I've Been Thinking About....Christmas Gifts for Writers
(A random but hopefully useful list. And when I say writers I mean you. Gift yourself something. You deserve it.)
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I know, I know, I’m sorry, but I had to do it.
I know you’ve been inundated with these Christmas gift lists. But what kind of Substacker would I be if I didn’t add my own ideas to the fray? I am truly sorry, but I cannot resist. (And also I’ve been doing these lists off and on since the blogging days when dinosaurs roamed the earth, so that entitles me.) So here we go.
Office-y Supplies
Fountain pens. I wrote about the most gorgeous fountain pen in the world in my last love letter. Here are some places to buy them. Jet pens, for all kinds of cool stationery from Japan and other sources, The Goulet Pen Company, and that old standby, Levenger, who seem to always have a decent sale going on (and they have great ink).
Planners. This is one thing you need to buy for yourself, because, of course, they are very personal. Every year in December I do a deep dive on planners and find one that I am certain is going to change my life. Make me more productive. Make me smarter, thinner, change me into a bestselling novelist. Then it doesn’t. Long about February, I buy a new one. It doesn’t either. So I muddle along. Sigh. I recommend Jetpens again for the best Japanese planners. I bought this one this year and so far I love it for its flexibility, plus there are pages for notes in the back. And this is the one that will change my life for sure! But in case it doesn’t, I also like Erin Condren, who has nice ones—I especially like her paper. And if you like woo, as I do, Danielle LaPorte has “heart-centered” planners, which I have to admit tempt me. You can never have too many. Oh, and to watch some fun videos about planners, you can’t beat Sarra Cannon. Girl uses up to a dozen a year, she’s hysterical. But I also kind of love it.
And speaking of organization, Ugmonk. They have these analog cards that I adore. I use them in tandem with my planner. I’m an “out of sight, out of mind,” person so having a daily card set up on a little wood platform I got from Etsy keeps my goals top of mind. And it’s so satisfying to fill in the little circle next to the task when I’ve finished it.
Journals. My son got me the Standard Issue Notebook last year and I love it. I usually prefer spiral bound because easier to deal with, but this one lies flat and is great. A friend brought me a Rollbahn after surgery (I’ve been saving it) and it’s good, too. And then we have the old standbys, Moleskine (which comes in a variety of sizes, I really love the big fat ones if you can find them) and Leuchtterm, which have the advantage of a pre-made index up front. I also use these cheapies from Amazon for notes because when I take notes I scrawl and I don’t like to mess up my journals that way.
Freewrite. This little machine is your new best friend for drafting. It’s basically a keyboard with a tiny screen on which you can read about two lines of what you’ve written. Definitely a tool for drafting, not editing. The keyboard has a good old-fashioned clattery sound as you type and it’s very freeing. I have a hard time wresting mine away from my grandson. I love this new Cosmic edition, hint, hint, Santa.
Udder1 Stuff
Coaching
Perhaps your or one of your writing friends would like ongoing help and support with your current WIP. Choose me, choose me! I work with writers of all stripes and especially love writers who are open to brainstorming about their stories—and their careers. Hit reply to this email or email me at chardixon@comcast.net and we’ll talk.
A workshop in England or France.
C’mon, you know you want to do this. Why not put it on your Christmas list? Let’s Go Write is offering two separate workshop weeks in May in the lovely, lively city of Wells, England. And we’re doing one workshop retreat in September in the best town in France, Céret. Time to write, explore, meet new writing besties, get out of your rut and have fun.
Other random things
Please look away if you are a vegetarian or vegan. Bacon and ham and sausage from Rice’s Country Hams. My buddy Roy bought me a gift pack one year and I’ve been giving it to people ever since. Fuel for the work, right? But they sell out and close down until Easter when they do so act fast.
A candle warmer. If you’re like me and love having candles lit while you write, this is for you, whoops I meant for you to gift. I did not even know these things existed until this very morning but they are brilliant and I want one for myself now. All the benefits of a scented candle without having to go looking for matches. Or deal with smoke and supervising a lit candle.
Tarot decks. Tarot decks can be a window into your story. They can help you with characterization, plot, setting, just about anything. Google or search Amazon for them or try the following indie sellers. Tarot stacks has a lovely selection. Danielle Noel’s decks are very popular. Tarot Arts has an extensive inventory and if you’re in southern California, you can visit their store in Pasadena. And you can try Tevada Tarot for some good clearance picks. A lot of indie tarot designers put their projects on Kickstarter, and it can be fun to browse there. Here’s one that promises to unlock the secrets of classic literature. I recommend Kris Waldherr’s Tarot for Storyteller’s book (which began as a Kickstarter) and Chris-Anne’s Tarot for Light Seers book.
Books
Duh. The best gift ever. For yourself or another. I’ll have my best of list what I read next week. But in the meantime while you wait with bated breath, here is a different place to order books. Tertulia. It’s a coop bookstore and when you join for $25 a year, you get free shipping and often up to 20% off. Plus, interesting people make cool book lists. Here’s the Tertulia list of the best books of the year.
Digital Stuffs (perfect for last-minute gifts)
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Okay, I gave up on this. I have so many that I transferred them to their own post and I’ll send that out on Monday. A gift subscription to a Substack is the ultimate easy, stress-free gift.
And that’s it for now. I’ll be back on Sunday as usual with a love letter for you. Until then, I hope you are writing and living well. In the meantime, here’s some cozy to help.
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When my granddaughter was a toddler, the word “other” came out as “udder” and so of course, that’s the word we use forever more.
When my folks were still alive and anyone asked them what they wanted for Christmas, the answer was simply “peace”. Oddly enough, that’s all I want, too.
I bought my planner yesterday when I was in a small Devon village with lots of nifty shops. I, too, am earnest about my journal at first, then it goes to a shambles! But I’ve decided that stuffing my various museum postcards and ephemera into it is a form of diary-keeping 😉 oh dear!