9 Gifts for the Struggling Writer
The struggling writer is the worst off of all. He stares at a dark future, fumbling for a sliver of light in a dark tunnel of words, and not sure of what the uncertain future held for him. He is alone in his struggle, writing from his heart, not knowing whether his work will be appreciated one day, or whether he will be stuck in the doldrums forever. In this holiday season, what could be the best gift for him? Here is my list.
1. A critique of his work, preferably free (for they are expensive), which tells him what he is doing right, and where he needs to park his words or where his plot is going all awry. It will push him in the right direction, and give him the necessary encouragement to finish his work and find an agent or publisher.
2. A leather-bound notebook for his thoughts, for he might take a walk sometime to refresh himself and what if inspiration strikes him on the road; what if he saw a character on the road just waiting to be written into the plot.
3. An internet blocking software which only allows access to Wikipedia and dictionary.com. The struggling writer is also one with a fidgety and curious mind. He would be constantly trawling the world wide web for bits and pieces of information, chatting, commenting, and when his twenty hours of the day are up, he’d realize that most of it was wasted.
4. A supply of coffee or tea , for caffeine is the most innocent of intoxicants, and many a great writer has found support and direction for their thoughts in their chemical shoulders.
5. A comfortable chair with an even more comfortable cushion for his butt, and a handy shelf underneath or overhead for books and writing things built around it. But mind it, not too comfortable, for you wouldn’t him to fall asleep.
6. Gravity boots, with an instruction manual on inversion therapy if he is suffering from writer’s block. If it helps Dan Brown unravel sticky plot points, why not our struggling writer? If he doesn’t want to hurt himself, maybe an exercise mat will do along with a book or video on how to do pranayama, a yoga exercise.
7. Books, books, and more books for every good writer is also a good reader.
8. If you are a little hard up for cash,gift him something simple like a ‘Don’t Disturb’ sign, or even an ashtray would suffice.
9. Information, something in his line of work, like The Writer’s Handbook or The Writers’ & Artists’ Handbook, or a web subscription of something similar.
What would you add to the list?
The most important thing of all – an understanding and supportive partner. Not necessarily one who reads every tiny word he ever writes but one who doesn’t sigh when he has been sat for six hours pounding the keys. One who doesn’t want him to mow the lawn, tidy a cupboard, take out the rubbish just when he has entered the zone after three days of thrashing around in the wilderness.
An inkwell, quill and parchment. A subtle reminder of how much harder it used to be to write, which will remind the author that spellcheck can be a wonderful thing and the ability to save your work and make backups is so much easier today than in the past.
Great point. Technology can make life easier for you, but can also make you complacent
yep
my friend gifted me a quill for my burthday! it was a beautiful feeling to be dipping the quill in ink and writing …
I love that photo for a comfortable chair! What an idea! And the gift of a computer without access to extras is also good. I do find it hard to fight distractions.
Yes, I agree…the next bad habit is procrastination
As a writer, I tend to bounce ideas off my friends. A perfect (and free) gift for me would be a coupon good for three hours of listening as I work my way through thorny plot issues.
Thanks for the gift ideas. I probably need all of that, but I have decided to not stress over not being noticed by agents and filling my drawer with rejection notices. I will simply write what I want to write, listen to critics that tell me exactly what I need to hear, and work furiously on my own blog. Hopefully I will help someone out, and that will be worth all the effort.
Backup software/device. There’s nothing that will rip the guts out of a writer than having all their work destroyed due to a hard disk error, theft, or mistakes. Get a network NAS with RAID drives, and copy all your work to it regularly. Even better, buy two NAS devices and use one as the “live” copy, the other as the backup. Failing that, a good USB stick or DVD writer will suffice.
Great advice!
As a writer, a pat in the back is a nice gift…. and a massage oil to help me sooth back pains and shoulder pain caused by too much typing. Thanks for sharing this! So witty!
I like the bit about the tea/coffee; very true. I couldn’t write a word without my morning cup of Earl Grey.
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