Fun and Funny Gift Ideas for Writers and Readers

FUN GIFT IDEAS FOR WRITERS AND READERS

I just added a new post to the Wordpress blog that lists all my Christmas gift ideas for readers and writers. I didn't want to repeat the same post here - so here's a link to the Wordpress post if you'd like to see more details about all the designs below. I hope it helps you find a good present for the writer or reader on your list!

Fun Gifts for Writers and Readers

-MK

All designs © MK Hess

Writer's Story Prompt: A Twist on Time Travel

    Time travel is a common story element. When I was querying literary agents about five years ago, a lot of them seemed to hate it. I guess they had good reason; according to their blogs, time travel was one of the most popular topics in the letters they received. If I had to read, "And then Timmy finds a time machine..." about fifty times a day, I'd probably get tired of it, too. (Side note: Timmy is a nuisance anyway, and should be properly dealt with).

    Still, there's a good reason why time travel is so common in stories: it's fun! Readers and TV watchers must like it, or it wouldn't keep showing up. As the agents said, the real difficulty is finding a unique angle on it. So, for this writer's prompt, take a popular topic like time travel and brainstorm a way to make it original. Here's an idea to get you started:

    While your character is off time-traveling, the world ends. That is, the world of her / his own time. Your character no longer has a "real" time to go home to and is essentially a time refugee. What does your character do and why? Does your character travel to the moment before the world ended and save other people? Does she try to change what happened or does she believe it can't be changed?

    Have fun writing!

    -MK

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! on Amazon     

Writer Prompt: The World 20 Years in the Future

WRITER STORY STARTER: IMAGINE OUR NOT-TOO-DISTANT FUTURE

I'm always afraid to throw away computer information as long as I still own the computer. After all, you never know when you might need the manual for that giant dinosaur desktop machine you still have sitting in the corner, kept solely because it plays Monkey Island games so well (and you never know when you'll need a working floppy drive!). Well, I finally gave away the old desktop and recently, I went to remove all its information from the computer drawer. To my surprise, I still had the old newspaper advertisement where I first saw the computer. It was circled on the page. Of course, I had to sit down and laugh at all the specs I thought were great at the time. 

In a little over a decade, computers had changed a lot. And if you keep up with tech news, you know there are plenty more changes in the works all the time. It's easy to see what awaits us in the coming year or two. But what about a decade in the future? Two decades? In another ten years, will you sit down and laugh at the computers and smart phones you own now? 

For this writing prompt, be a visionary. Think about all the technology in our world today and try to imagine what it will be like when today's newborns go to college. How will the changes in technology change society? How will your characters' lives be affected, for good or bad? 

 -MK

on Zazzle

on Amazon   

Funny Novelty Gift for Writers: Story Board Dartboard

INTRODUCING THE "FUNNY STORY BOARD FOR WRITERS" DARTBOARD

I'm excited to show you my latest design on Zazzle because it happens to be for writers. This one took a lot of detailed work to complete. The result is this funny dartboard for novelists and screenwriters:

Funny Writers Authors Story Board Novelty Dartboard With Darts
by LaborAndLeisure

As a writer, what do you do when you run out of story ideas and writer's block sets in? Now, instead of staring at a blank screen, you can hang the Writer's Story Board on your office wall and "Take a Shot - Make a Plot."

The slightly tongue-in-cheek novelty dartboard is very detailed. Hit the thin outer ring and get a character motivation, such as lust, jealousy or greed. Hit the large outer ring and get a story starter or theme, like "lost in the wild," "relationship turmoil" or "crime spree." The thin inner ring gives pictures designed to get your mind thinking, like a snake, a mask or a key. The large inner ring offers up genres, from comedy to horror, fantasy to thriller. Finally, the bull's eye looks like an explosion.

The Writer's Story Board is a fun way to entertain yourself or use as an imagination exercise. Make a game of it with your friends, too: tell a story based around the subjects you hit. It makes a humorous, very unique gift for the brilliant writer in your life and works well for screenwriters, novelists or English / Creative Writing teachers. This is how bestsellers and blockbusters get written!

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The dartboard appears in one of my newest stores, LaborAndLeisure, where I'm slowly building a collection of designs for writers as well as other jobs, hobbies and interests. Keep stopping in to look for more designs (and better organization) soon! And don't forget to check out the other Zazzle stores at the link below.

-MK
on Zazzle
on Amazon

All images copyright MK Hess