Holiday Gifts For Writers

As I was doing my snow shoveling this morning in a meditative state it occurred to me it's not to late to think about holiday gifts for writer friends, relatives, and even yourself.  And don't forget the other occasions that crop up during the year.

It occurred to me as shovel shushed through snow and I heaved it to the side  that money could be short.  It certainly is for a lot of people these days.

So, what to do?

Well, I just received a wonderful compliment on Twitter where one of my followers, StartYourNovel proclaimed me the ultimate link hunter.  I do keep my eye out for things that a writer might be interested in with the thought firmly in place that  many writers, especially those beginning, might not be cash flush.

So here's my suggestion.  Consider putting together a nice list of links that provide free or low cost help for writers.  I'll give you a few today in case the idea appeals.

There's Open Office Suite  which has word processing (including PDF conversion capabilities), draw, spreadsheets and more. It's free to download and works well.

There's Plot Shot  that offers random plot lines for those Writer's block days.

You might include Sci Fi writer Scott Card's site - Hatrack River  "Uncle Orson" offers writing lessons, articles and more for the writer.

PlotBot  is great for screenwriters a way to write screenplays online alone or with friends. You just register.

Like Random Generators  to help spark ideas for names, places, plots? There are a bunch of them here.

Know about Writers FM?   the radio station for writers by writers offering interviews and music.

Know a screenwriter who needs to read scripts, yourself maybe? Get 'em here at Drew's Script-o-rama  free.

Want a way to organize your querys, track them, and find places to send them? Query Tracker  is also free.  Read the terms.

Here's a good one - The Fiction Writers Guide to Psychology  she is selling her book, but the resources here are free.

For a great name generator try the Vitorian Steampunk Name Generator

Looking for an agent? Try Agent query 

There are a lot more out there, but you get the idea.  A great gift to give and one that would be greatly appreciated for any occasion!

Oh, and happy holidays!