Best Christmas Gifts for Writers

Welcome, Fantasy Nerds! We know a lot of our followers are also writers, so we wanted to make another Christmas list for you. While we love all the fun fantasy gifts, we also like to receive gifts to help us along on our writing journey. We hope you find some gifts for yourself or your writer friends!

Pens and Notebooks

As writers, we can never have too many pens or notebooks! Just last week Clever’s favorite pen (that was a Christmas gift btw) ran out of ink. We don’t know about you, but we think quality pens and beautiful notebooks are a luxury. We especially love notebooks with cute pictures or fun sayings on them. Here are a few unique ones that we found: 

• Clever’s favorite gel glide pen (it writes so smoothly!)

• WTF’s favorite pen is one given to me as a gift! It looks similar to a wizard’s staff, a purple magical looking ball surrounded by vines. I always reach for it when I’m taking notes or planning a schedule for my writing, and the reason I always reach for it is because it’s a meaningful gift from someone I love, and it’s so unique!

• A quality fountain pen with retro pop colors

• This magic notebook with a glowing pen

• This notebook for your evil plans

• You can’t go wrong with the classic Moleskine notebook

• The Novel Planner or Writer’s Workbook to help you plan your book and your writing goals

• Page One – The Writer’s Notebook, originally a Kickstarter hit

Subscription to Writer Magazines

Although neither of us currently subscribe to writing craft magazines, it’s something we’ve always wanted to do. As a bonus, this is a gift that keeps on giving all year! As beginning authors, nothing is more valuable than advice from those who have found success in our field. Here are the magazines we would most enjoy a subscription to:

• Writer’s Digest
• The Writer
• Poets & Writers

Scribbler Box

Clever currently subscribes to the Scribbler box and she recommends it for all writers. This is a box delivered monthly that is full of writerly goodies such as: pens, notebooks, coffee, laptop decals, bags, wearables, and more. To top it all off, each month features a theme with a book to read that exemplifies the theme AND the author writes advice on how to execute that theme. PLUS, you get a Publishing Process Inside Look (which usually consist of manuscript edits from the book, or a query letter used to secure the editor or agent) and an exclusive chat with an industry professional (usually the editor or agent who worked on the book). You cannot get this kind of professional insight into the writing and publishing process anywhere else!

Writing Advice Books

There are some really great books on writing out there that would be an asset to any author. We own some writing books that we can recommend, and there are a few more we have heard great things about. 

Books we recommend:

• On Writing by Stephen King: This is probably the first writing book you will hear anyone recommend, and it’s for good reason. Stephen King’s story of how he became a writer was relatable and funny. His writing advice was sound, and his ending section, “On Life”, reminded me that writing is not just a thing we do, but sometimes the thing that keeps us going. 

• 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing by Gary Provost: The thing I like about this book is that it’s easily divided into sections with quick practical tips. If I’m trying to find ways to beat writer’s block, craft a better beginning, improve my style, or edit; I can just flip to the relevant section and read a few short tips. This book is the perfect foil to On Writing, which gives longer and usually less specific lessons on being a writer. Both are equally helpful, and if you combine them, you will be off to a great start.

• Writing Magic and Writer to Writer by Gail Carson Levine: The best thing about these books is that they combine helpful advice with writing prompts at the end of each chapter. If I’m lacking for story ideas, this book is where I turn (a few of the stories I’ve posted to the blog have come from these prompts). I get a nice tip, and then I get to writing, which is really the point of writing advice.

Books we want:

• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott: This is another one of the classic, widely-recommended writing books. It contains words of wisdom and a humorous take on the writer’s life.

• Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market 2020: This book contains listings for publishers, agents, magazines, and writing contests for fiction. It also has articles on writing and interviews with bestselling authors. This is a comprehensive guide for writers that are looking to get novels or short stories published.

• Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction by Orson Scott Card: This book contains advice on worldbuilding, character creation, and speculative fiction storytelling. It also has detailed descriptions of weapons, armor, magic rituals, and mythical creatures. 

Writer Swag

Every writer loves accessories related to writing and books! There is a surprising amount of writer “swag”, so to speak, on the market. For example, book purses! There is no way someone who loves books and writing wouldn’t love this gift; you can’t go wrong! You can also find shirts, coffee mugs, and ornaments to show off your writer pride. Not to mention a few little items to make the writing life easier.

• WTF really wants this Book of Spells purse, and Clever would love this Beauty and the Beast one!

• These funny writer shirts that we would totally rock

• A couple of great writer coffee mugs, because most writers love their coffee

• This beautiful Christmas ornament

• This Do Not Disturb sign for your writing room

• A couple of kits to help any writer break through writer’s block

• This amazing pen pouch that every writer needs. Combining one of these with a nice pen and notebook would make a great gift set!

• These awesome book inspired writing gloves! Clever would love to receive Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, or Wuthering Heights (I really can’t decide)! WTF’s favorite is Call of C’Thulu, but she would also enjoy The Raven or Peter Pan.

Your Support!

Having support from our loved ones is the most important thing we can receive! Putting your writing out there takes a lot of courage, and sometimes it can be scary, so your positive reinforcement and support means everything. Now that we’ve reached the end of this post, take a moment to go to your talented writer friend/family member’s blog/social media/Amazon page and leave a supportive comment or review. If they have a book for sale, get a copy (if you haven’t already) and ask for their autograph. Trust us, this will make their day!

We hope you found some gift ideas from our post! If you would like to see some more suggestions, check out our post on the Best Christmas Gifts for Fantasy Nerds!

If you found this post helpful, we would love for you to leave a comment, or even buy us a cup of coffee! We promise to share!

Thanks for reading!

Clever and WTF