4 Holiday Gifts For The Writer on Your List

The holidays are upon us, and if you have a writer on your list it can sometimes leave you scratching your head about what to get them. While the best present is buying copies of their books as gifts to other people, as well as leaving reviews online (incidentally, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife is still on Amazon, and my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers was recently re-released), sometimes you want to get them something special, too.

Not only that, but you don't want it to be more of the usual. After all, most writers would be all too happy to get a pack of journals, a set of personalized ballpoint pens, or other sorts of presents, but that's the kind of thing they might expect... more importantly, it's the sort of thing other folks in their circles might think of.

So what should you get them? Well, I'm not an expert, but if you want a stocking stuffer, or just something they'll actually use down the line on one of their projects, consider some of the following items.

Practical and thoughtful, as well!

Before we get into it this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! To be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Lastly, make sure you check out my Vocal archive for several hundred other articles about geek ephemera, weird history, writing, and more!

#1: Bluetooth Keyboard

This is #1 for a reason.

The image of the writer out and about with a laptop is iconic for a reason, but sometimes you don't want to bring your whole rig with you. Either you aren't sure if you're going to be working on something, or you know you aren't going to have a lot of space. But if you have a tablet or phone, and an Internet connection so you can reach your Google docs, then this is an ideal gadget to keep in your jacket pocket.

I have a model just like the Omoton foldable keyboard, and I was testing it recently at Friendsgiving while I was on an editing deadline. It took a bit of getting used to, but it allowed me to make some progress on my most recent TTRPG supplement guide without monopolizing an entire table to myself. One recommendation I might make, if you think someone is going to do more than just type up stories and documents using this keyboard is to go for a full mousepad version like the Geodmaer, which gives you that extra bit of functionality.

#2: A Rubber Ducky

Trust me, I'm going somewhere with this.

This entry might seem like a gag gift, but I'm very serious about this. If you're not familiar with The Rubber Ducky Method, it's something that was created by programmers. In short, you take a rubber ducky, and you walk them through every, single line of code until you've pinpointed the problem, treating them like an outside consultant. Writers can often benefit from the same process... and even if the writer on your list doesn't personally use it, everyone loves a themed rubber ducky!

If you happen to have a lot of writers and programmers on your list, you can even get a rubber duck variety pack, and choose which ones best fit your friends and family. As a final recommendation, consider giving the ducks names and personalities, then writing them on a small card to personalize them to a person's tastes that much more. It's fun, cute, and it's something they're likely to keep on their desk long after the holiday is over.

#3: Pen Holder

Kitschy? Absolutely. But well loved.

There are few weird little gifts that are better loved than a pen holder, in my experience. That is, of course, assuming the writer in your life uses pens, pencils, etc. But there are a variety of these out there, ranging from the typewriter pictured above, to the kneeling knight (my own customized squire that I gave a Warhammer 40K sheen to is Brother Pencival), to a revolver cylinder for those who want a weaponized feel for their accouterments. So you've got choices.

As an additional note, find out if the writer on your list goes to conventions, or regularly hosts book signings. These little accessories can be ideal for adding some details to your table, but if they're going to travel with this gift, make sure it's tough enough to handle a little jostling from time to time.

#4: Gamification of The Craft

Because sometimes work should feel like play.

Story prompts are things we're all intimately familiar with, whether we use them professionally or not. However, tools that turn writing into a game can be a good little exercise for the mind, especially if (as tends to happen) the writer on your list has writer friends that would show up to a game night for something like this.

The Storymatic is one such game, but for those who like things a little more freeform there are also things like Writing Dice which let you roll up a new prompt with a wave of your hand. A little on the lighthearted side, tastes will vary on this one as a gift.

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Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

The Pressure of The Blank Page

Like a lot of authors I have a decided compulsion toward acquiring the materials of my craft. Notebooks big and small make me happy, I will pick up pens abandoned in parking lots to recruit them to my cause, and I will never say no to another hot cup of coffee.

