Original Gift Ideas for Writers 2023

I've received a few thoughtful gifts to support me in my writing and I thought I'd share them here in case anyone is looking for some original gift ideas for writers.

There are no affiliate links on this blog. I've included search terms below in bold, so you can locate them easily for yourself. If I've included brands it's because those are the ones I use and I like them, though there are likely other comparable products that will come up in the search that you might like better.

I see a lot of lists with writer gifts that are typical, like notebooks, or things that someone who knows a writer thinks they might like, but the writer has no use for.

Of course a really nice writing pen (reommended!), or notebook with a meaningful design are great choices, and I would't dissuade anyone from going that route. The list below includes things that I don't normally come across when searching, but have proven useful to me.

Narwhal Co. Pocket Pens

These are 3.35" long and can easily hook onto the pocket notebooks below. I like to leave my phone behind when I walk. I take one of these and a pocket notebook instead. Bonus: they come with lifetime free refills, shipping included.

Jekkis Pocket Notebooks

These notebooks are a little wider than a cell phone and are easy to carry with you anywhere and keep stashed around the house for when inspiration strikes. I buy them in a combo pack of black and kraft brown. I sketch something onto their covers or ask my kids to decorate them so they each take on a unique characteristic. Bonus: A metallic pen makes the design on the black ones stand out.

Lighted Tip Pens

I discovered these as a kid when a nurse used them at night during a hospital stay I had to endure. Like most writers, I keep a notebook next to my bed. I also keep a red-tipped one of these to minimize the disturbance to my sleeping spouse when I wake up at unacceptable hours with an idea to capture. Bonus: I often start my daily walk before the sun comes up, and take the brighter blue or white versions of these with me on those.

Book Darts

My wife gave me a tin of these for Christmas this past year and at first glance I wondered, what the hell will I do with these? Well, I'm tearing through them like candy. I use my public library a lot, and my kindle too. But for those special books that I buy and keep for my collection, these things are indispensable to me now. You can use them to pinpoint a line on the page, and unlike a highlighter, these are removable and much less intrusive to the reading experience. Bonus: You can reuse the container to keep small items like, well, candy.

Homemade Bookmarks

My daughter has hand-crafted several bookmarks for me. One of my favorites is a Lewis Carrol-inspired mushroom with a red cap and white spots. It nestles over the corner of the page with the stem of the mushroom pointing to the page you stopped reading on. Bonus: With the right personalization, these are bookmarks you'll ask a librarian to help you chase down if you forget to collect it before dropping your borrowed books in the return slot.

Enjoy.