The Best Holiday Gifts for a Writer

Holiday Gift Guide

We all know this person: the person who constantly has the idea for the next great American novel; the person who jots down ideas on everything from grocery bags to pieces of toilet paper; the person with at least ten "works-in-progress" saved to their computer. The first thing on their minds waking up in the morning is the same thing on their minds drifting off to dream-filled sleep at night: writing. A writer could be one of the easiest or one of the trickiest people in the world to buy a gift for; you could either strike gold or hit rock bottom. Here are some gift ideas that will hopefully help you achieve the former goal!

The Journal/Notebook. One thing a writer should never be without is a good notebook. The beauty of a journal and/or notebook as a gift is that there is such a wide variety to choose from. My personal favorite selection of writing notebooks is the Moleskine collection. With an extensive history within the writing world-it is described as the "legendary notebook of Hemingway, Picasso, and Chatwin" by its producers-this journal proves the perfect companion for any writer's taste. It varies in size from a full sized notebook to notebooks small enough to carry in your pocket. The journal comes with both hard and soft cover varieties, ruled, un-ruled, or squared pages, and so on, to suite the needs of a variety of writers. Typically found in brown or black, the Moleskine is also the perfect way to allow your writer to express their creativity in the design-or even lack of design-of the cover. Moleskine journals typically run anywhere from $9.95 to around $15; they are available individually and in packs of three, and include the journal's history and either a postcard or set of writing "stamps" bearing inspirational writing-related quotes for the owner's use. Of course, even a simple composition book is helpful to the writer; the idea of a notebook is to jot down your ideas, dialogues, and plot outlines in whatever way suites you best . . . so the journal you choose must also suite you best. To add a little extra to the simplicity of the notebook-gift, decorate the cover yourself to add that personal touch to the gift!