a peek inside the fishbowl

Last year I wrote a post called “Five things you can give to your favourite blogger,” and I still stand by that list. :) I was tapping away in the office this morning and I thought it might be a good idea to post some gift ideas in case there’s a writer in your life (although this list may apply equally well to bloggers too).

1) Slippers. Writers crave comfort and many writers toil away in areas of the house that don’t have a lot of heat going to them for some reason. Fuzzy socks might be a good gift for this exact reason. So are fingerless gloves. :)

2) Beverages. Wine. Tea. Gift cards for coffee are all things that can help keep those creative fires burning. A lot of people pooh pooh the idea of gift cards for coffee shops but this defies logic since this is exactly where many writers spend their time. Speaking of coffee, did you know that Bridgehead has a new app? You can send someone some coffee money, right to the app! It’s the gift that keeps giving!

3) Nice pens. But not too nice, in case they get lost. Or how about some fun pencils?

4) Stationery. I once received embossed and personalized thank you cards as a gift and I loved them TO DEATH. This is something I adore but would never spend that kind of money on myself.

5) A book about writing. How about Eats, Shoots, Leaves by Lynne Truss? Or Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, or Steven King’s On Writing?

6) Pretty notebooks and notepads. Ecojot is awesome.

7) Inspiration dice. Aren’t these a fun idea?

8) Motivational posters. This one might suit you.

9) Writing can be a very lonely and solitary pursuit, and writers of all levels undoubtedly themselves in a dark place, plagued with self-doubt. Perhaps it’s the cerebral nature of a writer’s work, or maybe they are wired differently. That’s why I’m thinking that the best gift of all may be the simplest gift of all: words of encouragement. Consider sending them in the form of a handwritten card, so the writer can pin it above their work space and look at it when they need something to shore them up against the tide.

Any other suggestions? I would love to hear them!

Edited to add:

10) A Moleskine Evernote notebook. I spotted it at Chapters today. Evernote is a great app for writers, and here it is, paired with some old skool kind of technology!  So neat.

Today’s mantra:

Instead of stressing about my long to-do list I will spend my energy getting something done.