Some people argue that coffee is not a required tool of the writing trade, and that's fair. But if you can do this job without being caffeinated, I'm suspicious of your status as a living human.

To each their own.

I always get a smile on my face whenever I pick up a new pen, receive a notebook, or someone gives me a little bag of go-beans so I can keep this operation going. However, there is something that I think a lot of other writers experience but don't talk about... which is the pressure that having all of these tools of the trade can put on your shoulders when you feel you aren't using them often, or quickly, enough.

But before we get into it this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

The Pressure of The Blank Page

I won't lie, since I was in high school I've had a box of notebooks that I carried with me every time I moved. I rarely used any of them, but I kept them the way that you keep that box of cables and cords; just in case you need it. While I always had a need for a pen between being a college student, and then a reporter, I never used them as fast as I acquired them. Coffee is a recent addition to this list, but I started drinking it at the beginning of the pandemic and I've almost never had to pay for it since then between people clearing out their cabinets, or sending me gifts when they found out I wasn't picky about my brands or roasting type.

I have come to the conclusion that it is unlikely I will ever write through all the ink in these pens, or that I will use every sheet of every notebook I have stacked up on my shelf. However, I go through a couple of pens a month, and a few notebooks every season. But there's always more. This is both comforting, and a little weighty. Because I feel like it is my responsibility, my duty even, to use these tools to pour forth ideas from my mind and into reality in some way, shape, or form.

The coffee will get drunk, let's not be silly on that score. I may have to share it with other people from time to time, but it's going to be put to good use.

Make it good. Don't waste space, or ink!

I believe there's another word for this feeling, but I've come to calling it the Pressure of The Blank Page. Because all of the pens that stand ready at my desk, and all of the notebooks in a row, stand like soldiers in a line... and it's up to me to call them up for service one after another as the need requires. But while I do need them, and I do use them, I also know that I only have so many words I can write a day. Does my brain have enough ideas to use all of these materials in time?

Maybe.

I'm normally very confident about my skill level, and what it takes to do my job. I also know that I tend to go through a shopping bag of paper and a tin full of pens every year just keeping the assembly line going with things like my 100 Kinfolk project, or supplements like 100 Sci-Fi Cults. But between YouTube scripts, TTRPG supplements, short story ideas, novel layouts, and random brainstorms, I honestly wonder if I have more materials than I do ideas sometimes.

Of course, that's the thing about ideas; they aren't finite.

I'm absolutely certain that if I never had another idea, then I might find myself at a standstill eventually. It might be in five years, ten years, or even twenty years, but eventually I would get out all the ideas I have stored away on the back shelf of my brain until I've caught up on my back log.

That's the thing about ideas in my head, though... the tap doesn't turn off.

I have new ideas fairly often, even when I'm not trying to. I'll be down at the gym when two thoughts spark off in my brain, and I have to jot down the glimpse of the idea I caught in that brief flash. I'll be mid-game rolling some dice, and an outline for a new supplement will come to me. I'll sit down to help a friend through a story they're working on, and by the time we've solved whatever plot problem they're working on, I'll have had a new idea of my own.

I'm not special in this regard, either, and that's something I wanted to tell people this week. Because a lot of us can get overwhelmed wondering what we're going to do with our hoard of supplies and inspirations, and if we should leave them to a friend, a child, or perhaps a favored niece or nephew. Take a second. Breathe. You aren't going to run out of ideas any more than you're going to run out of readers.

With that said, though, if you've got a stack of notebooks you've been holding off on writing in because they're too nice, or your ideas aren't good enough... well, there's no time like the present, eh?

Of Course, More Materials Are Always Appreciated

If you're one of those folks out there who is cursed with spare notebooks or pens, and you want to send them to a good home, feel free to reach out via my email gadget on the page here. This offer goes double for anyone looking for a sponsor for notebooks, pens, coffee, and other authorial accessories. I'm always happy to talk about products that make this hard job a little bit easier, after all!

