The perfect last minute gift for a writer

By Tom:

It’s that time of year again when busy, multitasking people suddenly realize there is a gap in their scrupulously organized ranks of gifts. Inexplicably, someone has been overlooked.

Or, it’s that time of year when disorganized and forgetful people suddenly realize they’ve left things to the last minute again, and the shops are closing soon.

Either way, if the someone for whom you need to find a gift is a writer, there is a simple, quick, and genuinely valuable solution: the promissory note.

Teika and I have occasionally gone for this option, largely because of the other consequence of busy lives: the most valuable asset for us these days is time. A promise of time is wonderful. I scratch my head at Christmas and birthdays trying to think of books I want to read (limitless supply), films I want to watch, or stuff I don’t really need but could probably play with for a bit or use occasionally. Inevitably, I end up with a pile of unwatched films, unread books, and a drawer full of gadgets I’ve never used. Way more valuable is the promise of two hours guaranteed uninterrupted writing time. Or a weekend afternoon to myself, to spend however I please. Or even, a weekend away together to catch up, chill out, and work on our scheming and dreaming.

So in the spirit of the season here are a few ideas for the sorts of promises that the writers in your lives might just love:

• A guaranteed hour of writing time every day, without interruption, for a month
• A weekend at a writing retreat of your choice
• A day without responsibility for children or pets, to get some deep work done
• A dedicated space in a room of your choice for a writing den
• A trip to an inspirational place of your choosing to stimulate the imagination
• All your chores done for a week to give you time to write
• Beta reading a story or novel chapter of your creation

And for the truly time-strapped, here’s a template you can print out and use:

 

 

And best of all, a gift like this helps move your writing ambitions forwards, improves your craft, and doesn’t clutter up your home with junk.

Best wishes and Happy Christmas from Teika and Tom.