Hello all! Welcome to the third annual post on gifts to give writers. I know that this year I am a bit late with the gift ideas but there are some shopping days left and it’s not too late to grab one of these goodies. So let’s get started.

Nook, Kindle, Ipad, etc
This is a fantastic idea for the writer. mostly because of the many uses of a tablet/e-reader. The most obvious use is, of course, that downloading books is snap. Though be forewarned, not every book is available in electronic form. Lots are though, enough to make this a worthwhile investment. Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble have tablets / e-readers that are handy and useful. I actually own what is now a vintage nook and I love it. I also own an iPad which is nice because I can not only use the nook and Kindle apps to read but also, with an additional keyboard, can use my Ipad as a computer. In fact, I wrote this post on my iPad.

A subscription to a writing magazine
Like other professions, writers have to keep up with the news from the publishing industry or from certain writing circles. I suggest a subscription to Poets and Writers, which has always been extremely helpful in the past. So helpful in fact that I have suggested it in other blog posts. Here’s a new suggestion, the Writer’s Market.

The book, which should cost right around 30 dollars, lists publications looking for freelance pieces and short stories. There is also one that has publishing houses looking for novelists. I suggest getting the online subscription which is updated constantly.

A copy of On Writing Well.
Every writer should read this book several times, and most especially when beginning the process of revision. I picked up my copy when I was a couple of weeks into my revision for my thesis and wished I had taken somedays to re-read it before beginning. It’s more than just a grammar book, On Writing Well is the handbook to clear and concise writing. It lessons worth relearning and experimenting with. I highly recommend it.

Proof reading service.
And speaking about revision, offering to proof read a writer’s piece for the annoying grammar mistakes we make is not only nice but the most useful and amazing thing that a person can do for a writer. Yes, being a writer does not mean being a grammar hound. Writers are about the story, the rhythm, the characters, the plot, etc. Grammar is the least of our worries and the thing that makes us shudder the most. I had an editor once tell me that copy editing makes his eyes bleed. I’m the same way.

Don’t have time to grammar check a piece? Then pay for a professional to do it. Depending on the person, it could run some where between $2 a page to $100/ hour depending on who it is and what skills they are bringing to the table. I’m currently building a database of editors who will can either line edit and/or critique. More info on this later.

Candles
Yes, I know. This seems like a cheap, I-couldn’t-think-of-anything-else gift. Seriously, you might as well get them a gift card. BUT, in the past two years, candles were the fastest way to get me into a scene. The senses are powerful