to communicate more!
A Space-Age Pen: writes at any angle, even upside-down.
Writing Games: Storymatic is a great game – 540 unique cards in various categories to tell a story with.
Bookends: this bicycle bookend is great because it’s made of iron, so you can hold even your heaviest books
Masterclass: Give the gift of a writing class – Malcolm Gladwell (writing nonfiction), James Patterson (fiction with surprising plots), Shonda Rhymes (screenplays), R.L Stine (edgy fiction for younger readers), Judy Blume (writing characters your readers will love), Margaret Atwood (Creative Writing)
The Triangle Method of Character Creation: if Masterclass is out of your price range, what about this course? 12 videos with PDFs, 2 hours of instruction and a step-by-step guide to creating characters
Freedom: this is software that blocks websites on your computer so you have to write instead of wasting time on Facebook or Instagram! Buy your writer a copy.
Scrivener: this is writing software for both Mac and PC – helps you to organize your ideas, research, and characters and has templates for nonfiction, fiction, and screenplays.
Business Cards: Vistaprint is running a sale for the next two days!
Writer’s Relief: this is a submission service that can help you submit your work to publishers or agents.
Candles that Smell Like Books: Just like it sounds
A Magazine Subscription: try Writer’s Digest or Poets & Writers
Scribe Delivery: a monthly service that delivers a goody box of pens and journals to your writer!

Gifts for Writers

JES Hays — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 15:03:59 +0000

What do you get for that writer in your life?

Here are some great gift ideas for you:

Software: Scrivener is one of the best writing platforms out there in my humble opinion – it’s $45 (unless you won NaNoWriMo and got the discounted price) and it’s fantastic. It’s like a virtual cork board where you can post not only your scenes (and move them around however you want), but research ideas, websites, photos, character sketches and settings.
A spa day: check out your local spa and get your writer away from the keyboard for a couple of hours of relaxation. They’ll thank you afterwards.
A new notebook – Here’s a great Top 10 List of the sorts of notebooks out there today. I like Moleskine myself, but there are lots of different types available. Pick something your writer would love.
A keyboard for their iPad – I’ve got one of these and it’s great. You can type just like a laptop, but you’ve got the portability of the iPad. Plus, it comes in a nice leather case.
A laptop bag or general tote bag – there are so many choices out there that I’m not going to pick just one. Browse your local leather store for a high-end bag, or just check out Amazon or Cafepress.
A magazine subscription – get your writer a subscription to their favorite magazine, whether it’s Writer’s Digest or Poets & Writers.
A writing conference – for this, you’ll have to either consult with your writer or be super-sneaky because you have to know which conference your writer wants to attend. Either pay the entire fee or contribute toward the total. This might make a good group gift.
New pens – you can spend anything from a few bucks to several thousand, depending on what sort of pen you’d like to gift.
Free time – arrange for your writer to have the time they need to write. Do the chores for a day. Take the kids to the zoo. Give your writer a day at a local hotel. Whatever it takes.