The Ultimate Gift Guide for Writers — 2017 Edition

How’s everyone doing on their shopping so far this year? Are you ahead because Black Friday and Cyber Monday came early? Or have you not started yet because this year’s calendar—with Christmas falling on a Monday—is tricking you into thinking there’s more time than there really is?

Uh… *raises hand to that second one* I haven’t quite gotten serious yet. Get on that, self. *grin*

Need ideas for writing-related gifts? Here's something for everyone... Share on XObviously, I’m not a shopaholic, so I usually need help knowing what gifts to buy for people. That means it’s time to start thinking about what we might want for writerly gifts this year. With that in mind, I updated my Ultimate Gift Guide for Writers, and I included lots of links because I’m a lazy bum who prefers online shopping. *smile*

If you’re a writer, this might help you give suggestions to family or friends. Or you can direct your family to this post for ideas. Something on this list is bound to please every writer out there.

Stocking Stuffers

• New! Sticky weekly calendar to put on computer monitor
• New! Wrist “donut” for better mouse ergonomics
• New! Fountain pens and ink (fountain pen fans can be very picky, but Anne Kaelber suggested this pen and ink source) (Or go for the full feather quill experience with this one)
• New! “Space” pen that works at any angle, even if we’re lying down (like suggested by Jenna Victoria)
• USB Voice Recorder and memory stick (suggested by Kristen) or New! Voice Recorder pen
• Gift certificate for a planner or to a planner sticker store (suggested by Alexis Morgan Roark) (Author Roni Loren shares her favorite 2017 planners here.)
• Erasable pens so we’re not tempted to not use our planners or notebooks for fear of “messing them up” *smile*
• Light-up Pens for writing down nighttime inspiration
• Snack foods for keeping up energy
• Stamps with various messages (suggested by Daniel Swensen)
• Fingerless gloves (type and have warm fingers)
• Timer for writing sprints
• AquaNotes waterproof notepads (for shower ideas—yes, these really work!)
• Pens (these are my favorite—multicolor, blue, or black)
• Pencils/mechanical pencils
• Notepads (various sizes for purse, nightstand, car, etc.)
• Highlighters (for Margie-Lawson-style editing)

Inspiration Help

• New! The Coloring Book for Writers: And Inspirational Brainstorming Tool
• New! Storymatic game of story prompts (or the Rememory version for memoir writers)
• New! Writer’s Toolbox with creative games and exercises for inspiration
• New! The Writer’s Idea Thesaurus: An Interactive Guide for Developing Ideas for Novels and Short Stories by Fred White
• Writer Emergency Pack (flashcards to help you fix plot holes, beef up characters, and rethink themes)
• Randomizers like Rory’s Story Cubes (suggested by Daniel Swensen)
• Story Forge (“tarot-style” deck of cards for storytelling ideas) (suggested by Deb E)

For Writers Who Outline or Like Organization

• New! Planner system, such as the Staples Arc system or the TUL system by Office Depot for easy swapping of pages (suggested by Anne Kaelber, who also pointed out free printable planner pages here)
• Notebooks (many writers prefer plain spiral or steno pads over fancy, leather-bound books—those are too pretty to use—although I’m lusting over this New! leather embossed notebook *smile*)
• Note (index) cards
• Ugly writing journal (so we’re not tempted to “save” it) (suggested by Daniel Swensen)
• Corkboard
• Pushpins
• Whiteboard
• Dry erase markers and eraser

Technology Helpers

• New! Noise-canceling headphones to keep our focus (suggested by Lara Gallin)
• New! Smartphone apps for writers (some on this list are free, but most have a cost)
• New! Keyboard for tablets or smartphones (or this compact folding one or this virtual one)
• New! Adjustable laptop table for typing wherever we find ourselves—in bed, lying down, our favorite chair, etc.
• Wireless/ergonomic keyboard or mouse (New! I just got this one after my keyboard died during NaNoWriMo, and I found this washable keyboard too for cleaning up all those snacks we eat at our desks! *smile*)
• Programs like Scrivener (Windows and Mac) for organizing and word processing
• Dragon NaturallySpeaking (options at Amazon) for voice recognition-driven writing (suggested by Kyla Rucci)
• Latest version of favorite word processing program
• Software for self-publishing (image editing, ebook formatting, etc.)
• Flash drive or external hard drive for backups
• Typing program (learn to type faster!)
• More memory for computer
• Bigger hard drive for computer
• Software for self-publishing (Adobe Photoshop for graphics, Jutoh for formatting, etc.)

