So you’ve got a writer to buy for and don’t know how to show that you’re supportive? There’s only so many times you can ask ‘How’s that novel/poem/short story/screenplay coming along?’  (Please note that these kinds of questions are also incredibly annoying. If you’re going to ask, mention the name of a specific project—it shows you’re actually interested.)

This writer’s Christmas gift guide has suggestions for a variety of budgets and writers. Happy shopping!

Writing Magazine Subscription

There are many writing-related magazines out there such as Mslexia. There are also magazines dedicated to each form of writing including poetry and reviews. You could buy them a subscription to get them inspired, or as a casual hint that they should submit something to said magazine…

Eats, Shoots and Leaves – Lynne Truss

Lynne Truss’s book about the importance of grammar should be read by and on the shelf of every writer. It’s a brilliant reference guide and a fun read. It’s also recommended by many Creative Writing courses.

Book Journal

Every good writer reads. Help the writer in your life keep track of what they’re reading with a book journal. Book journals allow the reader to write down what they’ve read, what they thought, when they read it, how many books they’ve read, books they’ve borrowed, books they’ve lent out…you get the idea.

They’re not always the easiest thing to find, but they can range in price from £2 (I got mine for about £3 in the Paperchase sale) to over £10.

The Writer’s Block – Jason Rekulak

The Writer’s Block is a book in the shape of a block full of over 700 writing prompts to use to kick-start any writing project. It may have been published over a decade again, but a good writing prompt never goes out of date (or 768 of them).

Membership to a Writers’ Studio

Many towns and cities have writers’ studios. Some charge for membership, others don’t. If you have a writer as a friend and they’re interested in joining a local writing community, why not get them a membership? It’s a great way to network and boost confidence. They also often have events and workshops on to help with various aspects of writing from characterisation to memoirs.

Hemingway

I’ve talked about Hemingway and how useful it is before. Whilst the app is free to use online, there is also a downloadable version that’s available for a small, one-off price.

Novel-Plotting Stationery

Waterstones have some great guides for writers that include books full of writing prompts and that take you through every step of plotting a novel. Some of them are instore only, so check out your nearest Waterstones’s gift section for a better selection.

There are also various softwares that assist in the novel-writing process.

Headphones

Some writers have to write in complete silence. Noise-cancelling headphones are the perfect gift for writers whether they listen to music when writing or not—they’ll cancel out exterior noise distractions and give them the option of adding in some background music to inspire them.

Stress ball

Who doesn’t love stress balls? They’re a useful gift for a writer because it means they’ll take out that plot hole they can’t fix on the stress ball, not by shouting at you.

Stationery

No one can ever have enough stationery.

With this list there’s something for every kind of writer this festive season. Merry Christmas!