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Tuesday, December 2, 2014

69 Great Gifts for Writers

Writing and Publishing-Related Workshops or Courses
A weekly course with Brian Henry. Details of classes starting in January 2016 here.
A gift certificate for a workshop with Brian. Just $46. Email brianhenry@sympatico.ca
See a list of all the weekly classes and Saturday workshops coming up here.
A consult with Brian … here.
(And if no one buys any of these, I`m going to starve come the new year.)

Stocking Stuffers
A gift bag of coffee or tea and snack foods, because writers have long thought that caffeine and sugar are their best friends.
Healthy snacks, because it’s not true that sugar is your bff.
A Christmas classic: A Christmas Carol by Dickens, Christmas at Thomspon Hall by Trollope, The Night Before Christmas by Gogol, The Nutcracker by Hoffman … here
Hanukkah books for kids … here, here or here
A gift certificate to Tim Horton’s, because a comfortable café is often the best place to write.
Fingerless gloves (type and have warm fingers)
Reading is Sexy button … here
Timer for writing sprints
AquaNotes waterproof notepads (for shower ideas—yes, these really work!)
Pens 
A stamp with a happy face for critiquing your fellow writers 

Creativity games and helpers
Bananagrams anagram game … here
Scrabble Magnetic Refrigerator Tiles … here
The Writer's Toolbox: Creative Games and Exercises for Inspiring the 'Write' Side of Your Brain ... here

For Writers Who Outline
Index cards
Notebooks
Corkboard &  pushpins
Whiteboard with dry erase markers and eraser

Technology Helpers
Programs like Scrivener (Windows and Mac) for organizing and word processing
Dragon Naturally Speaking (options at Amazon) for voice recognition-driven writing 
 Typing program (learn to type faster!)
Wireless/ergonomic keyboard or mouse
Virtual keyboard for mobile use

Big Ticket Items
New computer
Bigger computer monitor
eReader or eTablet (Kindle/Kindle Fire, iPad, Android tablet, etc.)
Ergonomic desk chair
Cover design or editing costs for self-published authors

Writing Craft and Publishing-Related Books
The Art of Fiction, John Gardner
The Art of War for Writers, James Scott Bell
The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron
Bird by Bird: some instructions on writing and life,  by Anne Lamott.
Conflict, Action and Suspense, William Noble
The Elements of Style, William Strunk and E.B. White
The Fiction Editor, Thomas McCormak
How Stories Work, James Woods
On Writing: a memoir of the craft, Stephen King
Spunk and Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold Contemporary Style, Arthur Plotnik
Writing Down the Bones, Natlie Goldberg
The Thesaurus books by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi (The Emotion ThesaurusThe Positive Trait Thesaurus, and The Negative Trait Thesaurus)
Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
The Power of Point of View by Alicia Rasley

Miscellaneous Suggestions
Comfort clothes (robe and fuzzy slippers, sweat pants, but be careful; you may never change out of them. See here!)
Gift basket full of writing-related ideas (pens, notebooks, special beverage and glass, inspirational items or quotes, etc.)
Gift cards for books
Gift cards for office supply stores
Subscription to music source (PandoraSpotifyGrooveshark, etc.)
Lithographs: Shirts and totes printed with images and the text of your favourite novels. Tattoos available, too … here.
Out of Print Tee’s: T-shirts, tote bags, iphone cases – all sorts of things, decorated with your favourite book covers (here).
Premium level of online service (Dropbox for automatic backups, Amazon Prime for free shipping/lending library, etc.)
Entry fee for a writing contest
Massage gift certificates, a back or foot massager
A head scratcher!
Writing time (anything from babysitting to a writers’ retreat to a housecleaning service)

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~ Brian


See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Barrie, Brampton, Bolton, Burlington, Caledon, Cambridge, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Niagara on the Lake, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Stouffville, Sudbury, Toronto, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

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