Gift ideas for an aspiring writer?

Answer 1

I am not normally a believer in "how to write" books, but there is one that is so beautiful, wise and funny that I have recommended it to many aspiring writiers. It's called Bird By Bird and the author is Anne Lamott.

Answer 2

The "Bird by Bird" book that others mentioned. Also, the 1934 classic "Becoming a Writer" by Dorothea Brande.

"The Writer's Block" for an adult. "The Creative Block" for a child or adult. (The WB has some adult topics.)

A nice dictionary and/or thesaurus.

"Elements of Style" by Strunk and White

Magazine subscription to "Writers Digest"

If you want to give something more expensive and live near a big city, then an improvisation comedy workshop with Second City or TheatreSports or The Groundlings or suchlike. These are excellent training grounds for the imagination for characters, plots, settings, etc.

I would stay away from pretty writing books and fancy pens unless you know that the writer uses those tools instead of a computer to write.

There are also different specific softwares for screenwriting, creative writing, and so. But as with the pens and paper, I would avoid these unless you know that's what the writer really wants and needs.

Answer 3

When I was a high school senior, a very thoughtful person who is a writer herself gave me The Paris Review's collected interviews with writers, about how they worked. Also good: "Letters to a Young Journalist" by Samuel G. Freedman, or "Letters to a Young Artist" by Anna Deavere Smith. Or you could enroll them in a class, a writing workshop type thing, if there's anything like that in your area.

Don't give them a fancy bound journal! Writers are acutely aware - and OUGHT to be acutely aware - of the need to revise. Those bound-journal things are no good. You can't jot notes in them or scratch things out. You feel like you're marring the expensive pages..... And DON'T give them anything with "creativity exercises" or anything on "overcoming writer's block!" Those are trite.

Answer 4

If those suggestions are enough.... a gift card to the book store! Writers need to read in order to figure out what they like and what inspires them.

Answer 5

A really fine, bound, blank book; a very good pen; and a copy of "Bird By Bird" by Anne Lamott. And as much free time as you can give them!

ADDENDUM: How funny--Roo beat me by 29 seconds in mentioning "BBB"! Might not be suitable if your aspiring writer is younger than a teenager, but it's the one book I try to reread every year....

Answer 6

A really beautful blank journal, prefferably with lined pages. And maybe a classic book that will really inspire them, choose the book according to their interests and/or reading level.

And, as was said earlier, the book Bird By Bird is amazing and will really make him/her understand what it means to be a writer.

Answer 7

It depends upon what one wants to write, i.e a factual or fictious story. For writting something based on facts one should know how to collect analyse and interpret data. Fiction can be written by a person who is very romantic, imaginative and also sometimes creative.

Answer 8

How about a subscription to a magazine like Writer's Digest? You can order it online.

Answer 9

Maybe an account for writing.com and an upgrade? Or you could get a reference book that a writer would use. I have a character naming book and a thesaurus of phrases, they usually help me.

Answer 10

A nice gift would be a cloth or leather bound journal with acid free paper. This is so he or she can write whenever or wherever they may be. More than that if the paper is acid free, it won't turn yellow and her writings/thoughts will be preserved longer :-)