Gift Ideas for Writers Based on Their Love Language
We’re halfway through September, one of my favorite months: it’s warm enough on the west coast to still count as summer (especially with this outrageous heat wave!), it’s prime time for the fall entertainment season, and—most importantly—I get to celebrate another year around the sun.
If you’re a type A (or true Virgo) like me, birthdays and other gift-giving days can be stressful from both sides, whether you’re crafting a wish list or desperately asking for one.
So if you’ve got a writer friend or family member in your life who deserves to be treated, consider these ideas as my gift to you.
The 5 Love Languages
Most of us who have read a self-help book in the last thirty years are already acquainted with the 5 Love Languages, a concept popularized by author Dr. Gary Chapman.
In his bestselling book, Chapman explains that people primarily express love and connection in one of the following five ways:
Words of affirmation
Physical touch
Quality time
Acts of service
Receiving gifts
The best part of these love languages is that they’re relevant for anyone, anywhere, at any time. For your loved ones who are passionate about writing and reading, consider which of these languages are the most meaningful to them and keep reading for specific gift ideas that will make their special days even more special!
Words of Affirmation
If there’s anything a writer can appreciate, it’s words that come from the heart. If their books are already published, then there’s no better gift than sharing your love by rating, reviewing, and promoting their work on social media. When word of mouth spreads, it begets more words of affirmation, so give them a shout-out and tell the world how awesome their stories are.
If the writer in your life is like me and not yet published, don’t despair. One of the most meaningful gifts I ever received was my husband’s heartfelt idea for our first wedding anniversary. Traditionally, the theme is paper, so he had my first novel designed and printed. Even if that book never makes it to shelves, it will always sit on mine, and that level of support from my partner was enough to make me cry.
Either way, the best way to bring writers tears of joy is to affirm how much their creativity matters to you.
Physical Touch
There are plenty of great gifts that writers can get their literal hands on, whether it’s a trusted notebook or fancy pen. But most authors these days type up their stories on their computers, making it more difficult to support their writing process using the love language of physical touch.
That’s why I love recommending Litographs for offline writing inspiration. They make beautiful works of art from the actual text of over 300 books, from clothing and home decor to even temporary tattoos! I’ve bought a handful of items over the years, and one of my favorite pieces is a poster of Wuthering Heights.
The coolest part of Litographs is that you can create custom T-shirts, scarves, pillows, and blankets. And because custom text can be derived from any source—creative fiction, academic papers, original song lyrics, etc.—they make great gifts for all kinds of writers. Who wouldn’t want to wear their own words?
Quality Time
Writing is an inherently solitary activity, so it can be isolating if you don’t have a group or community of fellow creatives. Many folks would rather be gifted experiences over products, so capture the magic of quality time by taking your loved one to a book signing of one of their favorite authors.
I’ve had the opportunity to see Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro, Kevin Kwan, and many others in person, which is as exciting to me as it is for others to meet famous actors or athletes.
And tomorrow I’m celebrating my birthday with friends by meeting Taylor Jenkins Reid! The bestselling author of Malibu Rising and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will be hosted by Oakland indie bookstore, A Great Good Place for Books.
Of course, if you don’t live in a metropolitan city frequented by authors on their book tours, that doesn’t mean you can’t spend meaningful quality time with your writer friends and family. Get them a book with a movie or TV tie-in, and watch the adaptation together! Here’s a list of page-to-screen adaptations in 2022 you can incorporate into your next hangout.
Acts of Service
As much as I sometimes wish books could write themselves, they require a great deal of time and effort—a luxury most people do not have. In all seriousness, one of the most tragic inequities within the arts is that it’s often only the wealthy and privileged who have the resources to live a creative life.
Even carving out one hour would make a writer’s dreams, so if their love language involves acts of service, there are many ways to help. Make them dinner or get it delivered, offer to babysit their kids, or treat them to a deep-cleaning session.
Domestic labor is massively undervalued in society, and yet it’s what’s needed for society to function. Taking a task or errand off a friend’s plate not only gives them precious time back, but it also refills their creative cup.
And as crass as it sounds, we need to be honest about when our writing is sponsored by our partners. Having a spouse who can support me emotionally and financially for an extended period of time has been the greatest gift I could have possibly received this year.
Receiving Gifts
If you’ve gotten this far and none of these gift ideas have resonated with you, there is an extremely simple answer to what to get the writers in your life.
It’s more books!
Honestly, I don’t care how long my to-read list is—I always ask friends and family to get me books. They’re affordable, they never expire, and there are always more being published every single day, so the options are endless.
You can buy specific books on a writer’s wish list if they have one, or surprise them with a gift card to their local independent bookstore or a monthly subscription, like Book of the Month.
If your gift-receiver doesn’t have any more shelf space, you can go digital with a gift card to their ebook app of choice. Scribd is a great option, for example, if you’d like to gift access to millions of audiobooks, ebooks, and magazines without supporting the Amazon ecosystem.
And for the writers who have everything and truly want nothing, consider making a donation on their behalf to their local library or a nonprofit that promotes literacy in underserved communities.
Here’s a list of literary activism organizations that need your support, and if you’d like to celebrate my birthday, please consider donating to my fundraiser for the American Library Association to join their national initiative Unite Against Book Bans.
Make Your Next Gift Memorable
It’s cliche to say the best gifts come from the heart, but it’s true. Writers spend every free moment building worlds and crafting tales, so if you can show them you care as much as they do, they’ll be forever grateful.
I want to extend my gratitude to everyone who’s read my work, given feedback, supported my journey, and encouraged me along the way. They may seem like small things, but they mean everything.
And if you’d like to treat this birthday gal, why not subscribe? You’ll receive recommendations of what I’m reading, watching, and more—consider it a little gift in your inbox each month!
As always, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more slices of writing life!