It’s that time of year again: time to think of something your writer friend or family member will actually use. Fear not! Once more, we come bearing gift ideas for the writer in your life. Here are 50 great ideas for your writer that will have them dancing with joy beside the Christmas tree.
Writer’s Digest Critiques ($40+) – Your writer will appreciate a personal critique from Writer’s Digest’s Second Draft service. Prices vary based on what is being critiqued and how many words or pages there are.
Writer’s Market 2020 (Kindle $20; Paperback $23-$28.50) – You can’t go wrong with the latest edition of Writer’s Market. This is the encyclopedia for writers, with submission information, marketing advice, magazines and book publishers, and even how to write a good query letter.
Rory’s Story Cubes ($15) – Roll the nine dice for over a million different story ideas. For ages 6+.
Writer Emergency Pack ($14) – 26 illustrated idea cards and 26 detail cards to help break writer’s block.
The 3 am Epiphany (paperback; prices vary) – Over 200 writing exercises to help you think, write, and revise.
The Emotion Thesaurus (Kindle $6; paperback prices vary) – Tons of information to help your characters express their emotions without using cliches.
Bathtub Book Caddy (around $50 depending on which version you choose) – Luxury bamboo caddy that fits across the bathtub to hold whatever you’re reading, along with other bath essentials.
T-shirt ($20-22 depending on size) – “I’m not quiet; I’m plotting.” The perfect t-shirt for the introvert at work.
Wireless Typewriter Keyboard ($300) – Looks and feels like an old-fashioned typewriter.
Grammerly Premium ($25/month) – This software is an upgrade on the free grammar-check program. Worth it if your writer struggles with word tenses or spelling.
Scapple ($18 for Mac or Windows) – This is a virtual whiteboard where you can jot down notes or ideas and connect them to see how the whole plot line will work.
Scrivener ($50) – This is a word processing program that combines Microsoft Word with a corkboard – write your manuscript, divide it into chapters and move those around however you want, keep track of research and story details, and even import websites for later.
Kate & Laurel Calter Framed Linen Fabric Pin Board ($55.20) – A luxury pin board for your writer’s maps, notes, photos, etc.
Quartet Magnetic Whiteboard ($18) – The magnetic part means you can also pin photos and other papers onto the whiteboard.
Sony ICDUX560BLK Digital Voice Recorder ($157) – A slim, pocket-sized recorder for your writer.
Pilot Varsity Fountain Pen 6-Pack ($13) – A six-pack of inexpensive fountain pens for the writer who loses theirs.
Tripar Postcard Stand ($8.50) – A tiny (4”) easel to hold a postcard or photo to inspire your writer.
Rayo & Honey Let the Work Speak Pennant ($75) – A quality pennant to inspire your writer.
Noise-Canceling Headphones ($180+) – Just what the writer needs to get away from the distractions of the world.
Literary Insults Poster ($25) – An entertaining poster full of literary insults to inspire your writer.GFDA
Classic Advice Poster ($50) or family friendly version (censored) – The original version drops the F-bomb, while the family-friendly version whites them out.
Masterclass Writing Courses $180/year or $15/month) – Hundreds of different classes, many of them by authors and screenwriters. Right now they’re doing a “Buy One, Send One to a Friend” sale.
Membership in a Writing Group or Guild (Price will vary)
You’ll need to do a bit of Googling for this one. Find the national or international guild for your writer’s genre (nearly every genre has one) and pay for a year’s membership. Or seek out the local writing group and do the same.
Scrabble Themed Edition ($40) – The original game packaged in a hardback “book.” Also comes in a Harry Potter themed version or a Retro 1949 version.
Magnetic Poetry Kit ($20) – Magnetic words to arrange and rearrange; also comes in a Happiness Kit, F-Word Kit, Little Box of Smut Kit, Queer Kit, Obscenities Kit, and Moist & Other Awful Words Kit.
Bananagrams ($10) – Scrabble in a bag; this is a timed anagram game that will test your writer’s vocabulary.
Storymatic ($30) – “Six trillion stories in one little box.” A card game you can play alone or with a group.
Bookends (prices vary) – Gift your writer with a unique set of bookends for their collection (we know they have one).
Bookworm Ring ($15) – A silver wrap-around ring that says “Bookworm.” Who doesn’t need one?
Quotation Wall Art ($29) – This “floating” art quotes Ben Franklin: “Either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.
Litographs T-Shirt or Poster (prices vary) – Litographs uses the text of literary classics to create artwork from that novel. They sell tote bags, pillows, blankets, scarves, hoodies, and puzzles too.
Dixit Game ($44) – For three to six players; use the beautifully-illustrated cards to tell a story.
Do Not Disturb Sign ($8) – This is a hotel-style “Do Not Disturb: Writer at Work” sign for your doorknob.
Enamel Pins ($15) – This is a set of two pins: a cup of coffee and a typewriter to show the world what your writer does.
Punk Rock Authors Tote ($20) – A canvas tote bag with various classical authors reimagined as punk rockers.
My Coffee & Book Club ($32/month) – Choose whole bean or ground coffee and a book genre from their list. Each month your writer will get 12-oz of coffee and two new hardbacks in the genre you pick.
Scribbler Gift Subscription ($28/month) – Every month your writer gets a surprise box of gifts, teaching booklets, a signed novel and a chat with an editor.BestSelf
Wordsmith Card Deck ($25) – 150 writing prompts to cure writer’s block and sharpen writing skills.
Magnetic Notebook ($9-$30) – These notebooks have magnetic pages so you can rearrange them any way you wish.
Lumio Book Lamp ($200) – It looks like a book, but when you open it and fan out the pages, it’s an LED lamp.
Typewriter Keychain ($2.50) – A silver typewriter on a keychain.
Tequila Mockingbird $15) – “Cocktails with a Literary Twist.” This is a book of literary cocktails like “The Last of the Mojitos” and “Romeo and Juliep.”
Novel Teas ($13.50) – “Read ‘em and steep.” A box of teabags with literary quotes.
Literary Enamel Pins (prices vary – and are in euros) – This international company sells a variety of imaginative enamel pins, from a stack of books to the cover of a literary classic.
Adult Coloring Books ($10-15) – Coloring books for the writer, with versions like Edgar Allen Poe or William Shakespeare.
Book Coasters ($20) – Wooden coasters disguised as famous novels.
Literary Puzzles (prices vary – and are in euros) – This international company also makes literary jigsaw puzzles.
The Little Library Cookbook ($25) – 100 recipes from your favorite classics.
BookBook for Mac ($90-100) – This is a zippered leather shell for your 13- or 16-inch Macbook laptop. It looks just like an antique book and I can’t tell you the number of compliments I’ve gotten for mine.
Dead Writer Perfumes ($5+ with a $30 sample pack) – Perfumes inspired by famous (dead) writers.
Literary Scarves ($48) – These scarves are covered with quotations from your favorite books.
Your writer will be overjoyed to receive any of these gifts or stocking stuffers. And you’ve still got nearly a week to order!