Big Ticket Items

• New computer/laptop
• Bigger/second computer monitor
• Printer (or printer ink)
• eReader or eTablet (Kindle/Kindle Fire, iPad, Android tablet, etc.)
• Ergonomic desk chair
• New! Bookshelves for all our books (suggested by Glynis Jolly)
• Website/blog hosting, upgrades, or design (Note: I use and recommend TechSurgeons for great service, and no, they don’t have an affiliate program, just lots of happy customers. *smile*)
  • *psst* Get a 10% lifetime discount on TechSurgeons hosting with coupon code “JamiGold.”
  • If you purchase a TechSurgeons hosting package before the end of the year, you’ll receive the special holiday offer:
    • Discounted site migration (from WordPress or Blogger)
    • Zero setup fees (with a Premium or above annual signup)
    • Included MyBookTable WordPress plugin
• Registration fee for writing conference or workshop
• Membership fee for a writing group (like RWA—which is open worldwide)
• Cover design, editing, or formatting costs for self-published authors

Writing Craft and Publishing-Related Books & Tools

• One Stop for Writers gift certificate (online library of writing tools like the Thesaurus books below)
• The Thesaurus books by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi (The Emotion Thesaurus, The Positive Trait Thesaurus, The Negative Trait Thesaurus, The Urban Setting Thesaurus, The Rural Setting Thesaurus, and New! The Emotional Wound Thesaurus)
• The Busy Writer’s Guides by Marcy Kennedy (such as Internal Dialogue, which covers a rarely mentioned writing technique extremely well)
• Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
• Story Engineering by Larry Brooks
• Hooked by Les Edgerton
• The Power of Point of View by Alicia Rasley
• My Story Can Beat Up Your Story by Jeffrey Alan Schechter
• Wired for Story by Lisa Cron
• The Observation Deck by Naomi Epel
• Rock Your Plot and Rock Your Revisions by Cathy Yardley (suggested by Anne)
• New! The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know by Shawn Coyne (suggested by Anne Kaelber)
• etc., etc. *smile*

Writing and Publishing-Related Workshops

• Craft, business, and social media classes (such as one of my workshops)
• Lecture packets for Margie Lawson’s writing courses (suggested by Stina Lindenblatt) (I’ve used her Empowering Characters’ Emotions, and Stina also recommends Writing Body Language and Dialogue Cues and Deep Editing, Rhetorical Devices, and More.)
• Writing books and classes by Holly Lisle (I’ve purchased a revision workshop and several of the Clinic mini-workshops)

Miscellaneous Suggestions

• New! Way to exercise at our desk, like this under-desk elliptical trainer
• New! Dixit game or Once Upon a Time game to share our love of storytelling with others
• New! Comfy yoga pants (some even have pockets! like these, these, these, or these) to make it less of a hassle to answer the door or leave the house *snicker*
• New! Virtual Assistant
• Fun reader/writer-type gifts:
  • New! “Slayer of Words” T-shirt
  • New! “Do Not Disturb Writer at Work” door hanger
  • New! “I’m A Writer Not A Serial Killer” mug or T-shirt
  • New! “I Write—What’s Your Superpower” mug
  • New! Book-scented candles
  • “Careful, or you’ll end up in my novel” mug
  • Or check out these collections for more ideas: “gifts for writers,” The Literary Gift Company, Writers Helping Writers gift guide on Pinterest, “Out of Print” literary clothing, literary gifts on Etsy, etc.)
• New! Subscription to monthly writer-themed box of notebooks and pens
• New! Healthy snacks
• Canisters of favorite coffee or hot chocolate (suggested by Angela Quarles)
• Tea or other writing beverage (suggested by Daniel Swensen)
• Decorative bookends (How awesome would it be to display our own books between cool bookends that go with our stories? I’m eyeing these dragons *grin*)
• Shoulder/neck heating pad for desk-bound aches and pains
• Gift basket full of writing-related ideas (pens, notebooks, special beverage and glass, inspirational items or quotes, etc.) (suggested by Theresa Miller)
• Gift cards for books (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.)
• Gift cards for office supply stores
• Totem for a muse (figurine, stuffed animal, etc.) (suggested by Lisa Hall-Wilson)
• Magnetic poetry kit (available in tons of specialized themes—from Shakespeare or passion to cat or bacon lover)
• Literary action figures
• High-quality printer paper for queries/submissions (suggested by Christy Farmer)
• Printer ink (suggested by Shain Brown)
• Subscription to music source (Pandora, Spotify, etc.)
• Premium level of online service (Dropbox for automatic backups, Amazon Prime for free shipping/lending library, etc.)
• Entry fee for a writing contest
• Massage gift certificates (suggested by Julie Glover)
• Back or foot massager (suggested by Gene Lempp)
• Comfort clothes (robe and fuzzy slippers) (suggested by Brooklyn Ann)
• Writing time (anything from babysitting to a writers’ retreat)
• Housecleaning services (especially during deadlines) (suggested by April Bradley)
• And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my own books for those who want entertainment. *grin* (I don’t have a shop set up for it yet, but if anyone wants autographed print copies, let me know.)

What did I miss? What other writing craft or publishing-related books do you recommend? Do you have suggestions for other items to add to the list? Which things would you most like to receive? Is there anything on the list you wouldn’t want? Will you brave the store crowds this year?

(Note: Some links on my blog are referral or affiliate links.)