Mindy Carlson

‘Tis the season to be shopping and I’m back with gift ideas for the writers in your life.

The number one gift you can give to your favorite authors is a review on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes&Noble, Bookstore.org, or posting compliments and a photo on your social media. Reviews help other readers find our books. If you’ve read Her Dying Day, you can review it here or here.

Foldable Keyboard – I never travel anywhere without something to write with. A notebook or my laptop. But sometimes a notebook isn’t going to cut it and my laptop is too bulky for the kind of traveling I’m doing.

This foldable keyboard might be the answer. I’m so intrigued by this. It’s a computer keyboard that folds up into a 4.5 x 7 inch rectangle and connects via Bluetooth to your phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop. And I love how the keys are still offset on the hinge, meaning I can type as I normally do and don’t have to stretch for to accommodate a seam. And there’s a mouse trackpad on the right-hand side.

And how would I type using my phone? I’d use my next gift recommendation, Scrivener, by Literature&Latte. This is the program I use to write the first drafts of my books. Each chapter is a separate file and listed on the left. This makes it very easy if you have to shift chapters around. You can also keep your outline notes on the right AND there’s a corkboard area where you can do your original outline. Plus, there’s a thousand other cool and helpful tools to make your writing easier. And it’s inexpensive! Only about $60.00.

And they have an app you can buy for about $24 that cloud links with your laptop Scrivener and updates your project in both locations. Meaning you can work from your phone – hence the need for the incredibly useful full-size keyboard above.

Craft Books – I’m a sucker for a book that will help me become a better writer. One that has become the gold standard is Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.

All writers want their stories to be great. And getting those stories out is very hard work. Word choices, action flow, plot beats. It can all feel so mysterious, it’s nice to hear how one of the most successful writers in history produces one compelling story after another.

Inspiration! You know those moments when you’re searching for just the right comeback and you can’t find the right words? Well, fumble the moment no longer, my friends. Not with this handy, dandy Insults Chart.

Look at all those insults! Mapped out by Tim and Aurelia Sanders, there are generations of fun insults coined by our favorite witty people. And with all that family time we’re going to experience in the next two months, perhaps coming well armed with some bon mots might be helpful.

Tea – It’s a cliche, but I love tea. This year’s selection is from Dobratea in Asheville, NC. In particular, this tea Blooming Tea Flower.

Best brewed in a glass teapot, you buy one ball and as you steep it, the ball opens up into a gorgeous flower and provides a lovely green tea. There’s also some very serious tea for very serious tea drinkers.

Coffee Shop Time – I go to a coffee shop about once a week. It’s my most productive day. I can focus on my work and don’t get distracted by laundry, dishes, or gardening. One of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten was a gift card to my favorite coffee shop. It was like being given permission to follow my dream of writing books.

A lot of writers are knitters, and knitters need Stitch Markers. These are really fun markers that combine a love of writing with a love of knitting.

And as a final pick, who doesn’t love jewelry? I was cruising Etsy, as I like to support other creatives, and found this fun pendant with the word “write” on it.

Writing is hard. There are huge emotional ups and downs paired with long stretches of time with no validation from the outside world. It can feel very lonely so kind of sign that you support your writer is a perfect gift.