With everything going digital, is it possible to give a writer a gift that isn’t a paperweight? Giving a thoughtful gift is easy with the internet. With such an enormous range of gift ideas for your writer friend, this list will provide you with an awesome starting point that doesn’t involve laptops or inspirational quotes.
Here are 5 of the best gift ideas for a writer
Writing course
The Australian Writer’s Centre has practical and enjoyable writing courses for literally every type of writing genre you can think of. Courses are available online and are module-based, usually once a week for four to six weeks. The confidence these courses give you is amazing. The perfect gift idea that keeps on giving.
Beautiful Notebooks
Notebooks and journals may sound old school, but the laptop hasn’t taken over stationery yet. Notely in Brisbane makes beautiful notebooks, journals, cards and tote bags.
Our careful production process means that each Notely has been specially designed to be the best surface for doodling, sketching, planning, dreaming and jotting down your most important thoughts – without compromising our environment.
Notely website
Their eco-friendly notebooks are printed on FSC-certified paper using FSC-certified printing methods. This means the paper is made from 100% post-consumer waste. So, only the whitest recycled office paper is used. The paper doesn’t have the greyish hue of other recycled goods, instead, the sheets are a vibrant white with a delicate, tactile surface.
I hope using a Notely notebook to jot down their thoughts helps my customers feel more grounded, more inspired and more connected to their local creative community.
Jenica Smith | Notely
Coffee voucher to encourage inspiration
Writers like coffee. They also like working in cafes. So you could combine the two into one thoughtful gift idea, a voucher at their favourite cafe. I love this idea because it also supports local business and isn’t a dust collector (like a paperweight).
White Horse Coffee is sold all around Australia. Get them a gift certificate for their nearest café.
Audley Dance Hall in the Royal National Park is a beautiful and inspirational place, and the coffee is always spot on.
Take your laptop and work remotely at larger tables while sipping a latte. The atmosphere is welcoming, and you can also watch the wildlife as you type wonderful words.
Quirky gifts to enhance creativity
Amazon has no shortage of novelty gift ideas. This is especially true for copywriters. If a burst of inspiration hits you in the shower, you can write it down on your Aquanotes note pad. Here is one glowing review
‘For someone with mild ADD or anxiety as I have, this was life-changing. It seems silly, but for anyone with a busy life or just stressed anyway, this is one of the simplest, most valuable things I can think of.’
Perhaps smelling like an old musty library or cigars and cloves is more their liking? Immortal Perfumes has a Literary Series devoted to the greats.
You might feel inspired by ‘Death in the Afternoon, a cologne inspired by Ernest Hemingway.’
Death in the Afternoon Cologne Oil celebrates lovable curmudgeons with notes of tobacco pipe, vegan Egyptian musk, champagne, bay leaf, sandalwood, fennel, and bergamot. This unisex scent is reminiscent of a strong glass of absinthe and leather-bound books.
Immortal Perfumes
Perhaps you’d prefer the literary lovers set, ‘Heathcliff and Catherine’ from Wuthering Heights.
With a love as tumultuous and wild as the moors, Heathcliff and Catherine from Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights haunt the page with their passionate love.
Dark and brooding Heathcliff features notes of amber, leather, labdanum, white patchouli, cedar, myrhh, saffron, and chocolate. This scent is dark and gourmand.
Free-spirited Catherine features notes of white musk, amber, English Ivy, frangipani, rain, white patchouli, and heather. This scent smells like the rain that drives the moaning branches of the trees.
They also ship to Australia.
Grammar Software for perfection
This gift may not knock your socks off, but to a writer, it’ll put a reassuring smile on their face. Hemmingway, Grammarly, Pro Writing Aid, and Autocrit are all editing software that can make the most humble of writers want to shine.
Other ideas
Writers also love to read. You could get them a light that clips onto their book. Look out for one with ‘amber’ light that recharges with a USB cord. For those who read too much on a computer, blue light blocking glasses are another idea.