By zharth

Oh Christmas! You are nearly here and knowing my family and friends like I do, they are worried about the perfect gift for me.  So in helping them out, I will help out others whose squirrelly writers have given them worries lines this holiday season. Here for all to read is my list of perfect writer’s gifts ideas … part two.

1)  Nook, NookColor, Kindle, or something similar.

A writer isn’t worth their salt unless they read…a lot. Although having tons of books in a nice bookshelf is nice, if they are anything like me they ran out of shelf space along time ago.  So reward your favorite writer on your list with a Nook or Kindle. I personally own a Nook (the original) and I adore it. I’ll write another post about why I chose Nook at a later date.

As a writer, it’s nice to know that a book (or nearly any book) I may want is in electronic form and I can download them when I want and, more importantly, when I need them.

2) Apps, apps, apps

There are tons of apps on both Iphone and Android formats that cater to the writer. Some cost nothing but most cost at least .99 cents.  There are several apps to keep your writer happy–from organization, to plotting, to prompts to help jump start their brain in the morning.  An Itunes card and a list of such apps is useful. The app I used to write my two most recent prompts came from an app called Writer’s Hat.

3) Itunes card, playlists, photos, and such

Not all writers are like this but most of the ones of the ones I talk to use their senses to get into their character and story.  Among some of the tricks we use are creating a soundtrack to the story or character.  If you know what your favorite writer is working on (a theme, an emotion, etc) try to create a list of songs that would help them get there and an Itunes (or similar) card to help them pay for it.

In addition to audio, lots of writers are visual.  If they have a specific setting in mind, a picture book from your favorite bookstore will be helpful.  Another more creative way is a trip through Flickr. Using only photos with a specific Creative Common’s license, you can put together a slideshow or book that will help your writer gather atmosphere quickly.

4) Netbooks

Mini and relatively inexpensive laptops may seem like an odd gift to give but think about it.  They are lighter than conventional laptops, they don’t have a lot of frills — mostly the basics for Internet connection and Word, and they can fit in a purse or book bag.  It’s just perfect for the writer who doesn’t want to sit in the coffee shop and would rather go to their favorite park bench and type from their lap.

5) Membership to their genre organization of choice or convention of their choice

Writers need to join clubs. If they say they don’t, they’re lying.  At the very least they need to network.  My first pitch to an agent happened because I went to a mystery writer’s convention that I didn’t think I should go to because I had written a women’s fiction novel.  Odd? Yes. But it paid off.  The agent asked for a partial just because I networked at the mystery writer’s convention.  Networking with agents, editors and other writers are important. Writing is a solitary event but the writer doesn’t have to be alone and, actually, shouldn’t.  But by purchasing convention fees or memberships, it opens doors for the writer to network and to get some pretty interesting perks like writing contests and online classes given by award-winning members.

That’s all the new gift ideas I have for now. Hope this helps the procrastinators.  Remember everyone, it takes a  village to raise a writer.

Write On!