Holiday Gift Ideas for Writers
Script’s Editor shares advice on gifts for writers for the holidays or anytime!
Sure, you could get all your writer friends a pad of paper and a pen, but how about thinking outside of the box this year. As I started my wishlist for my own gifts, I dove into research, wanting to find the new and fun ideas.
Let's get started! Remember, we also have an amazing sales at The Writers Store and Writer's Digest Shop! Check that out, too!
READ, READ, READ! It took me a while to embrace the e-Reader phenom. I looove to hold a book in my hand. But after reading Doug Richardson's Lucky Dey series, on a Kindle Paperwhite, I was hooked! And now, they make the Kindle waterproof! Swoon...
On-Demand Webinars: It's no secret I like to stay in my jammies as long as possible. Who wouldn't?
I also hate waiting. I'm driven and like to manage my own time, so why would I want to wait for a class to start? I strive to learn something new everyday, and there's no better way to do that than with on-demand learning.
Not only does Writer's Store have amazing on-demand webinars, but so does Writer's Digest Shop! While you're at it, browse through Script University's self-paced courses.
Noise-Cancelling Headphones: When you have a house full of people and you need to focus, the best way to tune the world out is with noise-cancelling headphones.
They work great when traveling on public transportation, too, or at the gym!
Writer's Wright Journal: Love, love, love, LOVE this! I'm a planner. Some would even say, I'm a freak about planning. TV writer Greta Heinemann (NCIS: New Orleans) created an AMAZING system to help her put words on the page effectively and efficiently all year long. She isn't some "guru" shedding out advice. She is from Germany, decided at the age of 14 that she wanted to be a professional screenwriter in L.A., and created a goal-achieving system to get her on track for success. And? SHE IS A SUCCESS! So, yeah, I'm going to give her system a try. Check out her site and sign up for her updates.
When I was 14-years-old, I decided that I would move to Hollywood and work in the entertainment industry. At the time I didn’t speak English and I didn’t live in the United States. Meaning, I needed a plan. I put pen to paper and wrote down what I could do to make my dreams become reality. Speak English. Save up enough money to fly to America. Start there. Seven-ish years later, I was fluent in English, had a shady LA Craigslist pad lined up, and enough money to live on for three months. On the flight to LAX, I journaled my path to a job and Greencard. A few years later, I journaled my way into becoming a working screenwriter and that’s who I am today.
BACK UP YOUR WORK! I don't know about you, but I have at least three ways to backup my work: the iCloud, Apple Time Capsule and a reliable Toshiba external hard drive.
You can never, ever, EVER have enough backups!
CLEAN OUT THE COBWEBS: As a writer, you need to multitask. What better way to beat writer's block than to partner it with a bath!
Wait... writers bathe? This may be a myth. But with this soap, I'll willing to give it a shot. If nothing else, it makes a great stocking stuffer.
If showers are your inspiration, you need the Aqua Notes Waterproof Note Pad!
GET YOUR SASS ON! While writers don't always bathe, we are always full of sass. Check this genius idea out!
Insults by Shakespeare... on a cool chart! Get a compilation some snarky insults from Shakespeare into an uber-cool map. Can you imagine the fun they had researching this? I wish I had thought of it.
Sure, I have a regular column in Writer's Digest magazine, but that's not why I'm recommending you gift a subscription. Truth is, my dad (now 92) has read WD for decades. The digital archives are enormous... WD turns 100 in 2020! I am in love with the WD brand and the team behind the magazine. Go get it. Hell, get it for yourself. We need gifts, too.
Scrivener is so powerful, I admit, it's intimidating. But, I promise, it's worth the learning curve. Plus, it's pretty cheap.
If you're feeling nervous about trying such a powerful writing software, check out tutorials on YouTube. It's a great product that you'll wonder how you ever lived without. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G for organizing research!
Gift Cards:
Writers Store Gift Cards
The Writers Store has served writers for over 30 years. Gift Cards are the perfect stocking stuff for the writers you love!
Script University "Gift This Course"
If there's a screenwriter in your life in need of online education, simply visit the Script University selection of courses and choose "Gift This Course" option on the registration page!
Amazon Gift Cards
Writers are readers. The best gift for any reader is an Amazon gift card. Period. While there's no guarantee they'll use it for books, you'll at least know they got something they loved... and it was super easy for you, too.
I love to crawl into writers' heads. My new favorite is Anne Lamont's Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.
Her advice is thoughtful yet humorous. Even the Los Angeles Times loves it:
"A warm, generous and hilarious guide through the writer's world and its treacherous swamps." --Los Angeles Times
Get inspired!
In 2020, Writer's Digest turned 100! To celebrate this incredibly milestone, WD made some vintage magazine covers available for purchase as prints, mugs, and even shower curtains!
Don't miss the opportunity to own a piece of writing history.
I've lost count how many times I preach about crawling inside our characters' heads. Now there's a super-duper, handy thesaurus to help - The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws!
Find the perfect balance of strengths and weaknesses for your characters! This one, I'm asking Santa for myself!
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Jeanne Veillette Bowerman is a Senior Executive at Pipeline Media Group and Book Pipeline, Editor-in-Chief of Pipeline Artists, Director of Symposium—a year-round conference in the arts, co-host "Reckless Creatives" podcast, partner at Fringe Press, former Editor-in-Chief of Script magazine and a former Senior Editor at Writer's Digest. Recognized as one of the "Top 10 Most Influential Screenwriting Bloggers," her "Balls of Steel" column was selected as recommended reading by Universal Writers Program. A compilation of her articles is now available at The Writers Store—Balls of Steel: The Screenwriter's Mindset. She is also Co-Founder and moderator of X's weekly screenwriters’ chat, #Scriptchat, and wrote the narrative adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Slavery by Another Name, with its author, Douglas A. Blackmon, former senior national correspondent of The Wall Street Journal. More information can be found on her website. X: @jeannevb | IG/Threads: @jeannevb_ | BlueSky: @jeannevb.bsky.social
