Struggling with what to get for the writer in your life this holiday season? Here are some creative gift ideas to help inspire, motivate, and comfort. And remember to shop early this year to get ahead of the expected holiday shipping delays! Notebooks and journals This may seem like a given, but trust me: writers really do love getting notebooks. And no, there’s no such thing as having too many. Whether it has a sleek leather cover or a quirky design, you can’t go wrong. Pair it with a quality pen, and the writer in your life is sure to be grateful. Book merch from Out of Print Most writers are also avid readers. So, this holiday season, give the writer in your life a gift inspired by their favorite books! Out of Print has everything from t-shirts to socks to gift bags and mugs—all printed with designs inspired by books. Whether it’s Edgar Allan Poe, Harry Potter, Jane Austen, or even Star Wars, there’s sure to be something every book lover will appreciate. Candles or scented wax melts Scents can be soothing and calming and even help us remember things. And who doesn’t want their workspace to smell amazing? Bonus points for candles and wax melts that smell like books! Heating pad for back pain For a writer, sitting in a chair for hours on end is expected, and that can mean back pain. The writer in your life will appreciate this gift bringing them some relief. Bookshop gift…

Julia Cameron advocates “morning pages.” Three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. Every morning. The Artist’s Way. Natalie Goldberg recommends writing daily for at least twenty minutes. Free the writer within. Keep your hand moving, lose control, and don’t think.  Writing Down the Bones. Stephen King prescribes the writing routine of butt-in-chair habitually. Set writing goals and write 500, or 1,000, or 2000 words a day. Stephen King: On Writing. Anne Lamott suggests you write whether you feel like it or not, even when you think the writing isn’t any good. When Anne Lamott’s brother had a report on birds due the next day which he’d had a month to prepare without having written a word, he became immobilized by the task at hand. Their father offered the sage writing advice: Bird by Bird. What if you can’t make time to write every day? What if those morning pages really are nothing but navel gazing and lead nowhere? Does the daily discipline demanded by writing gurus make you feel like a failure as a writer? Does making a “job” of writing take all the joy out of the creative writing experience? Historical fiction author Tracy Chevalier described her writing practice in a recent essay for The Guardian. “Part of me wishes it were easy to describe my typical writing day. I have heard about them, those smug productive hours when a writer – usually male, it has to be said – sits down…

Do you tell yourself you need a couple of days when your calendar is free from distractions before you can sit down and start to write? Then when the weekend arrives you sleep late, catch up on correspondence, watch a movie, and maybe make time to stare at a blank screen. In a block of eight hours without any other commitments, you’re lucky if you spend an hour or two actually writing. Are you convinced that next chapter will get written while you are away at a writer’s retreat? When you get there do you enjoy the camaraderie of kindred spirits indulging in literary conversations, visiting the tourist attractions, eating meals together, and checking out a nearby bookstore or art gallery? In a block of five free days, you might actually write a total of 10 hours. Have you looked at your watch and sighed with disappointment that there isn’t enough time to write before you have to a) go pick up the kids from school b) meet someone for lunch or c) rush off to your next appointment? Instead you Tweet #amwriting when you’re not, take a photo of your desk and post to Instagram, and check out what other people are reading on Facebook. Do the dishes have to be done and everyone else asleep in the house before you can start to work on your manuscript? Exhaustion and all the day residue defeat your best intentions to write. Have you joined a Facebook group with other writers…