Make Way for the Jolly Ole Elf by Kait Carson

Ho Ho Ho. Now that Santa’s officially rolled up to Macy’s, and the tree at Rockefeller Center’s been lit, it’s time to shop till you drop. Only twenty-eight more shopping days to Hanukkah, twenty-nine until Christmas, and thirty until Kwanza. Time's a-wasting.

Lately, it seems everyone I know is writing a book. Or living with someone who is writing a book. My phone started ringing right after Halloween with friends asking, “You’re a writer, what should I buy (fill in the blank-I don’t want to ruin anyone’s surprise). You know, something writerly.”

Easy, peasy. Or is it? Amazon gift cards are passé. The modern equivalent of sticking ten bucks in a card. The implication, I didn’t care enough to think about you. Take this and go think about yourself. 

Is your author struggling with writing fast enough? There’s several writing books I turn to for upping the pace. Rachel Aaron’s 2,000 to 10,000 will set you back a whopping $0.99. The tips increased my word count from 1,000 to 5,000. Not bad. The catch, Kindle only. But hey, who doesn’t have a Kindle or at least a free Kindle download these days? If you need something to wrap and put under the tree, Chris Fox’s 5,000 Words an Hour is for you. Best of all, there's a 5,000 words app you can download (free but with the ubiquitous premium upgrade) that your writer can use to time sprints and keep word count information. I have the app, but I’d be lying if I told you I’ve used it, so I’m unable to make a recommendation how helpful it is. 

Not feeling the love? Is your writer moaning that she doesn’t know where the story is going next? Ah, I can help there too… I’m a pantser who wants desperately to be a plotter. I’ve sought books that will let me take plotting nuggets that will work for me and incorporate them into my pantser lifestyle. The best book I’ve found is Take Off Your Pants by Libby Hawker. Full disclosure time… I bought it for the title. Any title that funny gets my vote. Turned out the book is full of great advice and it assumes you’re going to cherry pick your own nuggets.

Your author zips along, burning up the keyboard at a blazing zillion words an hour? No need for them to increase their productivity. OK, have them call me, I’m always looking for tips. Seriously though, a writing program could be just the ticket. My go to for novels and short stories is Scrivener. I’ve used a bunch of other programs, and this one works best for me. It lets me write in scenes and chapters, move them around easily when I have an “ah ha” moment for the twist, turning point, or last scene I absolutely don’t want to lose. It also lets me keep my characters, settings, research, notes, etc. in a sidebar for easy access, and my word count progress, daily word count, and the number of words in each chapter. It does a ton more stuff, but as with everything else, I cherry pick.

Still not finding the perfect gift for the writer in your life? I hesitate to share these ideas. I call them writer crack. Pens and paper. Notepads and calendars. Yum. Bring it on!

Although I use a Sharpie for signings, for good old longhand writing or breaking through writer’s block, there is nothing better than a flowing ink fountain pen. Vintage fountain pens are the best. Expensive, yes. Delightfully tactile, double yes. There are lots of pen places online. I’ve even bought from eBay, but my all-time favorite place to satisfy my need to smell the ink is Pendemonium. They have a great selection, offer repair service, and are geniuses at working around the problems that come with using and loving pens that have passed from production.

Everyone who uses a fountain pen quickly learns you can’t use a fountain pen with today’s mass produced paper. The ink bleeds through. For fountain pen use, a heavyweight paper is required. Levenger is my first stop for note pads of all sizes. When it comes to notebooks. I leave Levenger and head directly for Classic Office Products. They carry Claire Fontaine notebooks in multiple colors and my favorite planning calendar ever, Minister from Quo Vadis.

VistaPrint can provide a host of gifts for authors contemplating a blog tour, conference, or giveaway. They print T-shirts, book cover magnets, postcards, etc. with book covers or branding slogans. They also print return address labels featuring your book cover and pen names. My favorite.

What about you? Are you a writer supply junkie? What’s your favorite?