Every year, around this time my favourite websites on writing provide their thoughtful, and often witty take on Christmas gifts for writers. I always enjoy reading them, in fact some of them are so good that I consider asking loved ones to get me some of the stuff on the list as gifts.
A recent favourite, for instance was a coffee mug where common grammar mistakes such as “their” vs. “there,” “then” vs “than” were marked in red. It massively pleased my ex-English major, soon to be Editing student, and avid reader and writer soul. Something about seeing proper grammar on my coffee cup is deeply satisfying.
The one that made me laugh was the one on The Freelancer‘s gifts for freelancers list. It was an oversized, battery powered Chewbacca that works a bit like a 1990s/ early 2000s era Furby. The writer argued that it talks in a typical Chewbacca fashion therefore it’s perfect for freelancers who sometimes go entire days without talking to anyone. The oversized Chewbacca will inevitably make its Chewbacca noises, and the freelancer can interpret what they say in any way they want. I can just picture it now: “what’s that Chewbacca, you also think that it’s unfair that my editor requested edits that were that silly?” “Thanks for reminding me about that invoice, Chewbacca.” It may be silly but at least it’s easier to handle than a real pet. Plus I was always one of those people who enjoyed watching Chewbacca on screen so I heavily approve of the idea of that.
I think that the one thing that those lists are missing out on is the fact that no matter what their tastes and interests are a majority of writers love getting fancy pens, books, and notebooks, at any point in the year, from caring, supportive loved ones. Sometimes these lists mention books, notebooks, etc but they often overlook the fact that they’re incredibly safe gift options for writers. One thing I noticed is the fact that it’s a commonplace trend, that never changes. Interests and tastes may vary but giving a writer a book to read, a notebook to record ideas on, and a pen to write with is a nice, safe way to say “I support your writerly nature, and here are some new tools to help you keep it going.”
If you’re scrambling to find the perfect gift for a writer in your life many of these lists are the perfect source of inspiration, but also consider adding things that play an important role in your writerly loved one’s craft such as pens, notebooks, books that inform their work, subscriptions to magazines on writing, etc. A great editing tool that’s available right now is Hemingway Ap. It takes an Ernest Hemingway approach, via its focus on simplifying the content of whatever you’re writing. You might also want to consider buying Hemingway Ap via the ap store or Google Play for the writer you care about, because I’ve used it before and it makes editing your own work a hundred times easier.
This blog post will likely be my last one until after the holidays. There might be some time to write a new one, post-New Years but starting tomorrow I’ll be immersed for a while in holiday plans both with my boyfriend, and with my family, therefore there won’t be nearly as much time to write. If I don’t get the chance to write a new blog entry until after the holidays Happy Holidays and Happy New Year everyone. There will be plenty of upcoming, new material in 2016.It’s been an eventful year, and looking forward to whatever lies ahead in the New Year.
