What are the Best Holiday Gifts for Writers?

Last year, the best gift under my tree was a packet of black, ball-point pens from one of those office supply mega stores. I mean “best,” as in, this was the gift that got me really excited, that I couldn’t wait to open up and use.

Gift Ideas for the writer in your life - most under $10

My ballpoint pens had that rubber padding or sleeve around them, so I knew they were going to be much easier on my middle-finger writer’s bump.

And yes, there is such as thing as a writer’s bump. Mine dates back to doing my leaving certificate exam at my convent school in County Mayo.

Among all the people on your gift list, writers are really easy to make or craft or buy for. Basically, we'll adore just about anything that will make our writing lives easier—particularly if, like most writers, we’re balancing writing with a day job and a gazillion other things.

Here are my 9 gift ideas for the writers on your list

1. Small, pocket-sized notebooks: We need them for those middle-of-the-night ideas.  You can find them almost anywhere—including at large, cheap retail stores.

2. A box of professional looking thank-you cards (or two): I love to send out hand-written thank-you notes to business associates, editors, friends, book-discussion group hosts, bookstore event people and others.

3. Pens: Many. Pens.  Did I mention pens? See my intro above.

4. Post-it notes and index cards: Many, many post-it (sticky) notes--preferably in different colors and sizes. Index cards are good, too.

5. Blank journals:  Journals are where we do our morning pages and rough sketches before the first actual draft of the essay or story or book. Plain, lined journals are best. Artist's sketch pads work nicely, too. 

6. Gift cards to coffee shops, book shops and cafes: These days, in the era of COVID, it’s hard or unsafe to write in a coffee shop. But the sun will shine in 2022, and we’ll be able to write at those outdoor patio tables again. Coffee- or tea-shop gift cards are a winner. So are cards for bookshops.

7. Packs of ear plugs: These work well when we're writing in a cafe or restaurant or on the train commute.

8. Gift card to a guest house, writers retreat or writing workshop: So far, my gift ideas have been modestly priced, but if you really want to indulge and delight the writer in your life, buy them a gift card to a comfy hotel or a writers retreat or a virtual writing workshop. Make sure that the use-by dates are open so your writer can book a weekend or week that works for them.

9. A day pass or a membership at a co-working space: This doesn’t have to be any place too fancy, and there are plenty of choices out there. Or, if you live in or near central Massachusetts, check out this shared space, The Mill River Writers Nook, which is designed by a writer for writers. It offers single passes and memberships.

Enjoyed this article? You may also enjoy these blog posts:

How to Write in a Café or Coffee Shop

What’s the Best Kind of Writers Retreat for Me?

Big American Anniversaries

This month I celebrate the 30th anniversary of that day when I landed, terrified and wide-eyed, in America.  

Anniversaries are a time for looking backward, so these days my eyes are firmly fixed in the rear-view mirror.  

Here's what I see in that mirror: On the public and political front, this has been the very worst of those 30 years.  

For many of us in America, this has been the year to chide ourselves for our heretofore simplistic and deluded understanding about who and what this country actually is ( the "United" States? I think not).  

Still, as artists in America, it's our job to offset some of the damage done and being done today, as I write this.  Even in bad old 2016, there's still time. Today and tomorrow and on Christmas Day and for all eight days of Hanukkah and on New Year's Eve, write or paint or photograph or compose or sculpt like your life depends on it. 

Because in many ways, it actually does.

Write and create for those who are too scared or too voiceless or too persecuted or too busy working three low-wage jobs to have the luxury of writing. 

Also, use your art and your voice to advocate and resist. For local protest events near you, check out PEN America's Writers Resist.  

Despite the political schisms and our very, very scary headlines, here's what I also see in that rear-view mirror: All those 2016 days when I pinched myself at my good fortune. I'm not just healthy and alive and with a roof over my head; I'm able to do (and teach) what I love to do and teach.  

In my three decades here, writing has brought me my closest friends. Writing and books have put me in the very best company I know.  Writing has given me my tribe and the existential home that I left home to find.

For these and for you, my friends, I am deeply grateful.