There’s no greater satisfaction than finding the perfect gift for that perfect someone. Unfortunately people are picky these days, and writers are chief among them. Writers know what they like, and more importantly, know what they don’t like. That can make picking out the right present to be quite an ordeal. While no two writers are the same, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few key traits and characteristics that can help identify some of the perfect presents for those who seek to further their talents with the written word. As we get older, we no longer have the same desires for impulsive gifts that cause those famous “ooh’s” and “ahh’s”! Flashy and expensive gifts might be eye-catching and generous but they aren’t always appreciated.

Choosing the right gift can create a lasting and significant memory for anyone, and especially your favorite writer. A memory that important might even create a story of its own one day. Giving a thoughtful gift will always be appreciated but it isn’t always easy. With internet shopping overloaded with options, it might help to know what gifts would be most appreciated. Writers don’t like to think of themselves as a “type”(try calling one predictable) but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few tools a writer will need along their journey. 

There are always more stories to be told and different ways to tell them. There are always better tools to help writers keep track of their work, and there are wonderful and antiquated ways that can keep them stay in-touch with their inner writer. So instead of suffering over what to get this year, here are a few perfect presents for your favorite writer!

A Unique Pen or Pencil and Journal is Thoughtful and Insightful

Writers love getting in touch with their roots. There’s no better way for a writer to simplify their writing than with a simple pen and paper. While many of today’s technological advances have certainly helped the medium, not every story needs to be told on a computer. Writers should be encouraged to write in ways that remove them from their comfort zone, even if it’s just increasing the effort that it takes to write. Taking more time and patience with your writing can be absolutely pivotal to finding “that” breakthrough. 

It’s also important for writers to explore more than one kind of writing. Writing short-form stories or poetry is significantly different than writing non-fiction articles or novels. Using a pen and pencil helps a writer to rely less on spell-checking and grammar correction programs. It can also help a writer to filter their thoughts more carefully before writing them, and it can create a close and important connection to one’s work. Using a different form of writing might help a writer to think outside the box, possibly the greatest creative gift of all. 

Make Stubborn Writers Comfortable with a Portable Laptop Desk

So what about those stubborn writers who will never touch a pen and paper? It might not be within the means of many to buy their favorite writer a brand new computer or laptop, but that doesn’t mean you’re without options. Laptop desks are no longer the blue and bulky bean-bags of the past. Now, there are intricate and beautifully-designed laptop desks made out of any number of materials. They can help your favorite writer who refuses a pen to bring their laptop with them wherever they go, turning any surface from grass to cement into a personal desk. 

Today’s laptop desks aren’t just for portability, they can even help your favorite writer experience a different perspective in their own home. It’s not within everyone’s means to buy their favorite writer an adjustable desk either, but some laptop desks shift into multiple positions. This helps writers to write from any position that could be comfortable, considering not everyone wants to spend all day slumped into a chair. Giving your favorite writer a versatile and unique laptop desk can help them write and create from an entirely new perspective. 

Books and Blu-Rays Can Impart Important Lessons and Stories

There’s nothing better to motivate a writer than to watch or read another writer’s work. Inspiration can sometimes come from discovering the greatest story you’d never read. How is any writer going to do that without being exposed to new and engaging stories? Be they books or Blu-Rays, writers need to immerse themselves in today’s culture and work to be able to create. Writers learn by both practice and by learning from the many masters of the craft. If you know the exact story that writer is missing in their life, take a chance and give it to them! 

A science fiction/fantasy fan may never have come across works like The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen or The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon, while a Chabon or Franzen fan may never find themselves holding Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke or The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. If you know a writer who isn’t as well-read as they should be, give them a gift outside of their wheelhouse. Writers who want to take chances with their own stories need to take chances on others. 

Gorgeous and Captivating Artwork Can Both Inspire and Motivate 

No matter what form a writer’s work will take they will always imagine it coming to life. Like their readers, they’ll imagine the characters and settings leaping from the page. Those same writers will see and imagine far more detail than they could ever write. When a painter or illustrator brings their brush or pencil to the page they imagine that same level of detail. They use vibrant and eye-catching colors to give images a much-needed surge of energy or electricity. Artists get inspiration from other artists, within their same art form and without. Museum visits and artwork can be creative wells from which any writer can drink, but bringing your favorite writer’s work to life could be an even greater gift. 

