Oftentimes, writing simple scenes can be one of the best ways to practice showing rather than telling how a character is feeling. For example, take the act of exchanging gifts at Christmas. Writing a scene like this will allow you to gain more insight into your character in a few ways. Firstly, the gifts themselves can reflect both on the character giving and receiving the gift. Does character A know character B well enough to get them a gift they’d actually enjoy? And, if so, what would that gift be? And secondly, writing about the exchanging of gifts in-scene allows you to play with characters’ reactions to show the reader whether or not they are excited about the gift.

For example, let’s say character A gets character B a pair of socks. If they’re the type of person who would like a pair of fun socks, they’ll exclaim excitedly, thank character A, and perhaps try them on right away. If that isn’t the kind of gift they’d enjoy, however, they may speak slowly, use phrases like ‘this is interesting’, and wear a strained smile that doesn’t quite meet your eyes. Whether or not character A even notices the reaction is another telling character moment as well- is character A intuitive enough to notice what the audience can clearly see?

Writing such a scene will also allow you to play around with a family dynamic as well. As a writer, your goal should be to be able to establish the nature of relationships as quickly and concisely as possible. Which family members are closest? Who is friends with whom? Is anyone currently fighting or is there any tension underscoring the current family dynamic? These are all questions that can be answered through a simple gift exchange.

Writing Prompt: Write a scene (either with characters from your manuscript or new ones) where a family or a group of friends are exchanging gifts on Christmas. Use the different beats and moments in the gift exchange to establish the characters as individuals, their relationship dynamics, and to make their reactions clear to the reader by showing rather than telling.

The post Writing Prompt: Gift Exchange appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

1) Smart Notebook

For the writing friend who still prefers their notebooks to their computers, gift them a smart notebook. The notebook is able to connect to different drives such as google docs, Dropbox, Evernote, Onenote, iCloud, email, slack, and more. Not only is this much more environmentally friendly than the piles of notebooks they have on their shelves, but the smart search software makes it easy to search for specific notes through the software. This way when they need to find their old book ideas from years ago, it no longer takes an entire afternoon of flipping through loose sheets of paper.

2) Bath Tray

One of the best ways for writers to continue to improve their writing is through their reading. Gift your writer friend a bath tray with a built-in area for their current read. You’ll be gifting them with many relaxing nights of soaking in a warm bath while visiting characters and worlds that they love, which is also the perfect way to relax after a long day of reworking plots.

3) Wrist Rest Pad

Any writer knows that feeling where you get in the writing groove and suddenly three, four, five hours have gone by and you’re still at your computer. You’re simultaneously proud of what you’ve accomplished… and also incredibly sore in your wrists and hands. Help your writer friend make it through those long writing sessions without the wrist pain by gifting them a wrist rest pad. The memory foam material will conform perfectly to their wrists and hands so that they can comfortably write during those long sleepless nights.

4) Writing Books

One way for writers to improve their craft is to look at the work of other successful and acclaimed writers. Giving your writer friend or family member a book about writing can be an excellent way to not only give them a new perspective on their own work but also allow them to connect with one of their favorite authors. A few great options include On Writing by Stephen King, Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, and more.

5) Audible

For those writers who may not have as much time to read as they used to, give them that extra push by gifting them an Audible subscription. Audiobooks are a great option for the writer and reader on the go as they can listen to books in their car, on a walk with their dog, or as they’re waiting in line at their favorite coffee shop. All of these little moments throughout the day can now become moments for reading.

6) Gift cards

When in doubt, get your writer friend a gift card. If you’re having trouble picking out a book for them, getting them a gift card for Barnes & Noble or Amazon will allow them to pick for themselves from their ‘to be read’ list. You could also get them a gift card to either Starbucks or their favorite local coffee shop. Writers love to take their show on the road, grab a cup of coffee, and read/write in a place that fuels their creativity. A Starbucks gift card will allow them to grab a cup next time they make a B&N run or the local coffee shop option will gift them a warm cup of joe next time they swing by to work on their latest novel.

The post Writer’s Gift Guide 2020 appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

1) Book Candles:

Book Candles are great gifts for readers and writers alike. Several candle companies, such as Wick and Fable, create scents that correspond with your favorite book series. Not only does this company have scents curated to fit popular series like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, they also make scents meant to evoke the feel of a specific genre. They have scents for fantasy, romance, sci-fi, and suspense genres. Allowing the aroma of a writer’s specific genre to fill their space may inspire them in their own writing.

Another company who goes beyond the normal book scents is Novelly Yours. They include scents that correspond with specific parts of the writing and reading process. These include scents like Cliffhanger, Plot Twist, World-building, Villainous, and Romance Trope. So if your writer friend is stuck on a specific section of their book, this may be the perfect way to inspire them.

2) Barnes & Noble Notebooks

For those writers who still love that feel of pen to paper, you can’t beat a quality notebook and pen set. Barnes & Noble has an amazing selection of stunning leather notebooks, perfect for the writer in your life. This is a convenient gift too because it’s hard to find an area without a Barnes & Noble close by.

3) Litographs

Litographs merchandise is the perfect gift for any literary inclined person. The website contains an array of different t-shirts, posters, scarves, and bags from over 200 different books. What makes these gifts unique, however, is that they aren’t just related to each book- they are each book. Every item has large excerpts of from the text from that particular book written all over it in small print. For those who aren’t content simply carrying their favorite book and would like to wear their favorite book, this website allows writers to take literary obsession to a whole new realm.

4) Writing Mugs

For writers who live on coffee or tea, an inspirational mug is always a great gift. There are so many to choose from but this one and this one are our favorites. It all depends on what you’re going for, just as long as it has a fun and creative saying. A funny mug can make a writer smile in the midst of their writer’s block or an inspirational/aspirational mug can provide a writer with the words of affirmation they need to keep writing well past their bedtime.

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The post Best Gifts for Writers appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.