Betty's Tips 12/11

Dear Fellow Writers,

It's hard to believe how fast November flies when one's participating in NaNoWriMo. I got to my 50 thousand words, and then thought I'd keep writing to see if I could finish my Dreams of the Salad Bar. In the end, I finished at 72,551 words, but my story turned out to be an Eggplant origin tale, and mostly took place in the garden outside. It's amazing where your imagination will take you when you let go of your inner editor.

Anyway since I finished my first draft (I hear from my fellow BWG members that my productivity was due to beginner's luck) I'm going to set it aside for a while before I get down to editing. Fortunately, it's the time of year when I have every excuse to pursue one of my other favorite hobbies-- shopping!

I love the holidays. I love the hustle and bustle of the stores. I love picking out gifts for loved ones, and friends. And, of course, I love finding a good deal on something I've had my eye on for a while.

Now, Mr. Wryte-Goode doesn't really approve of my taking this opportunity to shop for myself, but he can hardly judge me for shopping for my fellow BWG members, can he? And the fact that I'm a writer doesn't mean I can't shop for other writers . . . right? Besides, if I post my findings here, it's a public service.

So, in the interest of serving the public this holiday season, I'm going to post some great gift ideas for-- ahem --writers.

One gift idea a number of my BWG friends have been discussing this year is voice recognition software. This is a great gift for the busy writer who can't always get her fingers to they keyboard. Dragon Naturally Speaking software is one company that BWG members have recommended to me.

Since you can't always have your computer on and with you, a great complement to the Dragon software is a digital voice recorder that will work with it such as these Digital Recorders from Sony.

For writers who are ready to start querying agents and editors, you might consider a subscription to Query Tracker.This service helps writers keep track of their queries as well as find agents and editors who might be interested in their work.

Another service worth considering is Writers Market. Writers Market is a searchable online database of publishers and agents that our writer can use to find someone who would be interested in representing, or publishing, her work.

A third service to consider is Publisher's Marketplace. Which is a daily report of everything going on in the book industry.

For writers whose taste in writing tends toward the less technological, you might consider purchasing a nice fountain pen. Now, fountain pen prices run the gamut from affordable to collecters' items, but I've been very happy with my Lamy Safari fountain pen. It's not too expensive, but still comes in lots of pretty colors.

If you go the fountain pen route, might I suggest you also try Noodler's Ink. Their "Bulletproof" ink will withstand anything, meaning the only way your writer will lose her precious words is if she also loses the paper. Even coffee can't defeat Noodler's Bulletproof ink.

Speaking of coffee, if your favorite writer is a coffee, tea, or hot cocoa drinker, you might consider getting her a Keurig single cup coffee maker. This way, your favorite caffeine addict can get her fix without taking too much time away from her writing. Not to mention the fact that you won't have to worry that she's leaving the coffee maker on all day.

You can always combine the gift of coffee with the gift of a coffee mug. I've had my eye on this I Are A Writer Mug. Sold by Jon Gibbs, aGreater Lehigh Valley Writers Group member, this mug is the perfect for the professional and amateur writers in your circle. You can buy it alone, or get a better price by combining it with the purchase of Mr. Gibbs' book, Fur-Face.

I've also had my eye on this delightful apron from the Bethlehem Writers Group, and this Time To Write clock. The apron would be perfect for all those writers out there who take time out of their schedule to bake Christmas cookies, and the clock will justify their desire to get back to work (or remind them that they shouldn't be procrastinating).

Since writing is a solitary activity, your writer might appreciate a membership in a writing group.Groups to consider include Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, and the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators. These groups will help your writer network with other writers, agents, and editors, and provide writers with a much-needed social outlet as well as a venue for professional advancement. You can find a complete list of writers organizations here.

You might also consider providing your writer with a magazine subscription. For example, magazines such as Writers Digest, The Writer, Poets & Writers, and Publisher's Weekly.

If your writer likes to listen with music playing in the background, you might want to purchase a subscription to Pandora One. If you're not familiar with Pandora, it's an internet radio that chooses songs it believes the listener will enjoy. Writers can set up different stations for different projects, and then let the computer manage the play list. Pandora One is a step up from the free Pandora service because the music is of a higher quality, and there aren't any ads.

Writers who are still deep in the research stage of writing might appreciate an ereader such as a Kindle, Nook, or Sony Reader. Any writer who has to carry 10 books around for research will respect how very light a single ereader is. Not to mention, an ereader is a great way to carry books on vacation.

Speaking of vacation, one of the best gifts you can give a busy writer is the gift of time. Whether you send your writer to a spa to relax, or just take the kids out for the day so she can write, time is something every writer needs.

For those of you in the Bethlehem area, I strongly suggest you visit Christkindlemarkt, The Moravian Bookshop, the Bethlehem Visitors Center, and any of Bethlehem's myriad cute local shops.

If you live in New Jersey, I suggest you check out the Clinton Bookshop, and if you live in Buck's County the holiday won't be complete without a visit to Lion Around Books in Quakertown. Who knows, if you time your visits to these local sites correctly, you might see some BWG members signing books.

Now, unfortunately I can't direct all of my readers to shops local to them, but I will encourage you to, if possible, buy your gifts locally this year. The energy and festivity of a local downtown is much more exciting than a website. If you're not sure which Indie bookshops are in your area, check out Indie Bound. After all, a gift certificate to a local bookstore always makes a great gift.

Happy shopping--ahem--writing, everyone!

Betty Wryte-Goode