Memorable and talented artists like Ted Nasmith and Ralph McQuarrie gave great contributions to the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars stories simply by illustrating the writer’s work. While it might be expensive, it could be an amazing gift to commission a local or digital artist to bring a writer’s creation to life. Many writers have lost countless hours staring into illustrations of their favorite stories, wondering if they will ever see art depicting their own. You may not be able to give the gift of publication, but you can let your favorite writer see their favorite creation brought to life.  

Stay Awake and Energized With Tea or Coffee

Tea or coffee will always be appreciated in a writer’s home. Helping to keep them energized whenever those creative juices decide to flow. Though most writers decide to just buy the most affordable option at their local market, you can help them to experience a slightly more sophisticated taste. Tea isn’t everyone’s “cup of tea” but there are many different varieties to suit many different palates. Several teas have calming and soothing effects while many can keep some struggling from fatigued minds to get some much-needed sleep. 

Coffee is a little more aggressive than your typical tea. Many options exist from around the globe, so help your favorite writer to appreciate as many of them as possible. Everyone loves reading about the newest blend or trying the latest taste. Seasonal blends can fill otherwise bland homes and offices with wonderfully alluring aromas. Help your favorite writer to explore different countries and cultures with nothing more than a different pound of coffee or different bags of tea. 

Ease Stress and Make Organizing Easier with Writing Software 

Not everyone writes with a pen and pencil. In fact, very few writers write with a pen and pencil anymore. Most spend their time hovering over increasingly smaller laptops or computers. Just why are artists in every medium spending their time slouching over these machines? Because technology has helped make writing, drawing, composing and everything else so much easier. However, the free software that comes installed on any given laptop can only go so far. Giving your favorite writer the software they’ve been putting off buying could help them to finish that story. Every writer needs to be a good editor and there’s no better way than with a program that includes numerous, helpful tools. 

Some of today’s most versatile programs can help writers create storyboards, organize their character’s lives and transcribe their work to different writing mediums. Having tools like these don’t just improve a writer’s workflow, they can help to create a more versatile writer with a faster output. Programs like these have relieved stress from countless writers around the world. Help your favorite writer push more pages with a program that really, really works. 

Give The Gift Of Travel Writing With a Messenger Bag Or Backpack

Writers aren’t always great about buying themselves the “little things”. While a backpack or messenger bag can seem like a simple addition, it can be a wonderful asset to any writer’s life. It allows that writer to bring their work with them and find inspiration in new locations. It’s important for anyone to experience variety and change in life, and writers are no different. In fact it’s been shown that simply taking different trips or walks can help to increase productivity and creativity. By giving your favorite writer the gift of a messenger bag or backpack, you can encourage constructive practices and habits by enabling them to take those very trips. 

Deadlines need to be met but inspiration can’t always be predicted. Sometimes it can hit in the middle of a park or just as you enter your local mall. With the perfect bag or backpack your favorite writer will be able to carry their work with them. The wonderful thing about the abundance of today’s consumer market is that there are many, many options to choose from. That must-have backpack could feature that writer’s favorite character, be styled like their own sets of clothing or could be the multitasking innovation for which they’ve been looking.

Know Your Favorite Writer and You’ll Know The Gift

Detail is one of the most important aspects of gift-giving. Gifts themselves are displays of affection, but when you truly show that you know the person on the other end of that present you create something memorable. A gift can become a cherished memory and story that’s told and retold for a lifetime. Almost every writer has used moments like these to build a foundation to a story or detail. However, there are plenty of memorable gifts that can make it easier for writers to create those stories. 

Beautiful pieces of art have motivated artists to complete their latest works or start brand new ones. Resourceful and applicable programs have helped writers to keep track of many intricate details and plot points while editing their own work. Messenger bags and laptop desks have allowed countless writers to work outside of their homes or offices. Possibly most important of all, writers need to experience new stories from new books and films. They need to explore other realms, worlds and universes to help them conceive of their own and they need you to challenge them with stories they may have otherwise passed by. 

Any gift you give your favorite writer is going to be appreciated, but give something lasting. Give a gift that has the potential to make them a better writer, or a gift that simply makes it easier to write. Give them a creative push to help with the idea they need to complete that work or start a new one. There are more than a few ways to help your favorite writer. Look for a thoughtful gift worthy of a story they can retell for years and years to come.