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Charlotte Rains Dixon  

Last Minute Gifts for Writers

Today is December 15th, which may qualify as last minute for some of you but not for me. I have not bought a single present.  But that’s okay, because A. my family has very much cut back on the over-the-top gift giving and B. I am a dedicated online shopper.

So as far as I’m concerned, there’s plenty of time for Christmas shopping.  And here are some ideas you might want to share with your beloved families or significant others in case they, like me, need some writerly gift ideas.  Here goes:

  1.  An online class.  James Patterson, famous (infamous?) as the most best-selling author of all time, has a class on novel writing that is actually pretty good, especially for the first-time novelist. (The lovely folks at Master Class gave me a copy of the class and I’ve not made it all the way through, but I have watched some.) It is worth checking out, and you can see a video preview right here.  (Also, this is where you should envision a cool photo of Patterson surrounded by all his books.  For some reason, it is not coming through when I publish. Weird.)
  2. How about springing for Scrivener? I have so far not mastered the software enough to claim myself as a fan but so many other writers love it so much that I have to include it.  You may covet it for yourself, or know another writer who longs for it.
  3. You can’t go wrong with a book. Duh. They are my favorite things to give and to get. Run to your local independent bookseller and buy up a batch, or if you find yourself stranded on a desert island, did you know you can gift Ebooks on Amazon? It’s kind of cool.
  4. Office supplies.  Never met a writer yet who didn’t love them as much as I do. Spirals, pens, fancy journals, plain journals, binders, notebook paper.  I’d be thrilled with a gift certificate that would allow me to run wild at Office Depot. (One of the best things about my grandchildren is that they both love sitting in my office playing with post-it notes, pens, paper clips and other odd bits.)
  5. Speaking of pens, how about a lovely fountain pen? Levenger, the more upscale version of Office Depot (by far) has some lovely ones.  There’s just something about writing with a fountain pen that can’t be beat.
  6. How about a coaching package? Really, there’s no better way to jump start your writing and if 2016 is the year you vow to really get it going, this would be a wonderful thing to put on your list. My prices are going up January 1st, so tell Santa to buy a package now and you can use the sessions any time.
  7. A tablet to read on. I have a long, tortuous history of trying to find the perfect tablet to read Ebooks on, starting with the cheapest most basic version of the Kindle, moving through the mini Ipad and the Surface and even a freebie Dell that I bought with my computer last summer (I love my computer but the tablet was a piece of you-know-what). So now I have my eye on the $50 Amazon Fire tablet.  At that price-point, you might put it on your list, too.
  8. A stand-up desk. I got this nifty number from Target early last year and I’m working very hard at taking my computer to it part of every hour.  Which reminds me, its about time to do that. I couldn’t find the Target link, but it is worth looking for, because I got it very inexpensively there, with free shipping. If you Google stand-up desks, you’ll find a ton of options.
  9. Coloring books.  Yeah, they are all the thing right now, but with good reason because they are stress-relievers. I also think they are excellent for brief breaks from writing, for when you need to think.  I like this one, for knitters, because I am one, or this line, too.
  10. And finally….the grandest present of them all. How about the gift of time and knowledge? Ask for the tuition to our writing retreat in France.  We have only a couple spots left, people, so now is the time to decide! We will be in my most favorite town of them all, Ceret.  See you there!

Okay, so those are my ideas.  What’s on your list? Please share any and all ideas in the comments.

0 thoughts on “Last Minute Gifts for Writers

  1. 91jufan

    这个可以有!

  2. Dyoung

    You had me at #4….I’m the worlds official sucker for office supplies. Any store I go in to- for whatever reason…if there are office supplies, I check them out. No matter what store it is. But Office Depot is the store is all stores. And no online supply shopping. I have to physically be among the wonderful smells that office supplies emit.
    And #9…I am showering my mom with the wonderful new color books out there. We shopped the other day and I took her in to Barnes and Nobles…they have to have a couple thousand easy!
    I love this list! I’ll take a new journal with recycled pages, please;)

    1. Charlotte Rains dixon

      Oh yes, the smell of office supplies….I am the daughter of a printer, raised in an old-fashioned printing plant and every once in a while I get a whiff that takes me back to that funky old place. I love it.

      Those coloring books are a lot of fun, aren’t they?

  3. dyoung

    Yes! My mom recently had cateracts surgery and is dealing with macular degen. but she is doing really well with her eyesight, so I have given her some books to work on, and get her creative juices flowing. She’s loving them, and I think the exercise for her eyes is beneficial.

    1. Charlotte Rains dixon

      Its amazing how easy cataracts surgery is these days. I remember when my father had it, many, many years ago and they put horse blinders on him and he couldn’t move his head for days. Now they are done in five minutes! I actually watched my husband’s cataracts surgery. It was over so fast I couldn’t believe it. I hope your Mom enjoys her time to read!

  4. J.D.

    I would go for #10 but my budget is so thin I can read through it. And the things I learn here: B&N is the #1 stockpiler of coloring books. Now I have to look. My suggestion is a bottle of wine to be opened when the book is finished.

    1. Charlotte Rains dixon

      In my world, you can’t go wrong with a book or a bottle of wine, ever.

  5. Don

    I love all of your gift ideas, but I especially love the stationary. I can’t resist browsing stationary stores as much as love doing the same with book stores. Of course, I would mind getting gifted a new Mercedes S Class, especially one of those amazing AMG models.

    1. Charlotte Rains dixon

      I’m the same way about stationary stores. And next year I’ll arrange for you to get the Mercedes.

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