Looking for the perfect gift for the aspiring author in your life? With online writing classes, inspirational reads, cozy writing essentials, and tools to spark creativity, this guide has everything they need to pen their masterpiece in the year ahead.
At the end of the year, people might already be thinking ahead to those New Year’s resolutions. If your holiday gift list includes someone who’s dreaming of writing their first book, we have some suggestions. Whether they scribble memoir ideas by hand in a notebook, or plot story lines for the next great American novel on their laptop, there’s a perfect gift for every writer.
Staring at a blank page is the curse of the writer, but an online class through MasterClass or Skillshare may be just the thing to encourage your loved one to turn their book idea into reality. Publishing powerhouses — including Margaret Atwood, James Patterson, and Malcolm Gladwell — teach MasterClasses on writing, and David Baldacci gives insight into the experience of working with an editor. With Skillshare, you can encourage your brother to develop a niche skill such as sci-fi world building, or nurture your dad’s interest in learning how to turn his childhood stories into a memoir with “Creative Writing: Crafting Personal Essays With Impact” from master storyteller Roxane Gay.
- Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing
- James Patterson Teaches Writing
- Malcom Gladwell Teaches Writing
- David Baldacci on Working With an Editor
- Roxane Gay on the Business of Writing
- Creative Writing: Crafting Personal Essays With Impact, with Roxane Gay
- Creative Nonfiction: Write Truth With Style, with Susan Orlean
- The Writer’s Toolkit: 6 Steps to a Successful Writing Habit
- Storytelling 101: Character, Conflict, Context & Craft
- Science Fiction & Fantasy: Creating Unique and Powerful Worlds
Yes, you can save countless drafts to the cloud, but many writers still prefer the feel of paper and pen for getting their creativity flowing. Options for notebooks and pens are infinite, but we suggest a nice hardcover notebook or stack of classic legal pads and a smooth-writing, smudge-free gel pen. Delivering a box of these classic writing tools, along with a note of encouragement, will send the message that you believe they can complete their book in the next year.
To set the mood in their writing den, nothing says “serious writer” like an Edgar Allan Poe-inspired candle. What scent story does “The Raven” author tell? Nutmeg, golden apple, vanilla bean, and notes of spiced musk and creamy sandalwood, apparently. Don’t forget the writer’s true best friend: caffeine. With an Ember smart mug, your favorite writer will be able to keep their coffee and tea at the perfect temperature, even when they’re swept away in character development.
- Writer-inspired candles
- Hardcover notebook
- Legal pads
- Smudge-free gel pens
- Lap desk with storage
- Ember mug
- Tea bag sampler
- Pride & Peppermint tea
American novelist and Nobel laureate William Faulkner said, “Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out the window.”
We’re firmly behind Faulkner on this and believe you can give virtually any book to an aspiring writer, and it will be useful. However, if you want to give some inspiration for a specific genre, we have recommendations.
Literary fiction: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante — This novel was named No. 1 on The New York Times list of “100 Best Books of the 21st Century.”
Sci-fi: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley — Remade and remixed in countless ways, this was the original sci-fi novel, published in 1818 when Shelley was 20 years old.
Non-fiction: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote — Capote coined the term “nonfiction novel” for his true-crime book that reads like a thriller.
If you want to gift a book on writing, these are some standouts:
On Writing by Stephen King — It’s part memoir, part accessible toolkit for being a better writer.
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron — This is a classic guide for unlocking creativity in daily practice (and there’s a workbook).
The Elements of Style by Strunk & White — Good writers know the rules before they break them.
For fun, slip Rooms of Their Own, a gorgeous peek into famous writers’ workspaces, under the tree. Sometimes knowing that even the Brontë sisters wrote in organized chaos can make someone feel better about their own pile of messy Post-it notes.
