Like it or not, the holiday season is officially here.
I love giving and receiving presents, but the people around me are super difficult to buy for. People say they don’t want a present, but if they buy you something and you don’t buy them anything, things get awkward.
But what on earth do you buy a writer?
I’ve written a Christmas gift guide for writers before.
Since that post is a few years old, I’ve decided to do an updated version for 2017.
Scrivener 3
For the disorganised mind, Scrivener is the perfect tool.
Whether the writer in your life uses Scrivener or not, they’ll appreciate the latest version, which came out at the end of November.
There are lots of books and courses out there on how to use it, too, so if they’re new to one of the most versatile writing programs out there, they’ll have plenty of resources to help them get their head around it.
You can download Scrivener 3 from Literature and Latte’s website, or the App Store.
The latest version is only available for Mac OS X Sierra and High Sierra.
A new version for Windows will be out in 2018.
Tickets to a writing conference
In every career it’s as much about what you know as whom. Writing is no different. Why not buy the writer in your life tickets to a writing conference?
Most 2018 dates will be out now, and most big cities/counties/states will have their own. There are conferences out there for most genres and forms of writing.
Don’t forget to factor in the costs of travel and hotels if it’s not in their hometown, though.
A simple search for ‘writing conference’ followed by the type of writing or genre in question should bring up local search results. If you’re looking for a different location to where you live, add in the nearest big city to where your writer friend lives, or search using Incognito mode to ensure that your previous search history/your location doesn’t influence the results.
Note-taking app
There are lots of note-taking apps out there. They all have different features and functionalities, so it’s worth researching what features your writing friend would benefit from the most before purchasing a subscription for them.
Evernote and Bear are two of the most versatile, and offer features such as multi-device sync, and calendar integration.
However, if they already use a note-taking app and have hundreds of notes to move across, it’s probably better to go for a different gift idea.
Janet Murray’s Media Diary
Janet Murray knows her stuff.
Her 2018 Media Diary will help the writer in your life to plan out their content for the whole of 2018. Janet has also put together a Media Diary Owners’ Club, and has courses on how best to use it.
Music streaming service subscription
Music can have a huge affect on our moods. Listening to music, therefore, can be hugely influential on the scenes a writer crafts.
Whether it’s a subscription to Spotify, Apple Music, or Tidal, giving a writer access to millions of songs can kick-start their creativity much faster than a 15-track album.
They can also use the services to create playlists based on their works-in-progress, or the mood that they want to create, and share them with their audience.
Productivity for Writers
I wrote Productivity for Writers to help other writers escape the road blocks that I have so often faced.
If the writer in your life wants to write but struggles to find the time or the motivation, this is the perfect book for them.
Productivity for Writers is available on Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, and more.
View the full list of places to purchase Productivity for Writers.
Over to You
What are you buying the writer in your life for Christmas? Share your ideas in the comments below!