And for folks who just want to do their part to help keep me making more content like this, as well as the little audio drama above, please subscribe/follow me in these locations:

- My Facebook

- My LinkTree

- My Weekly Newsletter

- The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)

- My Daily Motion Channel (longer videos that won't show up on YouTube)

And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

5 Signs You're Actually A Writer

There is an obsession within the writing community about separating the real writers from the poseurs and pretenders. Sometimes it's easy to tell the difference. If you can walk into a bookstore, and pick your book off the shelf, then there's no doubt you're a writer. You have physical proof. However, if you haven't hit the big-time yet, you might be feeling some anxiety about whether or not you can lay claim to that title. That's why this week The Literary Mercenary is laying out the top 5 signs that you're probably a writer.

So let's get started, shall we?

#1: You Adopt Pens

Hello my darlings... where are your parents?

When you're walking along the street, and you find a discarded pen, what is your first reaction? Normal people will see them, and usually walk on by. Writers, on the other hand, will stop. They'll pick them up, and give them a field examination. They'll check the grip, pop the tip out to check how much ink is left, and typically write a word or two to feel how well the pen works. Then they'll tuck the pen into their pocket, and take it home with them.

This happens pretty much anywhere you are. Whether you're signing for your check in a restaurant, or staying in a hotel room, pens just find their way into your pockets. Even if you have hundreds of them at home, there's always room for one more. Because you never know just when you'll need it.

#2: You Have More Notebooks Than You Have Socks

Come here, sweety. I just had a new idea...

If you're a writer, you're one of the easiest people on the planet to buy gifts for. Because no matter what time of year it is, no matter the event, and no matter how rich or poor you are, nothing will make you happier than a new moleskine notebook. Full-sized or travel, cheap or expensive, notebooks represent fields of potential. And whether you get it as a stocking stuffer, as a free sample in the mail, or just as a throwaway present from a friend who found this old notebook and has no use for it, there's always a little spike in your happiness when you hold it in your hands.

#3: You See The Threads When You Read

This is the part where they kiss. Yep, saw that one coming.

It's true that the best writers have a voracious diet of fiction. They read as much as they can, and they absorb what they see. Much like Neo in the Matrix, they develop the power to see the code. This means they understand the building blocks of story reality, and they can recreate them in their own worlds. So if you find yourself watching TV in a pose reminiscent of The Thinker, or analyzing the story line of every book you pick up regardless of the audience it was intended for, you understand the basics of the writing craft.

#4: You Can Tell The Age of A Book By Its Smell

And sometimes you can even tell the genre.

There are two types of people who walk into bookstores. People who look at the books, and people who smell the books. Whether it's the scent of fresh print on a new bestseller, or the smell of vanilla dust that lingers around old libraries, you have an acute sense of where these books come from. That perfume always makes you smile, and you inhale books the same way a wine connoisseur would sniff his glass. The body is certainly good, but first you need to savor the aroma.

#5: You Actually Write Things

Mileage may vary.

 I said this way back in my post How Do You Know if You're A Real Writer?, and I think it holds just as true now as it did then. Everything else on this list is amusing, and you may even find that it's true for you. However, if you don't write things, then you're not a writer. And if you do write things, no matter what they are, then you are a writer.

It's easy to hem and haw, and to claim someone isn't a real writer. It's a lot harder to actually sit down, put your fingers on the keys, and finish a project. Whether it's a poem, a short story, or a novel, and whether it's good or bad, if you wrote it, then you are, by definition, a writer.

Speaking of which, don't you have work you should be doing instead of reading listicles on the Internet?

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing post. Hopefully you got a snicker or two out of it. If you want to keep up-to-date on all my work, then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. And if you want to help me keep it going, then head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron. All it takes is $1 a month to buy my everlasting gratitude, and to get some sweet swag as thanks for your support.