Mindy Carlson

It’s that time of year again–Holiday Gifting Season! My theme for 2023 is Care and Nurturing of Creativity. Sometimes that care looks like alone time and sometimes it looks like time spent with friends and family. At it’s core, nurturing creativity is whatever makes you feel good inside and out.

And let me preface this list by saying the most valuable gift you can give a writer is your support. Whether that’s sending them a “you can do it” email, giving them the time they need to finish that book by taking on a bigger share of the household chores, or leaving them a review on Amazon or Goodreads, your support matters and it’s what we cling to during our darker moments.

And without further ado! 10 things your writer is going to love!

Give them a mystery to solve. Writers like puzzles. After all, most of us write puzzles into our books. There’s always a reveal with clues leading up to the big voila. Here are three options I like.

Crack the Code Brainteaser – a logical whodunit with nine puzzles to solve to get to the answer.

Unlock! – an escape room in a box and perfect for a solo game or groups. (I’ve found around 3 works best.) There are multiple scenarios to choose from and they come with single scenarios or as a three-pack.

Mystery Christmas Crackers – I think I might buy these for our Christmas. Every cracker has a piece or clue to the larger puzzle. Plus you get a hat and a joke just like in a typical Christmas cracker.

Self-Warming Mug. I almost didn’t put a mug onto this list this year. It’s a bit cliché, but then I found this mug and couldn’t resist. (It even has a lid!) I have a Bodum self-warming teapot, but sometimes a whole pot of tea is just too much. And sometimes I want a latte instead of tea and you can’t really put lattes into a pot. This is the perfect solution.

Calming Shower Steamers. Writing is stressful. The ideas need to flow. The right words need to come out of our fingers and onto the page. The characters have to be charismatic three-dimensional beings that feel like they could leap off the page. Sometimes we need a break and a shower is a wonderful way to get space to think. I’ve had some of my best ideas in the shower. In part, it’s because I’ve allowed myself to relax and my mind to wander. These shower steamers will be a great addition to a relaxing, inspirational shower. You can buy them. Or you can make them yourself. (I might actually try to make them!)

In line with the shower steamers are these Korean Sheet Masks from TonyMoly. I looooovvveeee them. I use one once a week and it keeps my skin healthy and glowing. There’s a ton of different varieties so you can mix and match. And they’re cheap! Just $3.75 each.

Trope Thesaurus – I bought this book a couple of months ago when I got stuck in a first draft. The Trope Thesaurus breaks down goals, motivations, and themes to help you gain more clarity on how to structure your book. Tropes aren’t a bad thing. Tropes are only tropes because they are common themes inside the human experience. Knowing your tropes and embracing them will help you successfully scaffold your ideas into complete story arcs.

Banned Books T-Shirt – Freedom of speech is under attack through the banning of books. As an author, it is incredibly troubling that a small group of people can summarily condemn our thoughts and our words and prevent others from finding their own story reflected back at them in the pages of a book. Books tell you that you’re not alone. That there’s others out there who’ve also lived something near to your experience. I bought this shirt this summer and it’s incredibly comfortable and feels kind of nice to be supporting my fellow authors. Word to the wise: this shirt runs small so order one size up.

And if your author is a TSwift fan, you can buy this T-Shirt.

Leuchtturm 1917 Leather Case – I never leave home without my Leuchtturm 1917 notebook. As a result it’s getting a little banged up. And my pens aren’t truly secured to it. I carry them in a pencil case in my backpack, but sometimes I just want my notebook. This case is a great solution. It even has room for credit cards and a phone charging cable.

DIY Book Nook Kit – I’ve admired these for a while. Actually, I saw The Bloggess’s own assembled miniatures, then these popped into my timeline and they seemed like a much more doable construction than the incredible things she puts together. The meditation of it appeals to me. It’s in the family with the same kind of mental meditation that comes with editing a book. Just more pleasant. The model pictured below is based on Dorothy’s magical journey, but if this one doesn’t grab you there are tons more that might.

A Pen Sampler Pack – I love writing with a great pen. And I like writing in color. Sometimes I even assign a character a “voice” color and when I write with that color it helps me get into that character’s voice. Very handy for a three point-of-view novel I finished a few months ago. JetPens never lets me down. I have an indecent number of pens and they’ve all come from JetPens and most of them through these sample packs.

A gift card to their favorite coffee shop. I recently left my position at the Montessori preschool to pursue writing full-time and one of the gifts I appreciated the most was a gift card to my favorite coffee shop. It’s like being given permission to ignore the laundry and sink into the work I love. I go there every Wednesday and I get an insane amount of writing done while I enjoy a latte and a quiche. (It comes with a salad, so, yes, Daisy, I’ve been eating salad for breakfast and I haven’t become a serial killer yet.)

Anyway, I hope you’ve found some inspiration for the writer in your life. And most of all, I wish you a happy winter holiday season.