Nifty Gift Ideas for the Writer in your Life

It’s that time of year again, where you bang your head on the wall to come up with the perfect gift. I think I’ve outdone myself in this collection of unique Christmas or Hanukkah gift ideas for the writer in your life, or for you writers to put on your wish list:

Every writer needs to be comfy at home in order to write well. Denise Duhamel says in her poem “How Much is this Poem Going to Cost Me” – I need to be comfortable–a sweat shirt and sweat pants, which used to be cheaper before everyone started getting into fitness…  A copy of her poem with a super comfy fleece set, like the Calvin Klein one above, would be appreciated. Regularly $69.50, it’s on sale at Macy’s. (Duhamel’s poem also has some other good gift ideas for writers, such as cereal, warm socks, and reading glasses. Read the poem. It will make sense.)

And speaking of fitness, how about a  Core Muscle Workout Stool? This is a seating piece that rocks and spins on a gently domed base. The movement prompts the underused muscles in the abs, legs and back as the user works to maintain stability and posture. It’s a little pricey at $199.99, I bet it works your ass, too, even though that wasn’t mentioned in the ad. Remember, you don’t want to die like Balzac.

If the stool is out of your price range, a large size exercise ball is also great to sit on while you work at the computer. I use one myself (it hasn’t done much for my ass, though.) You can get an exercise ball at any sporting goods or department store. Don’t get the chair base, though, because the idea is to balance yourself while you’re working; the base defeats the purpose. I don’t recommend you try the pose in the above picture, either. Honestly, I don’t know how she can do that. I’d land on my face.

Suitable for a male or female writer, this Ernest Hemingway key ring features a 1″ square setting containing a handmade cameo which reads “There is nothing to writing, all you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed”. This saying is overused, sure, but the little pen nib makes it special. $16.06. I’m not sure what the 6 cents is for.

 The Storymatic was created by writer Brian David Mooney for a fiction workshop at Marlboro College in Vermont; he later expanded it for use with his high school students. The included booklet contains instructions, games and prompts that basically boil down to this: “Draw a couple cards of each color. Build a story around them. If you get stumped, draw more cards.” $29.99

The amazing writer Elmore Leonard passed away in 2013, so a collectible miniature Elmore Leonard doll might be a fitting gift. You could include a copy of his 10 Rules for Happy Writing, too! Elmore is 4-1/2″ tall, and made of wood, wire, clay, and paint, and he wears brown pants, a yellow ribbed sweater, black shirt, and wire spectacles. He holds a mini copy of one of his novels. It’s uncanny how much this character looks like him. $48.

If the writer in your life is published, how about a custom made necklace from The Book Cellar, using the cover of their book? This is a custom made item. The handmade brown leather miniature book charm is hand cut with sewn double signatures (38 blank pages) with marbled paper end sheets. I had an Emily Dickinson book charm necklace made by The Book Cellar for an auction, and it was lovely. Just provide a clear, crisp .jpg image of the front cover, and she’ll do the rest. Around $24.

And lastly, if you’re looking for a stocking stuffer, or you’re just really cheap, try inspirational pencils from The Carbon Crusader on Etsy. Made in the US, for 8 bucks, you get 6 pencils. These ones read: I write therefore I am, Write from the heart and Sit down and get writing. (update – as of this post, this item is out of stock, but there is Dorothy Parker’s “What Fresh Hell is This?” pencils and “F%ck this Sh t” pencils available.) (F%ck this Sh t is not Dorothy Parker) $8.00