Gifts for Writers: 6 Minimalist Prints for the Desk Where the Words Happen
Every writer you know has been given the same three presents: a notebook, a nice pen, and a mug that says something about coffee and deadlines. They're kind gifts. Most of them end up in a drawer.
The best gift for a writer is something that does a job. A writer stares at the same patch of wall for hours, waiting for a sentence to arrive. Put something worth staring at there: one line and one image that reminds them, on a bad day, why they bother.
Here are six MonoQuote prints made for the writing desk, and who each one suits.
1. For the novelist: Good Strong Words That Mean Something
The line comes from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, from Jo March, the patron saint of every writer who grew up scribbling in an attic. Here it sits below a huge fountain pen nib with a single golden drop of ink. It's a manifesto for anyone who cuts adjectives for a living.
Give it to: the friend working on a first novel, or anyone who still writes drafts by hand.
See the Fountain Pen Nib print →
2. For the memoirist and the journal keeper: What Mattered Most Rarely Stays Written
Anyone who writes about their own life knows the problem: the moments that mattered most are the ones that slip away before you reach the page. Scattered sheets drift across this print like loose memories. It's a gentle provocation to write it down before it goes.
Give it to: the diarist, the memoir writer, the parent who keeps meaning to write the family history. We wrote about the thinking behind this piece in The Story Behind "What Mattered Most Rarely Stays Written".
See the Scattered Pages print →
3. For the writer finding their voice: Originality Leaves a Mark
Every writing teacher says the same thing eventually: nobody else can write the way you do, so stop trying to sound like someone else. A single fingerprint says it in four words.
Give it to: a student on a creative writing course, a poet, or a journalist who's just gone freelance.
4. For the plotter and the brainstormer: Ideas Grow Where Things Collide
Stories rarely come from one idea. They come from two ideas that shouldn't fit together, until they do. The interlocking gears make the point mechanically, and the gold accent keeps it warm. (There's a longer essay on this one: Ideas Grow Where Things Collide.)
Give it to: the screenwriter with a corkboard full of index cards, or a copywriter who needs a better office wall.
See the Interlocking Gears print →
5. For the one who can't stop drifting: Your Mind Never Stays Where You Are
A writer is someone who's halfway inside another world at the supermarket checkout. This profile, made of branches with leaves blowing away, is an affectionate portrait of the wandering mind that comes with the job.
Give it to: the daydreamer, the fantasy writer, anyone who's ever missed their stop because a scene finally worked.
6. For the writer who needs to slow down: Listen.
Good dialogue starts with eavesdropping. Good prose starts with paying attention. One shell, one word: it's the quietest print in the collection and maybe the most useful advice a writer can hang over a desk.
Give it to: the poet, the playwright, or the overworked journalist who needs permission to stop and listen.
Making it a better gift
- Think about where it'll hang. Most writers work at a desk against a wall. An A4 or A3 print at eye level, just above the screen, will get looked at hundreds of times a day.
- Choose fine art paper for a milestone. A finished manuscript, a first publication, a book deal: our giclée fine art prints are made to be kept.
- Add a note in your own handwriting. It's a gift for a writer. Write something.
Printed in the UK and US
Every MonoQuote print is made locally in the UK and the US, so there are no customs delays or import fees at the door. For Christmas delivery, order with time to spare: each print is produced for you before it ships.
Shopping for a reader as well? See our guide to gifts for book lovers who have everything, or browse the full collection.