Last-Minute Gifts for the Writers in Your Life

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By Gayle Francis Moffet

So, you know writers, writers who is serious about their work and getting their names out there. And it’s the holiday season, and you want to get your writers something that shows you understand that writing is work and takes a lot of effort, but you don’t want to default to the old “here is a nice journal and new pen” route.

What’s a gift giver to do? Well, consider any of the following options:

1.       A Gift Certificate for a Duotrope Account ($5-$50)

Come the first of the year, Duotrope is going to a paid subscription service. If you don’t know about Duotrope, it’s a website dedicated to market listings for writers. Writers search listings for places to submit their work. Duotrope will be charging $50 for a year’s subscription, but writers can also pay by the month for $5 a month. If they don’t pay on a particular month, they won’t have access to all of Duotrope’s features, but their information will always be saved for when they come back. You can get a gift certificate for a subscription right here.

Perfect for: writers with short fiction, poetry, or non-fiction to submit; writers who want to go small press with their books;

2.       A Copy of Scrivener ($40-$45; Mac and Windows OS)

Personally, I’m comfortable with Microsoft Word and lots of open tabs in my browser, but I know plenty of writers who swear by Scrivener and its ability to help them stay organized as they write. Scrivener’s got a lot of features that a lot of writers I know find incredibly useful, and all that usefulness helps motivate them to keep writing. You can buy a license for Scrivener right here.

Perfect for: writers who are big on organization; writers who mention needing a different way to write than Microsoft Word and lots of browser tabs.

3.       Books on Craft (varies)

Books on the craft of writing can be difficult to sort through. Some of them are excellent. Others are…not excellent, and it’s possible the writers you know may think you’re passive-aggressively trying to tell them that they should practice more. But, then again, they’re writers. They should be practicing more. So, where to start in the books on craft? Ask at the bookstore. They’ll be able to tell you what’s been selling the most and what’s been selling the longest. Longevity is sort of key to books on craft. Stephen King’s On Writing (great for any prose writer you know) has been selling well for over a decade. Will Eisner’s Comics and Sequential Art (my preferred go-to for comic book writing*) has been in circulation since 1985. It’s not that newer books can’t be useful, but if you start with the classics, you can be certain the writers in your life are getting lessons that are pretty universal.

Perfect for: writers who learn by reading; writers who want to see how the big names do it; writers generally interested in understanding their craft.

4.       Coffee. Tea. Juice. Soda. (varies)

So Coffee Mood by Daria Sapphire

Writers are a thirsty lot. Personally, I drink two cups of coffee every morning before switching to decaf tea and water for the rest of the day. I know writers who only drink specific things when writing because it’s become part of their process. Find out what that drink is and buy them some. Make sure to stay specific as possible. I live in a coffee town, and there’s a lot of debate between Stumptown vs. Public Domain vs. Back Porch Coffee Roasters vs. Starbucks (Starbucks is generally seen as the lowest form, but I can’t hear you over my delicious, standard caffeine), and I’m betting the writers you know are equally picky. There’s a difference between Earl Gray and Lady Gray, and there’s a difference between Mountain Dew Code Red and Mountain Dew regular. The good news is, this one’s really easy to check. Just poke around in their cupboards a bit, and you’ll know.

Perfect for: writers who get particular about their drinks; writers who require caffeine to live; writers in general

So, there you go. Four last-minute gifts to show the writers in your life that you want them productive and working! It is—honestly and with complete sincerity—one of the greatest gifts you can give to a writer in process.

*I am certain comic writers reading this were expecting to see me recommend Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics, and while I find it a good book with useful information, I feel Eisner is superior because he relies on practical advice where McCloud can fall into some pretty dense art theory. Also, keep in mind that McCloud heavily references Eisner’s work on the topic of comic creation to write Understanding Comics.

Time Management for Freelance Writers

by Morgan Barnhart

Just seeing those words, 'time management', makes me cringe. As a freelance writer and fiction author, I am the worst when it comes to managing my time well, but I am serious about publishing my work. I tell myself that I'll accomplish all of these vast projects in one days time, but it never comes to fruition. Why is that? Because I set unrealistic goals for myself and when I don't accomplish everything I set out to do, I get frustrated and put off writing a character profile, finishing and article, or editing a chapter of my book, for a lot longer than I should.

So instead of being unrealistic, like saying I'll get up at 6AM every single day, I say I'll get up at 8AM. I can handle that. Kind of.

by cheesefetus

When it comes to writing, I'll devote 2 hours a day to it. I don't say when, I don't say what I'll write, I just have to spend a straight 2 hours a day devoted to writing whether it's freelance writing or creative writing. I can handle that. I can work it in at any point of the day but I have to do it.

When it comes to other things that I must juggle along with writing and consulting, I decide to dedicate one task to that day. If I need to get a bunch of articles written, I devote all of them to one day. Crazy, right? But they get done. If I do them sporadically, they tend not to get done as quickly since I won't have as much motivation. I know, seem backwards, but it works for me.

You need to find what works for you when it comes to time management as a freelance writer. Can you devote a couple hours a day to writing in between everything else? Can you devote one other small task to your day as well? Start small and work your way up, don't let everything boggle you down. Take your time, write a list if you must and hack at the to-do list a little at a time.

My suggestion for getting started in your organizing adventure would be to download a desktop program called Rainlendar. You can assign events and tasks for yourself right there on your desktop and it reminds you very clearly that it needs to be done, somewhere where you'll be able to see it at all times. It's a fantastic program for freelance writers or novelists and best of all, it's free!